Fear, and career decisions

The following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.

Questioner (Q): Acharya Ji, pranam. Gail decided what he would like to do when he was just 16 and followed it throughout his life. I have always been risk-averse and I have followed a conventional career path.

I have planned to go for MBA next, though I decided this long back there is also a feeling in me that I should experiment and do more of what I like. I am trying to understand why it is so difficult for me to follow my inner voice. How can I overcome this mental block to be sure of my decisions? Please guide the steps that I should take to realize my calling.

Acharya Prashant (AP): First of all, it’s not MBA versus something else. It’s about the center from where you decide. If you are deciding from the wrong center, then whether you do MBA or MBBS it’s just the same. It’s the same and it’s wrong.

“He wanted to do an MBA, he could not do an MBA, he had to do an MS instead.” Okay. Why did he do an MS, instead of an MBA? “Oh! His father pressurized him, so he went for MS instead of MBA.” Okay okay, right, right, his father pressurized him so the poor chap couldn’t do an MBA. But why the hell did he want to do the MBA in the first place? “Because all his friends were doing MBAs. So, he desperately wanted to do an MBA.”