‘Follow your passion’ is a frequently shared piece of advice. We at GenWise strongly believe that, more than passion, a student should follow their self-expression.

Why self-expression?
When you follow your self-expression, despite the challenging and tedious nature of work, you will always be energized, and this energy is continuously replenished. In most other situations, you will be extremely tired.

The passion, in 'following one's passion', is largely driven by interest. This interest is mostly floating and is largely influenced by the environment and "current" trends. 'Following your passion' can thus be very misleading, many a times leading us nowhere and, potentially, a permanent state of dissatisfaction. Desire is born out of a passionate mind, the more you feed it, the stronger it grows, and when the desire is unfulfilled, it agitates the mind.

From an early age, everyone demonstrates a certain inclination to a particular field - maybe painting, music, the languages, mathematics, etc. and this inclination is their svadharma. As you grow, you should be aware of your self-expression and find a vocation that leverages your svadharma to the fullest. In practising this vocation, you will prosper and find peace, happiness and a limitless source of energy.

If you align your creative urge and your various pursuits - teaching, dancing, robotics, computer repair, computer programming, gaming - you will have a vast reservoir of energy to draw from. Every student should pay close attention to which things come easier to them. Some will take naturally to Maths, some to languages, and others to social science. Students need to keep searching,identify areas they are good at and discover their self-expression (also known as Iccha Shakti). The targets of your passion may keep
changing, but your self-expression is permanent and an integral part of you.

The exact opposite of svadharma is paradharma, which literally means 'opposite nature'. that which opposes your natural tendencies, inclinations, likes and preferences. Many times parents take a position on what their children should do. A very common example is a doctor pushing her offspring to become a doctor because the parents have built a lucrative practice. It is also very common in the case of family businesses. This is suited to the parents' goals of preserving their 'franchise', and we have children who live very prosperous lives, with best-in-class creature comforts, but potentially very unhappy lives.

As we navigate the 21st century, where trends are changing every couple of years, discovering your self-expression or creative urge is an absolute must. The desire to make something beautiful is inside each of us; coupled with being agile, resilient and inspired by a higher purpose in life, the chances of living a happy and a fullling life are high. There is an air which belongs to the figure and talents of each individual. Personalities who draw on their svadharma are charismatic, because they are extremely comfortable
in their own skin. So it is a must to discover what is natural to us, never abandon it and make it as perfect as we can. That is why authenticity is irresistible.