Experiences

Journal #20

Day 20. April 2nd.

“Life is very interesting. In the end, some of your greatest pains become your greatest strengths.” – Drew Barrymore

Today was a decent day again. Woke up and meditated, did some yoga and then freelectics. It feels refreshing after that. I did also box (after a long time) for 5 minutes today just to get my body used to it. Think I can wake up half n hour earlier from tomorrow?

Then went to office, and met with a customer. It is hard to hear about all the issues that come up every now and then but it is a big relief when they are resolved. I suppose that is the essence of business, to have something going on now & then while fixing other issues. That’s how you gain experience.

I did get to finally open a axis bank account for trading today. Kudos to that!

Back home I went through some news articles, and then read the HBS book on Strategic Marketing. It is an interesting read for sure.

Journal #19

Day 19. April 1st.

“A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.” – William Shakespeare

Happy fools day!

Like every other Monday, it started the week. The morning starting with light meditation, then yoga and then freelectics. I haven’t been able to wake up a little earlier for jogging, I don’t know how to go about it.

Went to office later and worked on a few issues. The slowest work is done when you have to depend on people, especially who are miles away from you. Every discussion and implementation takes a lot of days. A new assistant also joined me, I hope people do feel comfortable working with me.

Back at home I read a few news articles, finished the book I was reading and started with HBS 10 Best Marketing Strategies cases, it is an interesting read for sure. I also wanted to review the China trip but I was too tired to go through that.

On the bright side, I feel like it will be a nice sleep because of all the exercise.

Journal #18

Day 18. March 31st.

“I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.” – Estee Lauder

Today are multiple events! It is the last day of the month, It is a Sunday, It is the last day of the Financial Year 2018-19, and it is also the last day of practice of the farewell dance for college seniors (no seriously).

And yet, the fact that it was a Sunday covered up any of the other events. After waking up, meditated, then yoga and also freelectics. Finally some freelectics is back! Read a few news articles and then continued to read the book Discipline equals freedom (almost done with the book!)

There were a couple of relatives who came to have lunch, it feels just different when you are surrounded with people and talk about random things.

Then there is the IPL2019 (Indian Premier League) that was coming, so watched the match. Quite frankly in many games these days you can’t predict who will win the match. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) played amazingly well today!

In the evening, went for a drive. It is always so relaxing to have some alone time and think nothing. This is one of the best feelings of the day.

On the bright side, I feel this Sunday proved more productive than any of the Sundays this year. This is a record!!

Journal #17

Day 17. March 30th.

“I don’t like to gamble, but if there’s one thing I’m willing to bet on, it’s myself.” – Beyonce

A little better today than yesterday. Finally started the day with half an hour of meditation and then 20 minutes of Yoga. I need to add a jog to that as well. Let’s do that from the next time!

Skipped college today, and went to office. Was only able to complete only one of the three major tasks for the day, but also ended up doing a number of smaller tasks. That was the highlight of the day.

After that played a couple of games of ‘Draw It!’ on iOS. It’s a decent game, drawing the words that are mentioned while also competing with players at the same time.

Back home, went through some of the news articles (need to read them regularly to keep up with the stock market) and then read a few pages of Discipline equals freedom.

On the bright side, today was a more productive day than yesterday!

Journal #16

Day 16. March 29th.

“We are made to persist… that’s how we find who we are.” – Tobias Wolff

It’s been a long-time since I posted anything. Quite frankly, I have been wondering how should I plan my content and focus on for the blog. As you know this is also connected to the Instagram page, Fb page, Twitter page, Pinterest page by the same name, what is the most appropriate content for this.

At the end of the day, this is my page, so I believe the best things to put up here should be about my thoughts and how the day goes. It is better to make it a little personal as that is the USP for most blogs.

But all in all, whatever happens, the content should be something I believe in.

Besides the regular college, and office today, that was what I had been thinking today. Not only that, this will be a good way to evaluate myself as days go by and learn from different days. Persistence is the real key here.

I finally started reading a book “Discipline equals freedom” by Jocko Willink. Though a motivational book, it seems aggressive in it’s own way, asking you to not give up and keep at it whatever the situation.

The needed trip

Veer hurled the ball-size wrapped paper on his computer monitor, which hit the screen and fell on the table. Just moments ago, the same paper was denied by his boss.

He had printed and filled the leave application due to exhaustion, and had realized in the morning that he needed to get out of the office for a while. Probably a month. Or more like a week. And now he was plain annoyed by his boss, for rejecting the leave application.

Veer got up from his seat, and walked in the direction of his boss’ office. He clenched his fists as he slowly rolled up his sleeves, first the left and then the right. He side-eyed the office, where his boss was having a discussion with a few other employees, and then walked past it to go to the restroom.

At the sink, he splashed some cold water and looked at the mirror thinking, “Again the same moment that everyone sees in the restroom of your office. Here is my old self, 10 years from now, with white hair and a new suit & tie, and the same job. The same position as now.”

Veer kept looking at the mirror for a whole minute, after which he was woken up by someone poking him on the shoulder. He looked around and gasped “Boss!?”

Trump said, “I kept calling out your minute for what felt like a decade. What is wrong with you Veer! You look tired.”

“I am sorry sir.”

“It’s okay, it is better to go back to your seat and get work done rather than standing here.”

“Yes boss. I will go.”

“One more thing. You can take the holiday from Saturday to Monday, next week. Is that okay? You know we are throat-deep in orders right now, and we need all the hands we could for the time.”

Veer looked up at his boss, his eyes made contact to Trump’s. He managed to control his emotions and replied, “of course boss. That works fine too. Thank you for thinking about me.”

Trump replied, “It’s okay Veer. I want the best for my employees. I think about you all the time.”

Silence

He corrected, “I mean all employers think about how can they make it easier for the employees to handle their job. After all, I was also in the same position at one time. So I understand.”

Veer nodded and thanked him again before leaving for his valuable seat.

He threw the ball shaped application on his desk, printed and filled a new one with the new dates, and went to his boss to get it signed thinking, “Let me get this signed right now or else he will forget later and this will all but be a dream.”

“I look my best when I’m totally free, on holiday, walking on the beach.” – Rosamund Pike

Journal #15

“However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up!” – Stephen Hawking

Day 15. March 14th.

Today was a rough day, especially as the day went by.

Went to college, attended a few classes, even submitted an assignment on time! One of the courses seems so tough because of my absenteeism that I feel like I am falling way behind everyone else.

Had lunch and then went to office. Didn’t have much work today, except the same import stuff confusion that had been going on for a while. After coming back home, I did apply to a couple of programs in Harvard Business School online. Hope I get accepted to them.

Considering there is so much on my plate right now, I need to segregate and plan things better or else everything could crumble.

On the positive note, I did step up and apply to the programs that I had been deciding for so long.

Take control of your life

“Put your head down and work hard. Never wait for things to happen, make them happen for yourself through hard graft and not giving up.” – Gordon Ramsay

Many people, not everyone, keep saying that I was not able to do because of him or her OR I was not able to get it because that happened. But really why are you blaming your own lack of enthusiasm and lack of perseverance and lack of commitment on other people or other things.

You need to understand that it is all on you. Don’t you think that the top athletes or the top celebrities feel sick? Don’t they face failures? Don’t they get hurt by others? Aren’t they berated by people? Everyone, literally everyone, at some point of time is hurt or is penalized but the point is what comes after that. What people do after they listen to the hate speeches or when they realize the betrayal of others.

Do they break down? DO they give in? Do they say ‘no more’? No. They understand what had happened, understand the mistake and learn from it. And THEY KEEP MOVING FORWARD. No matter the circumstances, they move ahead. That is the only secret to success. Nothing else, nothing more.

You ought to do whatever takes you closer to your goal, till it is morally correct. You need to keep trying till you achieve that one lifetime opportunity. And what after that? You take in the crowd, showcase that glamor of yours and keep working hard. That’s what means to be truly dedicated.

That’s what is achievement.

And that comes at a cost. You need to sacrifice those weekend parties or friends unions, or those binge watching and cola sips. So be mindful of what you want, and be mindful of what it takes to reach there. Because if you don’t know that, you will never be able to get there.

Journal #14

“Always have a vision. Be passionate, Act confident even when you are not.” – Larry Ellison

Day 14. March 11th.

Motto of the day – “Don’t be scared to follow your dreams. And never doubt it.”

Started today with a jog and Freelectics again. It’s the daily grind that counts. Then went to work, fixed a few issues, talked to a customer, payment to a supplier and more on.

What do you do when a customer doesn’t reply back to you either on email or WhatsApp? What doe it mean? I need to find a solution how to fix this.

What do you think about Mercedes GLC? I feel it is an impressive car. It’s either Volvo XC60 or GLC. Any suggestions?

Later in the vending, had dinner. I had been having this headache today, and feeling very alone. (Sometimes I really wished I had a girlfriend but then I don’t know if that’s the right thing considering it is a time commitment)

Watched an episode of Dororo and wondered what my goals are. I need to have a fix sight at my goals (Suppose your goal is to run faster then break it down by what speed you want to achieve first or what competition you want to win first).

Goals for this year:

Running (Achieve a speed of 30 km/hr)
Body (A toned body with proper muscle structure)
Invest (Start with around $1500)
Learn more about the business and entrepreneurial environment

What are your goals for this year? Do you think they are achievable?