Every life is punctuated by a few pivotal decisions —
moments when the compass of destiny tilts ever so subtly.
For me, one such moment arrived in 1995.
I found myself holding two disparate offer letters:
➡️ Balmer Lawrie — the epitome of bureaucratic serenity and institutional permanence
➡️ Duncans — a more mercurial, demanding, and undeniably invigorating private-sector arena
Conventional wisdom counselled the former:
“Choose stability,” they said.
“Choose predictability,” they insisted.
“Choose the path well-trodden.”
But something ineffable — a quiet, stubborn whisper of instinct — urged me toward the latter.
Toward challenge.
Toward growth.
Toward a journey whose contours were undefined, yet whose potential felt boundless.
So I chose Duncans.
And that single, solitary decision unfurled into a 30-year odyssey that shaped my professional and personal ethos in ways I could scarcely have imagined.
At Duncans, I discovered not merely employment, but engagement — the rare privilege of contributing to an organisation that valued initiative over inertia, substance over symbolism.
I encountered storms, certainly, but also learnt to steer through them with equanimity and conviction.
I forged bonds that transcended titles and hierarchies.
I found purpose, relevance, and a sense of belonging that no organisational chart could ever capture.
And perhaps the most extraordinary validation came after retirement —
when the company, instead of bidding me a ceremonial farewell, invited me to continue in a full-time role.
To be retained beyond superannuation is more than a professional courtesy;
it is an affirmation that one’s presence still holds value,
that one’s experience remains indispensable,
that one has become, in some modest way, part of the institution’s very DNA.
Had I opted for the “safer” PSU alternative, my life might have been comfortable — yes.
But comfort is not the same as fulfilment.
The Duncans path, with all its vicissitudes, endowed me with something infinitely rarer:
a career that continues even after the curtain should have fallen.
To the young professionals deliberating their own crossroads today:
Heed advice, but do not be enslaved by it.
Sometimes your intuition discerns possibilities long before logic catches up.
#CareerJourney #LifeChoices #Leadership #ProfessionalGrowth #PostRetirement #Gratitude #30YearsAndBeyond
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