The Daily Grind – 2722 – 200718

Day 11. 
As I write this, its 10:52. About an hour from the impending deadline for the day. Which is ok. I think I work better when the deadlines are hovering over my head. The point is that I am consciously trying to publish a piece every day. Which, given the life that I lead is next to impossible.

And yet, here I am. Doing it. I agree that most pieces that I write may not qualify as quality content. But like I keep saying, I am the kinds that needs to put in hours and hours before I get some good content that could engage someone for even 4 seconds!

In terms of the day, it was a pretty routine day. Woke up rather late, went for a meeting, had eggs for lunch and dinner. Had 3 Diet Cokes. Made a few phone calls that were pending for sometime. Got some work done. Moved the needle on one of the projects. And of course a lot of other projects are open. So that’s something that I need to fix as we go along. Who’s we? Main aur meri tanhai. Lol. 

Moving on. As I was writing this, I realised that I some travel coming up (Delhi and Kolkatta) in the next few days. Delhi is as early as the next week. And if all goes well, I could be in Chennai as well in the next week. All of this is work. Lets see how that pans out. In case you are in any of these cities and want to catch up, please do lemme know. Who are you kidding Mr. G? Who the F reads your blog? 

Ok people may not read the blog. But that does not mean that you will not write. The intent of this 1000 words a day pact is to sharpen the muscle and see the extent to which I can push myself. I keep telling myself that I am very strong willed and this is one sure way of testing that will!

So yeah. That.

And in terms of other updates, a lot hasn’t changed since yesterday. I am still the same – happy, sad, excited, scared, careless, cheerful and all that. Bipolar anyone?

Thing is, this pouring of random words on a public medium is an interesting idea. This makes me blurt out things that are clouding my head. And while writing, once I get in the flow, I often write things that I dont even know are fucking with my head. So, this is therapeutic in a way. And this also means that this exposes my vulnerabilities to the world – which is not a great thing. Especially if you have the grandiose ambitions like mine. I am often asked about my plans to reach my ambition and I dont have an answer. In an ideal world, you ought to be doing this blurting out in front of the ones that you know will stand by you. And this is where I suck. People that will stand by me.

This also brings me to the lesson for the day.

So, what did I learn today? 
I learnt that no one cares for you. Apart from you, no one is responsible for your success or happiness. No I am not talking about me per se. But about people in general. 

How did I learn this?
I was talking to Krishna about the post I made yesterday and I realised that while he wants to help me but he can do only as much. He can give me inputs and talk to me and give me the emotional support that I need but he will not quit what he’s doing to stand by my side! Will I stand by his side? Not really. But I will stand by a LOT of people. All of my ex-bosses for example. They’ve given me long leashes and if anyone is in trouble, I will do whatever it takes to fix things for them. Even if I cant fix things, I will ensure that I try hard. 

That.

I dont have one person like that. I have great friends and others that are invested in my success but I really need people who make me their number one priority. Or a cabal where we are a clique and everyone is taken care of and does well and stands by each other. You know what I am saying? Guess this TED talk by Derek could help? Or may be its only about creating reputation for yourself? May be. May be not. Time shall tell.

And till tomorrow, this is over and out!

The Daily Grind – 2723 – 190718

Day 10. Of publishing everyday. An average of 1000 words. Yay to that. 
No, none of the posts has gone viral. Yet. So, Nay to that.
As I write this, I am not sure what to write about. There are ideas and thoughts and open ends and all that but I am not sure any of those are worth writing about. I mean most things that I wrote about over the last few days dint have any great insights! 
Ok so I know what to talk about. Work! After all that’s what’s been clouding my head over the last few days. 

I run C4E. Which on most days is a brilliant events agency. And the days we are not brilliant, we are so good that people actually look upto us. I get so many queries and all that that I am often vain about it and gloat and all that. wtf is all that?

The question begets, why do you have days when you (aka C4E) are (is) NOT brilliant?

Because those are the days when I dont have work! Thing is I am the happiest when I am working. And work for me is creating things. If what I does not allow me to create things, I dont want to!

For example, when we do events for clients, we actually create a temporary “experience centre” if nothing else. And when we do other things that we work on (investments, content, stories etc), we create new things.

So, in an ideal world, I should be working on mandates from various clients. And I ought to be so busy that I dont have time to even die! And when I do get squeeze out the time, the money I make from work I do for clients ought to help me create things that I am typically not paid for – things like IMHO, Podium, OnW, TRS, DIY etc. And the loop has to continue. You know, enough clients giving me enough work to keep me busy for a large part of my time and then enough interesting projects to allow me to get the gratification of creating new things, while I ensure that I enable others, make that dent and make money in the process!

Simple. No?

Just that despite all my intentions and attempts and all that I cant seem to get enough work to even quit all the side gigs, let alone pay the damn rent, get that car and then invest into all the projects and side gigs. Sigh.

You think you can help?

PS: Not really a post per se but I had to write to keep the continuity going. May be I will write a longer one tomorrow? 


PPS: This is one of those days where I need divine intervention to keep my spirits going high and prevent my sanity from going… poof! 

3 #lifeLessons (for people in their 20s)

So I dint get up on time today. I think it was way past 8:30 when I woke. For the context, I try to be up by 430 – which I rarely manage. And because I was late to get up and today was my manager day, I had to be at work. And to be able to reach on time I had to take public transport (aka Mumbai Metro).

Which I did.

And that was a good thing and a bad thing.

Bad that I had to travel in a compartment that was full of people who probably belong to the cult that does not believe in taking showers. You know how they are? Happy with each others BO? Plus, for them, I think traveling in the Metro is a sport. After all they have this uncanny knack of stomping on your feet even if you are the only person in the entire train. And they can spot a speck of space from a mile that can squeeze their frame of a 1000 kilos and 300 KMs in that speck. And they rush to it. Only to realise that the other person in competition is 3000 kilos!

Good that I got a session of HIIT done. I mean what else do you call the excursion in the Mumbai Metro where every other person reeks of I dont know what and is adamant on crushing your feet? And like every HIIT regimen, there is enough heat (thats to a million bodies packed together in a space meant for a handful) that you sweat all the fat out!

Oh when you get out of the Metro, the rickshaw guys? They will ensure that you continue the work out by refusing to go where you have to.

Apart from this, I attended a shoot for a music video. Done at EXTREMELY low budgets. And thus, a million lessons. And that’s what I will talk about in the next section – lesson of the day!

And what did I learn today?
So I learnt how to do a cheap film.

And apart from that I learnt the following three lessons. You can also read these as three life lessons for people in their 20s, if they wish to have a better life!

A. You need to have a talent that you can monetise. 
You need to learn it as soon as possible.

At 35, its impossible for me to learn a new thing. But if you are in your 20s, PLEASE go learn a skill that you can monetise. Paint, draw, sing, play an instrument, code, learn magic, dance, do something that allows you to not depend on traditional sources of income.

B. You need to do things that scale. And compound. 
For example, if I manage operations at a company, what I do there, doesnt scale. On the other hand, if I create a book, if its good, I can earn royalties for the rest of my life.

So between trying to make ends meet by working on a safe job and doing something that can potentially give you money for the rest of your life, I think you ought to pick the later.

I made the mistake of not doing that. And if I can turn back time, I will club lessons 1 and 2 above. In fact I have started to believe that all that advice about travel and making merry and fun and all that in your 20s? Its crap! You ought to make money or gain monetizable skills. More on this in some more days.

C. Invest in relationships 
Thing is, as am growing old, I realise that I dont have any meaningful relationships – the kinds that stay with me and help me when I need help. Lemme give an example. In the shoot today, the guy who was shooting needed a studio. He could curry a favour and get that studio for cheap. One of my friends, he can ask a million people to get him a discount on literally anything that he wants to buy. I on the other hand cant think of a single person who would want to help me. And there are people that I have literally begged. To give me work and what not. And yet they havent.

So, the lesson is, you MUST invest in relationships while you can. With time these relationships will become deeper and better and will give you infinite returns. Dont be me who thought that its ok to be eccentric and the talent would pay of at some point in time in future. It may. But future is not really the best play to live, if you ask me.

Of course, your life. You choose if these are applicable to you. I can only talk from experience and hindsight.

***

So thats it for the day. What are the few things that you learnt today? Please do share.

PS: Love this post! And I use way too many Ands. And I need to control it. And with that, its over and out.

The Daily Grind – 2724 – 170718 – The Queen of all Trades

So as I type this, I am at Chilis – an American diner kind of place where people on my table are making merry over beer and the live cricket match between India and England. And I am stuck with my laptop on the table, trying to crank out a post. The post for the day. And why? Because come whatever may, I am going to write. Also, yesterday I said that I will probably talk about the mistakes I’ve made while investing but I will talk about it some other day. For the time being, lemme get on with it. 

Today was an interesting day. To say the least. Started early and met a senior from MDI. The discussion with him left me humbled. And humiliated. And all that. Thing is, before I met him, I thought that I knew everything about everything. But an hour with him I realised that I dont even know enough about my industry to explain those deep, pointed questions that he asked me! For example he asked me how do I decide where to spend the media money on online. And I did not have the answer. I mean I could tell him how we go about it and how those decisions are made and how we tweak things and all that but I could not convince him! PS: At the end of it, when he left, he did say that may be I am the Queen of all trades. Tad better than Jack and lot lesser than the king. 

So yeah. That.

The other thing that happened today was a pitch for a big project.

And oh my God. I know I love to blow my trumpet like a bitch but if you saw me presenting performing today, I can guaren-damn-tee that you would’ve left impressed! That’s a skill that I need to work further on. To a point that the delivery becomes impeccable. Like everytime I go up to present something, I must leave junta audience speechless!

The third thing worth talking about, I made a 3-hour trip to the airport to meet a friend for five minutes. The important bit is not 5 minutes but the fact that I could meet him after this long. Thing is, I have been in conversation with him for few months now and I could finally put a face to his name! More about him in some subsequent post when I actually get to spend time with him.

So yeah, thats about it for the day.

PS: #note2self. With each passing day, while I am able to get the writing streak going, the quality of posts (in terms of what I write about) is going down. Of course I cant control the quality of writing (thanks to my limitations as a speaker of English language) but I can for sure control what I talk about. For example, what if I ensure that each day’s post has the lesson that I learnt in the day? This ensures that I catalog the day and think about it and grow each day. And this allows the readers to take home something that is worth value. Assuming people seek value. Do they? 

The Daily Grind – 2725 – 160718

As I write this, its 11 PM and this little voice in my head says that If I can write AND publish today, I can win the world! Why? Because I am not really in the best of moods. And its like the longest day ever. And the day’s todo list is one-mile long.

Plus unlike last time around where I would cheat by writing after midnight and count it as post for the previous day, I dont want to do it this time around. Why not? Because I want to see if I push myself, what all am I capable of doing. And thus the “win the world” quip.

So I am not sure what to write about. The entire world is gaga about this thing called Sacred Games on Netflix. If you dont know about it, go read it on… Wait. Dont do anything. Stop reading this post and close the laptop and jump out of the window. You get the drift?

And like everyone, I am watching Sacred Games and I am on the 6th episode and unlike the world, I cant seem to find the reason why the world is so enamoured by it. I mean everyone I know, including their neighbours and pets and all that seem to be hooked to it. Hooked as in its a 8 episode thing and most people saw it in one sitting. Thats like 8 hours of violence, blood, gore. And its 8 hours of a story that I think fails to hold me interested. Ok, wait. I am getting in the review zone. That’s for TRS to do and me to observe.

Moving onto the next thing (one eye at the watch – its 1147). Irrespective of what I am typing and where I am in the narrative, I will hit publish at 11:59. Unless I get in the zone. You know that zone? When you are in flow and time seems to stop! Read more about it here.

The other thing that happened today was that it dawned onto me that all the investments that I am making in various projects, they may not be the best way to do! Its 1154 and time may not be enough to rant about this – will probably do so in the post tomorrow. Unless I find something better to write about.

Chalo thats about it. Not a thousand words. But a legit post nonetheless. Over and out.

For the next 50 years

Today’s while talking to one of the interns that work with me (HS), I told her, “I have all the time in the world for the people that I want to be with for the next 50 years.“
And once the conversation got over, the gravitas of the statement hit me. Hard. In my face. 
Lemme repeat it. And decode it for you. 
“All the time in the world”
In a world where attention spans are reducing by the minute second and time is increasingly becoming THE most important commodity asset (if it weren’t already), its impossible to commit “all the time.”
“For people that I want to be with”
This is easy. People that I want to be with.

“With” means people who I work with. People I live with. People I eat and drink and sleep and make merry with. People that I travel the world with. People I want to make memories with. The ones that make me better. Push me. Nudge me. Disagree with me (and yet stay with me). And vice versa!

People who I’ve known for years. People that I will to know in the next 50. And more.

“For the next 50 years.”
To give context, I am 35. I dont even know how 50 years look like. The longest “relationship” apart from my family has been with a friend who I know since I was 7 or 8. Thats 27 years. The second-oldest friend, I know him since I was 17. Thats 18 years.

And the number of people (apart from family) that I know for over 20 years and I am in touch with is not even a handful. And here I am talking about being together for the next 50! You see the challenge?


But… 

But, but the thing is, the statement is the sum total of all that I have learnt over the last 35 years! It means that…
  • I care deeply for my people. So much so that I am willing to make large commitments. And public ones at that. 
  • I am in it for the long term. 50 is as long as they come. 2/3rd of the average lifespan of humans. And “it” means things I do. 
  • I am more aware and mindful of the commitments I am making. Because as we go along, the only currency that we’d have is our reputation. And that gets built over time. With consistency. And delivery. 
  • I understand that relationships are hard work. It takes a LOT of effort to nurture relationships and I am willing to do the hard work required. 
  • I am aware of the fact that if I have to make a dent change the world make the world a better place, I can’t do it by myself. I need people to back me up and stand by me. 
  • And I want to share the rewards. There is no way that great things wont happen if people are together for 50 years. More than anything else, we would be happier and healthier. And that would enable us to do more for others. I dont know if there is any other meaning to life. 
  • We (my people and I) can tackle problems that would take 50 years to solve! This essentially means that we can take on large challenges. Which one do I want to attack right now? I want each human being in the world to realise their potential and live happier and healthier. Large. And scary. You get the drift why I need long-term orientation? 
There is more. There has to be. Will discover as I go along. 

***

Thing is, while I was talking to her, I wasnt trying to be someone who I am inherently not. It just came out naturally and I stand by the statement. I mean it. I can make a promise that I will stick around for long. Really. 

And looking at this from the other side, each person that chooses to work with me, they need to be oriented for the long run as well. If long-term is not your thing, we probably will not gel well together.

Why long term? 
Because anything worth doing usually takes long!

Plus if you want to make impact at a scale, it WILL take long. Unless you are extremely lucky. Which I will probably get as I work alongside great people with the long-term orientation. 

Plus remember that quote? That “compounding is the 8th wonder of the world“? If I stick with people for long, our relationships WILL compound and WILL create a giant unfair advantage for all of us!

And finally, if people like Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, Prof Bakshi, Jeff Bezos and others believe that long-term thinking is advantageous, I am not questioning them.

In fact I was seeing this video by Ray Dalio’s where he talks about his principles for success (SEE THIS VIDEO NOW – 30 minutes and totally worth all the time) and the belief in the long-term orientation got reinforced. Since I saw it just yesterday, the thought was fresh in my head and it came out in my conversation with HS! 

If you still need more evidence about long-term thinking, I’d just say that Rome wasnt built in a day and I will leave it at that! That’s about it for the day. Over and out. Lets go build our Romes. While we are together for the next 50, time is less. 

Any you know why that cover image? It’s from Whole Earth Catalog and it speaks about how you ought to Stay Hungry and Stay Foolish. And I really think that if I am to walk the long road and make the world a better place, I need to have some great people walking alongside me.

The Daily Grind – 2729 – 130718 – On Ikigai

Its 6:43 PM and while I have a mile long list to be done, I have consciously chosen to put everything on side and write. And no, I dint have to push myself too hard for it. And yes, this is a fascinating thing. From literally no writing for almost a month to the 4th day on the trot, I am on it!

Yeah baby! This is what I was talking about yesterday when I said that once I start writing, I will be back to being a writer that cant stop!

Ok I spoke too soon. I cant seem to find the right words. Wait. I cant even find the right thoughts. I am blank. Blank like a child in a topless bar (as Navjot Singh Siddhu would often say – that man! The gift of gab he’s got!).

So while I was waiting for inspiration, I put on Netflix on another tab and I am going to watch Sacred Games. Why do I want to see it? A because the entire world is watching it and B because its at the intersection of so many things that I want to be doing with my life – entertainment, business, content, technology and so on and so forth.

The kind of things that lead to Ikigai. Read about it. It’s a fascinating subject. I recommend you start here. See the photo below.

Damn ! lost the thread at the time I was writing. I came back to this after doing a few other non-productive things. 

So something really fascinating happened today at work. The kinds that move you, stir you. The kinds that Anton had when he discovered the source of the Ratatouille he had. While you are at it, do see this.

A disclaimer before that. My general rule of thumb is not to talk specifics about work but I will break the rule today.
At work, there is this intern in the client servicing team. Lets say that hes neither the brightest, nor the sharpest. And thus hes always remained under the radar. And he’d probably stay there because there is no way he can shine. I am not sure if hes slow or what. May be hes got some learning disability (a few days back someone told me that I may have some sort of ADHD – which I’ve suspected but have been far too reluctant to go and get checked).

So this guy, lets call him A, is a client servicing intern. The person he reports to, lets call her B.

Unlike A, B is pretty sorted with her work. No non-sense. On point and all that. Has expressed in as many words that A needs to pull his socks if he has to stay gainfully employed. But since neither works with me directly, I let them be.

Today when most people had left (at around 8 PM – the magic hour when teams are built. #note2self. I HAVE to write about this), B came up to me and asked me if I have 5 minutes to spare for A.

Now, typically I dont want to be interrupted when I am trying to write writing (there’s this pitch tomorrow that I can NOT lose) but when it comes to young ones, I am little flexible.

So I gave in.

B made me sit and asked A to start. I was like, what’s going to happen. I was fidgeting with my phone already and thinking of some excuse that I could make to get away from it.

And just about then A started his act.

And oh my fucking God! If there is a thing called God.
He was insane.
Brilliant.
Left me in a spell. I could not think of a thing but him while he was performing.
I could not take my eyes off him!
I was mesmerised – the way I’ve never been.
I am lost for words. On a blog. Really!

His talent, his art, all of it belongs to the people of the world – on stage, on the screen.
Not in front of a computer paddling material to clients!
He’s got a gift that needs to be showcased.
He really does.

I felt the same rush, same excitement when I first met Imtiyaz.
In Imtiyaz I saw someone who had to be on a larger platform, entertaining more people. And in A I see the same. And I am sure there are millions of people like Imtiyaz and A that need more audience. What can I do for them? 

After his 5 minute performance, I started to talk to him. I had to!

Turns out he plays the guitar as well and can compose original music.
So I asked him if he could teach me and he agreed.
Yay!
But then teaching me wont help me go to a larger platform.
I need to help him find work audience.

So, I’ve asked him to a track for TRS. Lets see what he comes up with.

And in the end, I gave him the offer. The Offer. That I give to every deserving young person I know. That they can use me as their launchpad to do more things.

So I told him that in case he wants to put his material up on YouTube (shoot the content etc) or create a professional portfolio or something, I will support him. And then its upto his talent and luck where he reaches (in an ideal world, I dont want to let luck decide on the fate, the outcome. I have to manufacture success for my people. Need to figure out how. #note2self).

When I was with him, trying to talk to him and make him understand what I want from him, I was IN THE ZONE. The one that is increasingly hard to get into! I just need more of such days and incidents. I need to see these things through. I need to ensure that I get him where he belongs.

Just that I dont want to give him hope. I am not a great judge of talent but what I saw, I was amazed! And I am not easy to impress. So lets see what I do with him. If only I had the money. If only wishes were horses!

Coming back. Here’s a question for you. 
When and what was last time you were in the zone AND you were creating something? Think and tell me. 
And if that thing that you were doing then repeats often, like clockwork and has patterns, maybe that’s where your life’s purpose is. That’s where your Ikigai is. 
Think about it. 
And please please please do tell me. 
I would love to help you. 
Why?
Because I want to play God that’s where my Ikigai is! Like I said today…
Enable more people to do more with their lives.

More – better, larger, greater, happier, wealthier, healthier and all the other -ers. https://t.co/HCR2bjcnHU

— SG (@saurabh) July 13, 2018

Oh, and you know the best part about this entire episode?
No. The Zone is not.
Neither is discovering my Ikigai.

The best part happened when I asked him which college he went to.
He said, Wilson.

And you know what was my first thought?
That he could help me meet Sudhakar Solomon Raj – one of those people that I am DYING to meet (read this and this about him to know more about him). I first heard about him from HV (a friend who’s long deserted ghosted me after showing a lot of promise in the early days). And since then I’ve pestered her, tried on Facebook, wrote into him and what not. Prof has been elusive.

So, I asked A for a favour.
If any of the things that I am helping him do works out, he will help me meet Sudhakar Sir!
Yay!

They are right. Happiness does come in patches and at times when you least expect it.

Oh, the best part? 
The realisation that Universe does fucking conspire to make things happen. If you want em real bad. It really does.

Time for you to make a wish. And want it bad.
And discover your Ikigai. And lemme know if I could be of any help.

PS: I wrote on the sgEchoChamber today. Yay! So yeah, a good day for writing. 

The Daily Grind – 2730 – 120718

Day 3 on the trot of posting on this blog. Nothing much to report apart from work and all that.

However I must say that doing a post each day is a BIG commitment. I dont know how to people manage this WITH their day jobs! If they can, you can too, Mr. Garg. 

Plus in the zamana of byte-sized content and reducing attention spans, I am not sure who has the time to write blogs anymore. Fuck writing. I dont know one person who reads blogs. Do you? Tell me. May be leave a comment?

Anyhow. I can rant all I want to. The fact of the matter is that I have committed that I will write a post a day and I better do that. So, here’s the post for the day.

*stares at the screen, thinking what to write.*


*still staring*


*staring….*


*yes!!!!!!*

So while I was staring at the screen, thinking about what to write, it dawned onto me that there was a time when I could write for hours and the words wont stop pouring out. And now I am having a tough time writing a 1000 words post!

I am not sure what is wrong. May be I am out of practise? Probably a post a day would fix this! Lets find out over the next few days.

*still no clue what to talk about*


*Oh yes!”

So I made a day trip to Thansit today and among other things, I clicked a few pics from my phone. One of them is embedded below.

I dont know about you but as an independent, I really like the photo above (and all the other photos). They are as good as you would see from someone else. I just need to edit these better!

Actually, I will create a photoblog where I will capture these pics and the stories. On saurabhgarg.com (yeah, I have started work on the website). Lets see when I get around to doing this.

***

So yeah. Thats about it for the day. 1000 words?
I am not sure.
Not counting.
For the time being I want to just get the post up and running before the day ends.

And to be honest, here’s something that you can help me with. 

Tell me what do you want me to write on. The kind of person I am, thoughts (and opinions) meander from work to life to authenticity to polygamy to money to purpose to writing to I dont know what all. Try me. Just give me an idea and lets see what comes out of it. Please!

Thank you!

The Daily Grind – 2731 – 110718

So time for the blogpost of the day update of the day. The theme for the day is removing the words “trying to” from life. 

Lemme give context.

So all my life I’ve played on the backfoot – you know, the kinds to apologise before I even start talking? And like they say, old habits die hard. And thus, when I talk, especially about myself, I tend to use words that make me sound a little, you know, humble. So that when I make mistakes, I could hide behind the facade of apology that I issued even before I started.

It worked well when I was in my early 20s and growing up. But now that I am in my late 30s, it probably doesnt.

Heck, it doesnt.

A friend who’s in her early 20s pointed out to me to stop playing on the backfoot and drop the “trying to.” Thank you, PM for this. So, today on, “trying to” is out. 

The other thing that happened today was that I saw this video by Robin Sharma where he talks about how age and longevity could be a potent weapon and as you get older, you can impact larger things. In the same thread, he talks about the importance of health. Health has to become the focus area. Like Karl once told me, “if it doesnt add to your life, do not put it in your mouth.”

That’s the other thing that starts from today on. I am not eating anything that does not make me better.

Staying with this video, Robin talks about this idea of Golden hour. Which to me means the first and the last hours of each day. First hour of the day, you plan for the day ahead. And the last hour, you unwind as you end the day.

Both hours, you are by yourself and with no one else and you are reflecting, meditating, reading, thinking, doing, creating and all that. PS: I am writing this post at 952 PM and right after this I will go and sleep. And yeah! I use the blog as a tool to help me reflect. 

Apart from this, I moved the needle on TRS (hope to talk more about it soon), played my first ever poker tourney where buy-in was more than a 1000 bucks (2500 buyin and I lasted about an hour before I bailed out), met Sandesh (amongst the wisest people that I know of) and then I got some work done.

Finally, I am going to track how I am doing. I’ve been tracking my day everyday since 23 May 2017) on a private document. But now that I have made a public commitment to write everyday and get better and all that, here is a smaller version that is in public domain. Please do see it and tell me how to improve it.

Thats about it I guess for the day. May not be a 1000 words. But a post nonetheless. That counts.

In the end, reaffirming, today on this moment on, I am stopping (not merely trying to, but actually stopping) things that dont addup to my life.

The Daily Grind – 2732 – 100718

So, I am going to do that thing again (at least try to). Thing where I write everyday. Even if I dont have anything interesting or special to say, I will publish. I. WILL. PUBLISH. The aim is to do a 1000 words each day. On an average. Today. And for the next 2732 days.

Why 2732 days? Because of this.

And not just 2732 but for the rest of my life.

And no. This is not the first time I am trying to do this. I have made multiple attempts in past. And I have failed at all of them. And if this time I am to succeed, I will have to make a superhuman effort to ensure that I dont drop out. I mean last time I took this challenge, you know how many days I lasted?

Wait!

I dont remember myself how many days I lasted. 🙁


#note2self, #sideNote
Talk about memory and the point of this blog if I cant remember what I wrote about! 
Also talk about how self-loathing is the worst thing you can ever do to yourself. 

Whatever.

Thing is, this time, I am committed to make this one the longest.

How long?
Well, as long as I live.
And if I get to time and location independence with money and all, probably will write more shit for people to see and read after I am gone. But then, once you are dead, would it matter? Not to me. But to others, it may. If I can change a few lives while I am around (and even when am gone), I would have lived well. Chalo, not am rambling. Time to get on with it.

So, after this mile long pretext, here is the post for the day. And no, I dont have anything special to talk about. I will just dump the shit that’s crowding my head. And that’s where my happiness is!

Lemme divide things to talk about into “themes”

Health
I restarted Keto yesterday. This is the third or the fourth time I am attempting Keto. Apart from the first time (which was about 4 months ago), I havent been able to sustain for more than 3 weeks.

PS: When I did it the first time around, the results were fascinating and thus I am encouraged to go back. Thing is, I dropped a couple of inches if not more. And while I suspect that was because of the calorie deficit, I am sure Keto did play a part.

This time around, I hope to “mix” Keto with some moderate exercise. Lets see where it takes me. Today is day 2 and I know there is Keto Flu around the corner.

Plus I have been reading about no (or low) carb diet and the list of advantages runs into miles! So, I am ok to make the lifestyle change and move from a diet that traditionally has been full of carbs (potatoes, sugar and more) and fat (ghee and oil). To proteins. And better fat (ghee, butter not oil). No I am not the specifics guy (I do have an eye for detail but I dont get into specifics – there’s a subtle difference between the two. Maybe I will write a blogpost on this. #note2self).

Apart from this, I need to start taking those supplements. This again is a HUGE change from the stance that I have held all my life. I have hated the concept of nutritional supplements and now I am ok to experiment. Guess this is what mid-life crisis makes you do?

Oh, the next change? Start eating non-vegetarian. Lets see if I can do this. Like they say, change is good!

I also need to start the running regimen. I have to do that sub-4 Marathon and the Everest. I guess once I lose some fat, I can get to this?

Actually, come to think of it, this is probably the best time to start running? Weather is good and body will cool down faster. Ok, I will give it a shot today. TODAY being the keyword here. Come rain, hail or whatever!

Wealth
What I do at C4E is interesting and gives me a some freedom to play around and create projects, I am hard at work to identify an alternate source of income. The kinds Rich Dad Poor Dad talks about. Passive. That works for me, rather than me working for it.

To be honest, I shouldve done this about 10 years ago. But as they say, better late than never. The idea is to get to a point where I no longer have to trade my time for the money I need to live.

Live. Not survive.

#sideNote. While writing, I realised that this blogpost is my trying to reaffirm my views to myself. The blog is like a conversation that I am having with self. Which is not a bad thing to be honest!

Coming back. So I want to make enough from a passive source that I dont have to depend on a fixed pattern of life (wake up, goto office, come back home, watch a sitcom, sleep and repeat).

And the time and day and age that we live in, it allows me to do that. I just need to get it done.

Digression. 
I could talk about people that dint really need a passive income source – they got so good with their primary source of income that they made the money, made the impact, changed the world, made time for themselves and did not have to worry about compromising on their lifestyle. But then, I am definitely not that and I need to think of things that work for me. 

Writing 
When I started the year, one of the yearly goals was to write 202 posts. As of today, I am at 39 posts. That means I have 160 odd to go. And thats almost same as the number of days that are remaining in this year. So, a post a day should see me through. Hmmm.

#sideNote. More than half of the year is over. Must do an assessment. 

The other writing goal is to get the second book out. Started working with a friend but we lost track along the way. Need to action that in the next few days.

Wait. What about staying on focus on making the money? And all these things could remain at the backend! Nah. 

Misc updates
I restarted playing Poker. No I dont have the time but I want to give it a few hours each day. I love the game. And I really want to get good to it. If I were to draw a list of things that I want to do in life, Poker would be up there. I am ok to let go of guitar and pool and other things. But not poker.

Poker gives me an outside shot at creating a life that makes me travel the world and earn enough to live well. No, this is NOT plan A. This is a good backup plan for life.

note2self: Is this your new distraction? Think! 

Existential Questions
Lately I have been thinking hard on what I want to be doing. What do I mean lately? I have been in the thinking mode for well over a decade now (if not longer).

Other things that I am struggling to find answers to (if you are reading and wish to help, please do give me inputs):
A. Business. What I do at C4E is good and interesting but its a BIIIIIG pain in the ass to get new business. What do I do to get new business? Making phone calls? Sending emails? Creating content? If not for the patronage and largesse of a couple of giants, I would probably be back in Delhi, living with my parents. Or I would’ve found a full-time job (which would be the saddest thing ever). 
note2self: Mr. G, you can NOT get back to a full-time job ever. Unless its life and death situation. 
So, the question is, how do I find people to trust their brands with me? With C4E and with AWSL. 
B. Reputation. Thing is, wherever you go, your reputation precedes you. And I for reason haven’t been able to create a reputation AT ALL. I mean my best friends have a tough time connecting with me. One option is that I cut off my friends. May be I will. But I will probably remain alone (if I do that). The other is to work on it. Question is, how! Any clues? Oh, by the way, I wrote this long post on reputation (and other things). I seem to know the academic answer. How do I translate it in action? 
One easy answer is that I need to conduct myself better. I need to have gravitas when I speak. Vanita has been asking me to work on this. And while I think I have worked on this, I am not sure if I am reaching anywhere with this. Help me if you can. Please!

C. Recreation. A couple of weeks back I went to Goa with a friend. And unlike other trips, this time I did not touch my laptop. And by the end of the 3-day trip, I was sick of NOT working.

Now, for someone who enjoys taking a break, this is a great thing to do. But to me, I am not sure if I want to do this. Why? Because what point is a life that is spend chasing frivolities and not challenging self?

Wait. In the large scheme of things anything and everything do is meaningless (afterall, we are on this large rock that is moving at some super high speed around the Sun and at some point in time it will probably collapse into the damn Sun once it becomes a blackhole!). So why do I even work, create things, inspire others and all that?

And then I ask, why not? If I live my life chasing frivolities, I would have a simple, easy, comfortable life. I would have seen the world, enjoyed all the great things that the world has to offer. And end of things.

If I work hard, inspire others and all that, I would probably live a tad less happier but I would have made lives of others tad better. May be I inspire them to get new jobs, discover new joys that they never knew, live happier, live healthier and so on and so forth. In the large scheme of things I probably wouldnt make any dent but to those few people that I impact the lives of, I would’ve probably made a world of difference.

Any why do I want to do this? Have I been told? Am I responsible? Why do I bother? Is this my problem?

Well, I dont have an answer. I met this gentleman a few days ago and he postulated that I want to do these things because I probably want to play God! Interesting hypothesis. May be I do. But guess we’d never know!

Or maybe, I’d try and find out. Over the next few days!

Till then, over and out. This is about it for today. I dont know if this is 1000 words but I have nothing else to say. Writing after a month or so and thus, a tad rusty! 

On relationships, work and meaning

Wrote this a few weeks back on an email and on Medium. Republishing it here. 

As I type this, I am in Dubai! In case you did not know, I am taking a break from life and work and all that and trying to discover myself. No, I am not killing myself or anything. This is an attempt to #bebetter. More is on this blogpost. Also, at C4 Events, we have a new project about postcards. Read about it here. Do lemme know if you want postcards from Dubai.

Anyhow so the point of this post is relationships and work.

The day before I left for this detox of sorts, I was talking to a colleague and was telling her that most modern relationships are actually based on convenience and not on real, deep sense of belonging. Of course she was aghast and all that. I don’t blame her. This a tough one. Counterintuitive to everything that we’ve been taught — especially in India where we are willing to kill and get killed for family, community, honor etc.

I believe that these relationships merely allow you to domesticate and stay in safe havens. If you have to go in deep waters and take risks and do amazing things, you HAVE to leave the comfort behind. And create (or forge or explore) relationships with strangers.

My point was that we ought to invest more into relationships that are built on top of work (or while working). And work not as in work that a bank teller does or a credit card salesman does (of course both are important and are tough and have dignity and all that) but work that makes us push the limits. The creative work.

So, in between the “argument” she asked me to give my theory of what makes relationships tick. I said that the deepest and the most meaningful relationships are the ones that are created around creating amazing things. In other words, if you can figure out ways to work together with great people, find synergies, find comfort in those people, it creates a fascinating relationship. And creates great work.

This seemed to make sense to her. And to me. And we left it at that and moved onto other things.

And then, something funny happened. I was checking my email in the morning and I stumbled onto this in my inbox…

The subtitle caught my attention and I had to click on it!

So I ended up at https://creativemornings.com/talks/christina-amini/1 and heard Christina Amini talk about how authentic relationships enable awesome projects and how awesome projects allow us to develop authentic relationships. Exactly what I was trying to tell my colleague the day before!

Do see the video if you have 25 odd minutes.

Disclaimer. The story (and the video), while is illuminating (and inspiring), is heartbreaking. You may not want to see it first thing in the morning. Or may be you want to see it, to remind you of the frivolity and shortness of life. A fear that pushes me to do more!

So, here are the key highlights that I am taking away from the talk (to help me reinforce my assertions about relationships rooted in work tend to be stronger, better and deeper). This following list is NOT a verbatim summary of the video. It also includes my thoughts as I saw the video.

  • Most creative work requires you to have immense faith and inherent trust in the other person (or people).
  • You have long-term thingy at the back of your head. This means you automatically start investing more (we all “know” that long-term success requires patience and honesty and openness).
  • When you work together, your conversations are about trying to solve problems (and not about what is Taimur upto or what is the new costume on Ranveer Singh etc). When you try to solve problems, you are often thinking as a team (and not as individuals). You start thinking about strengths of the other person — which automatically make you look for goodness in them.
  • When you work together, you are often vulnerable (you dont know how would audience receive a certain thing, you probably get stuck and seek help) etc etc. And when you are vulnerable, you open up. You start to share things that you’d normally keep buried in your hearts. And often when you solve problems when you are vulnerable, the answers that you come up with to solve the problems are the ones that often resolve the vulnerability. And when you get the resolution to your vulnerability AND to the problem you are facing, Eureka probably happens!
  • Because what you create makes meaning and is often larger than you, your teammates or your team, you have this shared sense of purpose. And achievement.
  • Most “creative” things require love. And that means you put in your heart and soul and all that to be able to create output. And when you work with someone who is also putting in the heart and soul and is creating a piece of love, you create magic! And the very process of creating magic makes the relationship, well, magical!

Apart from these direct inferences and thoughts from the talk, the other takeaway from this talk is when the lady says, “I will do anything with Susan!” This is something that I’ve been trying to be subconsciously. When I become available in market for new work etc, people HAVE to say that they’d do anything with me! Do they say the same about you?

Thats about it. What’s your take on relationships?

Thank you!

PS: This is a slightly edited version of an email that I send to select friends. Please do let me know if you wish to subscribe. 

PPS: First posted here.