SG's Meditations - Issue #56
Ladies and gentlemen, we are back with the regular programming!
And this means I will try and write one piece each weekend. And (over)share things that I am up to. In hope that some of the things that I share probably help some of you to do better.
Wait.
Why would I want to dole out unsolicited advice in the Warikoosque age where everything you may ever want to learn / read / think is available in abundance? And on the tips of your thumbs? And in byte-sized chunks? And by people that look good and are fit?
We shall never know. And while I leave this question hanging, here is this week's edition.
📸 Photo of the week, month AND the year!
This has to be the photo of the week, month and year. This is my reason. Of why I exist. And why I push myself beyond my comfort zone. And why I work 24X7.
At some point in time, I'd like the readers of this letter to know more about each of these people but I think I would need a few days to write each person's story. So, for today, I will leave this photo here. Make it immortal by uploading it to my newsletter and letting the universe do its magic!
Also, allow me also take an opportunity to talk about my work at C4E. Over the last two months, we have started to work on the brand and you would have seen amplified output from us on our social handles and all. We have a shiny new creds deck (ask me for a copy and I will send it), a WIP website (that will take a few months to make) and a monthly newsletter. You may subscribe to it here.
Oh, we are also starting a series of sessions for young people. The idea is to get them ready for the real world. The first one is with a friend Karishma Shah. We've asked her to talk about money for young people. IF you have any young ones that may want to attend this session, please share it with them. It's free and I think it would be worth a watch! More about the session is here.
😊 Good thing from the week
Three things here.
1/ I spent a lot of time in Mumbai after a while and I loved it.
Even though the people I love the most are no longer here and there are a few that I want to be around that are in Bangalore and Delhi, I think Mumbai is home! So, I need to find work for myself to be able to live from here. And of course, move out of the country in the long run.
PS: While I like the idea of being in Mumbai, I do have to be in Bangalore and the flights to Bangalore right now are in the 15K ballpark. I dont have the guts to buy a flight at that rate :| What to do? Any inputs?
So that.
2/ So, I got this gift for someone I love. As she opened the box, I saw this teeny drop roll down her cheek and I could've died to freeze time there. I mean not to embarrass her but freeze that instant when she had so much joy that she was overwhelmed!
And while I saw that happening, I realised that I am not as heartless as I had imagined myself to be! So that was good!
Also, that incident has made me realise that I MUST try and do more for the ones around me. And I need to expand the number of people I know. And then at some point, I need to get them the gifts they need!
So that.
3/ I've been meeting people in Mumbai (unlike Bangalore where I am not accepted (more on this some other day)), and I have realised that people have literally stopped reading. Anything more than a tweet is verbose and long for people.
Which is ok.
I mean that's their problem if they find reading tedious and all that.
The point is, I realised that even I have stopped reading. No, not just the books. Even long-form pieces that I would typically devour to acquire knowledge and build mental models, I am not doing those! These two links have been open on my screen for like 2 hours and I have not even started to read them! An earlier avatar of me would have read these by now and found my way around things and would have uploaded a list of lessons and made action points and would have tried to solve some of my problems with the lens of these!
So may be going forward, I will change this! #noteToSelf, Mr Garg!
🗣️ Quotes of the week
Two.
1/ Saw this, this morning.
CZ 🔶 Binance on Twitter: "Some setbacks make you stronger. Never waste an opportunity." / Twitter “Some setbacks make you stronger. Never waste an opportunity.”
This reminds me of something that Siddhu (I love him - would love to be his friend) would often say. It's in adversity that the true character of a human being is revealed. And built.
Each time I am stuck with a tough choice and I am unable to think about things, I go back to this one. I talk about who in the adversity, I need to conduct myself like a human, talk to others politely (which I often fail at), look at the bright side
2/ Krishna talked about his poem from Faiz at Alibaug. It goes...
While this seems like an ode to love, to me the takeaway is for people like me, I can choose one thing and that one thing better be work.
PS: Must say that Faiz has to be among my favourite poets. For the longest time, his poem about ek zabardast toofan aaye was a favourite. I mean it still is but I think I have mellowed with age! Ok, that sounds like am getting into a ranty place.
Moving on.
🔀 Random thing of the week
So I turned 40 a few days ago. And yes, it sucks. LIfe from here is down hill. Faster than what it was in the 30s.
The part that makes it worse is that I have made any money or contribution or impact or anything for all the time I've spent here. I would've been ok if I made personal wealth (you know, a house, a car etc etc) but not even that. What a fucking waste, Mr Garg.
Anyhow.
Now that I have wasted all these, I am hoping I will make the next 10 at least count. To that end, I made a list of 40 things that I want to do in the next 10 years. Here is the list. Please see it and lemme know what you think.
The ones that have seen it, seem to not have liked it so much and I am getting a lot of flak for it. And they are not wrong. Most people think it seems like an attempt to chase vanity, an attempt to fool self, a step in the direction of hagiography. The harshest was that I seemed to have made a thousand lists but haven't done shit on those.
So that.
Of course, you may respond with your own bias.
👍 Good thing of the week
While I was running busy AF, AK challenged me to write 15K words in a week for book2.
And ladies and gents, I am proud to say, I did it! Even though I had to sprint like a mad person and write almost 10K words in a day!
I know most of what I've written is kachra but it was good to get that on paper. I just hope that I can do more such sprints and at least get some semblance of a book out of me!
And in the end...
Guess this is about it for the week.
Not too many interesting thoughts but it was good to do a review of sorts. Hopefully the next week one would be a tad better for you to read! And this one was tough to write to be honest. I realised that I haven't written in two weeks now and I need to build the muscle all over again if I have to try and move the mountains.
Chalo, enough for the week. See you next time around.
And this, ladies and gents brings me to the end of this newsletter. I hope it was a fun read! If you enjoyed reading this, please share this with your friends and family and help me expand the reach of my weekly newsletter. It will mean a lot to me :)
Over and out! 👋
- SG / 8 Oct 2022 / Bom