I came to Aviation because of my distractions.
I was too distracted in life in my 20's. Did not have clear vision. More than clarity, too many paths to choose—as a student, and too many paths to choose as a career.
I wasn't good at remembering the whole theory.
However, the concepts which I have learned about anything—from my childhood till now—they are clear as glass.
The First Attempt: BSc Mathematics
As I was choosing my colleges, I chose BSc in Mathematics.
However, Integration and Differentiation were the topics I thought I would cope up with.
I never did.
Finally, I dropped college.
The Second Attempt: BA
Then I got admitted into BA.
Dropped out there too.
Because of no focus. Or maybe I didn't find it relatable.
The Moment Everything Changed
Then, one day, I had to drop my friend at Srinagar Airport.
There, I saw two men wearing SpiceJet uniform—Anchor.
That made me curious.
How to reach there?
And there, I was finding myself through.
But the Path Wasn't Easy
It took me 6 years.
Because I weighed 95 kgs, and I was finding it difficult to lose weight while staying in Srinagar.
I finally made a decision to leave Srinagar.
And within 3 months, I lost 15 kgs of weight.
And made it through the SpiceJet interview.
What I Didn't Realize at the Time
Unknowingly, I was learning how to achieve goals through constantly telling my brain: "You can do it."
Here's what this journey taught me:
1. Distraction isn't failure. It's searching.
I didn't fail at BSc Math. I didn't fail at BA.
I was searching for something that made sense to me. Something relatable. Something I could hold onto.
Two dropped degrees weren't wasted years—they were elimination rounds. Ruling out paths that weren't mine.
2. Clarity comes from concepts, not memorization.
I was never good at remembering theory.
But concepts? Concepts stayed with me forever.
This taught me something important about myself: I don't learn by memorizing information. I learn by understanding why things work.
3. Sometimes your path finds you in the most random moment.
I wasn't searching for aviation.
I was just dropping a friend at an airport.
But two men in uniform sparked a curiosity that changed everything.
You don't always find your path by searching directly for it. Sometimes it finds you while you're doing something completely unrelated.
4. Knowing your path and reaching it are two different battles.
Once I knew I wanted aviation, that wasn't the end. That was just the beginning.
I had a real, physical obstacle: 95 kgs, living in Srinagar, struggling to lose weight.
Six years passed.
Not because I lacked desire. But because environment matters. Circumstances matter.
5. Sometimes you have to leave to become who you need to be.
The moment I left Srinagar, everything changed.
Within 3 months: 15 kgs gone.
Within that same window: SpiceJet interview cleared.
Sometimes the place you're in isn't wrong. But it's not where you'll become who you need to become.
6. You were building the skill before you knew you were building it.
I didn't realize it then.
But constantly telling my brain "You can do it" for those 3 months—that wasn't just weight loss.
That was training myself in goal achievement. In discipline. In mental resilience.
The weight loss wasn't the real victory.
The real victory was learning how my own mind worked when I gave it clear, repeated commands.
Looking back now:
Every distraction had a purpose.
Every dropout was information, not failure.
Every struggle—the theory I couldn't retain, the weight I couldn't lose, the focus I couldn't find—was preparing me for the moment I'd need real discipline.
To anyone who feels distracted, directionless, or like they're failing at everything they try:
You might not be failing.
You might be searching.
And your path might find you in the most unexpected moment—at an airport, in a conversation, in a random encounter you didn't plan for.
The theory you couldn't remember doesn't define you.
The concepts you understood clearly? That's your real intelligence.
The years it took? That's not wasted time. That's the process.
And when you finally find your "why"—
You'll discover you already know how to tell your brain: "You can do it."
You just didn't know you were practicing it all along.