Category: ShortPosts

On writing (from my newsletter)…

Wrote this in today’s edition of my daily-ish newsletter. Subscribe here. Thought it deserved a wider subscription. 

What I write, to be honest has nothing to do with my book or the film. Neither it inspires any of my readers to do anything extraordinary. But to me, writing is about writing for the sake of writing. You know, getting some words on paper (or keystrokes on a laptop) is like the best thing that can ever happen to me. I mean, I can’t paint. I don’t have the ability to hold attention. I am not well-read (ok, I read a lot but I haven’t read deeply about things – you know, have merely scratched the surface). I cant doodle. I am not funny. I have two left feet (so dance is out). I am the greatest bathroom singer to have ever walked the Mother Earth and thus I must never sing outside. The guitar and the Uke are rotting in some corners in the house. Bicycling is not my thing. Clubs are boring. I’d love to take photographs but requires way too much patience. Video games were a thing when I was younger – now, I don’t have the reflexes. I would watch TV when I had more time but with attention spans getting shorter and time becoming increasingly rare, I tend to pick other things to invest my time on. 

So, I am left with writing as the thing to find an escape. And to find inspiration. And to try and get to salvation. Of course, I am yet to reach a point where I can say that I am good writer, the point, ladies and gents, is, writing is what makes me happy and makes me forget the fuckeries and vagaries of the world around me. And you know what, I am grateful about it. I just need to do a lot more of it!
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Originally posted in today’s edition of my daily-ish newsletter. Subscribe here. 

Thank you, Tim!

Post 4 of #sg100peopleToThank. More about this series is here.

Thank you, Tim Ferriss!
Of course, you know who Tim is. Apart from the 4-hour series (work, body, chef and I don’t know what all), he is more famous for his blog and podcast. I don’t know when I first heard about him but I do know that I was amazed at his ability to get past the gatekeepers and get access to some of the busiest and most difficult to reach people in the world. And not just access, he had and continues to have a ringside seat as these people do wonders. He is an early investor in companies like Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Evernote, and Uber and others. To be able to put money there, you don’t need access to just capital but to deals when they are being structured and even thought of. 

This insider access is what I crave the most. And not because I want to be famous. But because I believe it allows you to grow as an individual. And why would you want to grow? To be able to serve! The way Tim is. With his blog, podcast and other appearances. 
While I’ve never met Tim, I have an Eklavyasque relationship with him. I never had access to his time but I do have access to what he’s taught. And from a distance. That’s the beauty of the Internet. It allows you to literally reach anyone, anytime and on any device. You no longer have to go through the grind to reach these teachers. In fact, Tim’s work reduces friction all the more. And that is what I would want to do as well. The SoG series attempts to do just that (educate, inform, spark a debate/conversation and other things).
With the remote access that I had to Tim, I have been able to learn so much about so many things. Definitely more than all the schools, colleges and other places that I have been to. You know, if I were in my 20s right now, I would spend all my time chasing content on Tim’s blog. And touch nothing else. That body of work itself will allow me to get ahead. And fast. Tim has done the hard work on extracting the greatest lessons from the greatest lives already. 
Thanks to him, his life and his work, I know that what I aspire to do (make a billion dollars and inspire a billion people to do better) is not impossible. Of course its tough af but what fun will it be if it weren’t tough ;P 
 I will do a Tim Ferriss with my career. I mean I love talking to people. I love listening to their stories. I love to tell these stories in my own language and I love to add whatever colour I can add on top. Someday (soon, hopefully in 2019), I will start talking to inspiring, amazing people that Tim has been able to talk to. And tell their stories from my lens! Wish me luck 🙂 
And, for the umpteenth time, thank you, Tim! 
Oh, random trivia. Tim is one of those few people who’s website comes up higher than their Wikipedia page on Google! 

Others posts in this series: 1, 2, 3

Thank you, Ashima

Post 3 of #sg100peopleToThank. More about this series is here. 

Thank you, Ashima!

I went to MDI with Ashima. Among all the 150 odd people that were in the batch, Ashima was one of those that ignored my ignorance and tolerated me. And continues to tolerate me after all these years. And even though it’s been almost 14 years, she remains my shrink, my doctor, my advisor, my bounding board and my fitness consultant. Every time I have a thing that requires me to goto a doc, I just call Ashi (that’s what I call her) and get help. And it works every time. I think, in one line, I can say that she’s an integral part of my support system! 
What makes Ashi amazing is that she is one of those few people that had the guts to take the tougher path (I wish I could write more about this – this is a public platform) and choose her fitness, her life over everything else. 
I don’t really have too many words (I wish I could write more) but I do have mad respect for what she stands for and what she does for me. Ashima has taught me what amounts to being friends. She has been like a rock that has stood by me through thick and thin. And for that, and for more that I cant write about here, Thank you, Ashi. 
Others posts in this series: 1, 2

#Untitled – 21 Feb 2019

This is a short post. I am writing this as I take a break from the madness of an event setup. I dont do this normally but life hasnt been normal lately and now that its in this spiral, I better do all things that are typically not normal. Wow thats some gibberish. Anyhow. So I am at this event. This is among the largest events I do each year and the audience has atleast 100 people that are worth 100 crores. Each. Not kidding.

And each time I come here, I make a promise to myself that I will go back and do something that will make me as rich (as the attendees), if not more. And since I’ve been doing this (2016), I am yet to do it 🙁

Each time I do this, there is a bittersweet feeling.

Bittersweet because there is so much excitement at the prospect of doing an event. And then there is sadness that I am so so far from money that its as distant at the Everest.

Bittersweet because there is so much excitement about the a new show. Each event is a new show. Each show is new. And same. And yet different. And anxiety that you may not get to do this event next year!

Bittersweet because there is so much excitement about the things at stake while working on a project of this scale. And there is sadness that after this is over, that jolt that I need will go hanging for another year (assuming I get to do this event the next year).

Bittersweet because there is so much excitement because after each event you go back home with a new set of friends that in normal course of things, you’d never meet again. And there is this matter of chance that you’d bump into those people at some other juncture in life! And there is sadness that your regular tribe, your crew, your family, the people you are used to seeing next to you arent around when you are fucked with some crisis.

However a few things do get clear each time I do this. Chief of those is that I love this business like no other. The excitement of running a live show is unparalleled. If I ever choose to deviate from the mission that I am on with C4E, I will go and become a freelance event show director / producer. Really.

Talk of life goals, eh?