Article #47: Triumph Over Trauma

Psychology says if you are experiencing a major problem in your life that’s affecting you very much and you don’t know how to get out of it, then there are chances that you create another bigger problem by yourself to get rid of the initial problem. 

As part of this article, I am going to tell you one interesting story based on real life incidents with fictional characters. The story gives you a different perspective of life, but ultimately makes you smile as it is Triumph over Trauma. 

Here goes the story. 

Once upon a time in one of the popular cities of India, there used to be a person named Shambu. Shambu was calm, cool, emotional and a sensitive person. He never liked to get into a spat with anyone and always preferred to lead a peaceful life. But knowingly or unknowingly he landed into one problem in his personal life that he couldn’t get out of it.  

Everything and everyone around seemed to be very small for him compared to that situation. He experienced depression for so many days, he couldn’t even share that problem with anyone as it was extremely personal. He tried to apply many ways to come out of it, but everything went in vain. He couldn’t understand how to get rid of the situation, but at some point, he felt, the problem was affecting him only because he was in a comfort zone with all the basic necessities of life. He thought once if he could break the comfort zone and create a bigger problem, then he could easily escape from the initial problem. That’s it, his mind raced in several ways to find loop holes in all the corners that would help him break his comfort zone. 

Ultimately, he could find one. He wasn’t getting promotion at work place from the last 9 months although he was giving the best every moment including extra working hours and even weekends. Not just that, unfortunately, it was the same thing more or less happening with him throughout his career. He thought this was the major issue out of which he could create a bigger problem and break his comfort zone so he could divert his thoughts from the initial problem and come out of it. Without any secondary thought, he resigned the organization that he was working since last 8 years.  

It came as a surprise and even shock for everyone around him as soon as the news spread out because people know Shambu as a good and hardworking employee. He clearly told the organization’s management that his promotion was delayed from the last 9 months without any reason although he was putting the best efforts all the time.  

Now, this turned out to be biggest trauma in Shambu’s life because his future was at stake. He was not in a comfort zone anymore. He didn’t have an alternate job offer in hand. Now what else would become important for him other than his earnings for livelihood?  

Shambu started prepping up for interviews at various other organizations. Look at his fate, nothing went ahead as expected. While there were some companies that congratulated him for clearing all rounds of interviews, but never gave an offer letter, there were some other who didn’t give him any response towards the end. Shambu even had good network and contacts, he tried reaching out to so many people, friends, colleagues and everyone. Although some of them genuinely came forward to help, things didn’t work out. Some other ignored him. Some other clearly told that it wouldn’t be possible. 

In the three months of his resignation and notice period, Shambu learned so many things, not only the subject for interviews, but also about people, the real and fake ones, inside and outside the work place.  

At the same time, he experienced immense pressure as expected. During all these happenings, Shambu realized that his initial problem just vanished and his thoughts were also diverted. While he was happy for it, the solution to his bigger problem that he created kept haunting him. 

In the meantime, there started several discussions within the organization with Shambu because no company or organization would like to lose a honest, loyal and hardworking employee. It was finalized in the discussions that once Shambu gets the promotion, he would take the resignation back and continue to work in the same organization.  

Things didn’t move for quite a long time, the more, the last day was getting closer, the more pressure was building up for Shambu. He started putting the same pressure on the management who cheated him not only by not giving his promotion for his good work, but also by coming up with so many stories for close to 9 months. He thought in the worst case, if he couldn’t get any other offer by the last one week of his last date, he would take his resignation back with a constraint that he wouldn’t work with the management that he was already doing anymore. 

But, finally a twist in the tale, the triumph of Shambu. He got the promotion letter in the same organization for his years of hard work after a battle of close to 3 months. It came as a big surprise for Shambu as he never expected in his dreams that it would happen. What next? He immediately took his resignation back and was back with a bang at his work place. 

That’s how Shambu was able to come out of the bigger problem that he created by overriding it with the initial problem. Now, he neither had the bigger problem or the initial problem in his life. Then he realized that the trauma happened in his life was only to give him the triumph at the end. 

Just like Shambu, most of the times, even we get worried on experiencing the trauma or distressing events. But we fail to recongnize that there’s always a Triumph waiting to arrive just like a morning after a night, a light after the darkness, a Triumph over Trauma.  

Are you able to enjoy reading this article? Do let me know in the comments section.