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Whenever kids in their late teens or twenties reach out to me saying they have wasted their life, my response, in some way or other, is: “You have time!”

However, at the same time I am very particular about how I use my time, in a way that gives me the maximum energy. Almost standing guard at the door of time – and using it for work or for Netflix, in my way.

Micro focus on being strict on time, with macro focus on being aware, that you have a lot of time – isn’t it the best thing about time?

Taking care of your days is important. The years would eventually take care of themselves.

I often talk about choosing the path you want to choose, so that you don’t regret later.
Because we will never have the answer to “What if?”
It may or may not be the best decision, but the only way to figure it out is by making that decision.

On the other hand, a lot of people in their 30’s reach out to me with their regrets.
I thought the same of myself, when I was 30.
I was fired from my first startup, was figuring out what to do with life, and watching “The Social Network” featuring Mark Zuckerberg’s story made me feel even more miserable.

However, as I started applying, things changed for the better.
That is when I thought, it is not about the years gone by. It is about the years still left!

It turns out, when we are young we refrain from making a decision thinking we might regret it.
When we get a bit experienced with life, regret already takes over.

That is the nature of regret – it makes us wander about our future, and accuse our past.
And the only way to get out of regret, is to make your present count.

Forming habits. Showing up for creativity with discipline. Working on your mindset and your body.

Over time, we get to a place of lesser regrets and more gratitude, for taking care of the inputs, and let the outputs unfold.

Regret is like a weed, if we don’t tend our garden of the present with the right seeds, the weed will inevitably show up.

People who have crossed their 20s, are mostly full of regret.

People who do not have financial debt, often have emotional debt.

The decision that hurts the most, is the decision that is not made.

We have one life.

Why do we always want to get it right before even knowing what our definition of “right” is?

The game is to stay in the game through wise choices, that come through execution and bad choices.

Of all the investment advice I give, here’s a cliche: Don’t invest!

Yes, you read that right.

Don’t invest until you have had a subscription to these two things:

• Life insurance for yourself, to take care of your family if something unfortunate happens
• Health insurance for you and your family, to protect from huge financial crunch, in case of hospitalization, if any

We usually ignore these costs, thinking we’re young and we don’t need those.

However, the very nature of contingency is it does not knock the door before arriving. We owe it to ourselves and our family, to be insured against it.

What is the best way to figure out if you are making progress?
What if you are getting increments but know it in your heart that you’re doing the same things you used to do three years back?

Here’s the benchmark I use:
If I’m doing something where my probability of success is high, it means I’m getting super comfortable, and not making progress.

Progress, by itself means, succeeding with low chances of success.

To get to a place of cringing at your content 3 months back.
Or getting effective with rising 10 minutes earlier, every week.
Perhaps forgiving when its hard, because you want to move on.

Of all things, the best thing about progress is you control it. Realising it is another.

Some cool things to have independence from:

1. Anyone’s definition of success, other than your own
2. Your own self, whenever you say “I’m like this only!”
3. A culture (at home and at work) that is inherently designed to make you lose
4. Waiting to be picked, instead of cold emailing the CEO of the company you want to work with.
5. Fixed Deposits. Forever

The other day I had a singer join my IG live.

She’s just given her CA exams.
Works in an MNC.
However, lives with a looming regret of picking up this choice at the age of 18.

Now as she is 29, and as the shows got cancelled because of pandemic, she’s a singer as well as is working in an MNC.

She has future commitments, yet feels regret for the past 11 years.
Sings really well, however, the mind sings her to the past.
Wants to move on, but thinks she needs to correct what has already happened.

That is the mistake most of us make.

Somehow we want the impossible back: the past.
In so doing, we sadly let go of the possible (and the magical): the present.

The society has unfortunately taught us to measure our success in terms of struggle we endure.

Except, struggle isn’t even necessary!

Hard work is necessary.

Integrity is necessary.

Hustle is necessary.

Seeking feedback is necessary.

Getting better each day is necessary.

Struggle, is an unnecessary choice.

I’ve been creating content for 5+ years, religiously, where for the longest time nothing seemed to happen. But, on not even a single day, I felt it was a struggle. I enjoyed the process and journey every day.

When we can go through the hard work and enjoy it, what’s the point of making it something as painful as “struggle”?

When we receive a feedback, it is up to us as how we receive it.
We may accept it, dismiss it or think over it some time later, which may not be now.

That, is the best thing about feedback.
That it comes as an opinion from someone else, and it could be used for our growth, as and when we want.
If, we want it.

However, a lot of people mistake feedback as judgement. They also perhaps believe they have to change themselves in order to act on it. That in itself dilutes the purpose of feedback.

To truly be helped by feedback, the best thing we could do is treat it as a choice.

I absolutely always get angry at this.

Each time I see someone treating someone in a lower rung than them in a manner that is not right, it makes my blood boil.

They think they have earned the right to treat them in this manner.
While they don’t know, that they are treating themselves worse, by not being aware how much internal damage it does to them.

Humanity, doesn’t depend on what you do and what you have.
Humanity, is being human.