A dream college and a dream job can make anyone’s journey look complete from the outside. Add a few well-curated Instagram posts, and it can become even easier to assume that someone has everything under control.But life does not always work that way.Rashmi Gupta, who studied at Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University, and now works at Google, recently spoke about the parts of her life that cannot be understood from her achievements alone. In an Instagram video, she opened up about the difference between how her journey looks online and the emotions she continues to experience in her personal life.
Her Instagram story looked ‘sorted’
Gupta was born and brought up in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. Looking at her journey through the milestones she has shared online, it may seem like everything has fallen into place.But Gupta herself questioned that idea.ID@undefined Caption not available.ID@undefined Caption not available.ID@undefined Caption not available.“Hi, I’m Rashmi, and according to Instagram, I probably have my life figured out. Born and brought up in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, completed my graduation from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University, and currently working at Google. Sounds pretty sorted, right? Bilkool bhi nahi (Not at all),” she said.Her opening set up the central idea of her video: achievements can tell one part of a person’s story, but they cannot explain everything happening behind them.
Being optimistic was only one part of the journey
Gupta also spoke about her personality and the way she approached her goals.She recalled being told that she might be too optimistic, but said she eventually understood that optimism was not necessarily a bad thing.“Because somewhere between being the little girl who was told, ‘Rashmi, aren’t you a little too optimistic for your own good?’ and becoming the girl who actually got into her dream college and dream company, I realised maybe being ridiculously optimistic was not the wrong thing after all. But optimism doesn’t get you there. You have to show up, you have to fail, you have to embarrass yourself, you have to try again, and sometimes you have to give it everything you have,” she added.Her words put the focus on the effort behind the milestones. For Gupta, staying hopeful was part of the process, but so were failure, persistence and trying again.
The difficult emotions are still there
Getting into a dream college and reaching a dream company did not mean that every personal doubt disappeared.Gupta spoke openly about the emotions she still experiences.“And still I cry in my room, I overthink, I miss people I no longer talk to, I cry over movies, I get attached to fictional characters, I have imposter syndrome, and there are days when I genuinely have no idea what I am doing,” she said.These are not necessarily the kinds of moments that make it onto an Instagram profile focused on milestones. Yet Gupta said they remain a normal part of her life.
‘I am allowed to be ambitious and still be soft’
Gupta said she does not see a contradiction between having a life she once wanted and continuing to have difficult days.“And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, because I think I’m allowed to have a dream life and still have bad days in it. I am allowed to be ambitious and still be soft. I’m allowed to want more without forgetting to be grateful for what I already have,” she continued.Her message was not that achievements do not matter. Instead, she spoke about how ambition, gratitude and difficult emotions can all exist at the same time.
Why she calls her page a ‘little digital diary ’
Gupta described her Instagram account as a “little digital diary”.She said it records the highs and lows of the past one-and-a-half years, including people, places and different versions of herself.That description gives a different way of looking at the account. Rather than being only a display of achievements, Gupta sees it as a record of different moments and stages of her life.
Her message resonated with Instagram users
The video also drew several supportive comments from users.“More more power to you,” one person wrote.Another said, “Nobody really has it all figured out.”“Social media rarely shows the full picture,” another user observed.“This feels incredibly relatable,” a fourth person commented.Disclaimer: The information in this article is based on a social media post shared by the individual. The Times of India has not independently verified the claims made in the post.Thumb image: Instagram