I Didn’t Outgrow the Dream, I Tailored It
Dreams are rarely abandoned. They don’t wither away; they evolve. Sometimes they wait patiently in the wings until life calls them back onto the stage. I didn’t outgrow my dream—I tailored it, again and again, each time to fit the season of my life.
My story begins in the early eighties, with a Master’s degree in Physics—a feather that opened the door to my first role as a college lecturer. Standing before young minds, chalk in hand, I felt both power and purpose. Yet deep inside, I knew one thing about myself: I am not made for a single frame. I thrive on change, on freshness, on challenge. Monotony dulls me; variety fuels me.
So, when life shifted, I embraced the change. I paused my career to raise my family, and when I returned, it was not to the same stage, but a new one—as a schoolteacher. Offline and online, I taught in ways that were liberating. In those early days of online teaching, freedom came stitched into the work itself: I could choose my subjects, timings, and students. And isn’t that what dreams really want? A chance to breathe, to expand into freedom.
But dreams are restless creatures. They keep knocking until you answer. For me, that knock came as the urge to write. I began creating Physics and Maths content for CBSE middle-school levels. It wasn’t just about solving equations; it was about solving a deeper need in myself—to express, to communicate, to build something of my own. Freelancing gave me not just income, but identity.
Then came another tailoring: entrepreneurship. I set up Pushpneer, a boutique that allowed me to play with fabrics, colours, and designs. It lasted only a year and a half, but I wore that dream proudly. When I had to close it to care for my father, I didn’t call it an ending. I called it a completed chapter—stitched, worn, and cherished.
The next chapter was about giving back. Along with my friend, Preeti Agyaat, I co-founded Karmbhoomi Ahmedabad, an organisation dedicated to empowering women in art, culture, and literature. This wasn’t just a dream for me—it became a shared canvas where women could paint their own aspirations, find their voices, and stitch their identities together. That experience taught me something vital: not all dreams are personal. Some are meant to uplift others, to become a collective heartbeat.
And today? My eyes are set on yet another horizon—Artificial Intelligence. The world is changing faster than ever before, and I want to be part of that conversation. My dream now is to build an AI-based business, because for me, learning has never been a phase—it is my lifelong companion. Curiosity doesn’t retire; it reinvents.
If there’s one message my story carries, it is this: never believe you’ve outgrown a dream. You may simply need to refit it. Life is a master tailor—sometimes it snips, sometimes it sews, sometimes it adds a patch or lets out a seam. What matters is that you keep wearing your dreams, in whatever form they take.
So, if you’re standing at a crossroads today, thinking your time has passed, I hope you’ll hear my words: Dreams don’t expire. They adapt. Don’t outgrow them. Tailor them. And when you wear them again, they’ll fit you better than ever.
Neerja Bhatnagar
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I have written 3 solo books and 3 anthologies. You can buy my books on Amazon. If you are on Kindle Unlimited, you can read them for free. Pls, do check and share your reviews.