The sights to freedom – 1

Seko had been dreaming about leading in the fields of Sports, Modeling, Investing and Business since the age of 19. However, he didn’t knew that the competition in each of those fields was way too tough to lead, much less lead in all the four fields.

Now at the age of 24, he still dreamt of being at the top in those fields without having made a little contribution in them. He was often criticized by his parents of his blind thinking and unattainable goals. Slowly and steadily he lost most of hai friends and only a couple were left, but even they didn’t know about Seko’s fantasies. Seko also feared telling them as he thought that they might also leave him thinking he is crazy.

What was Seko supposed to do? Frustrated with is stop since the past four years he finally planned on doing something. But it was harder than he thought.

The past five years of mild efforts had made his body relaxed, sleep in late, drink, his mind was confused and heavy, while he was short of breath at times. His round belly was visible from a distance and his laziness often cost him the respect he could deserve.

“No no, I will make it a point to change. It won’t work like this else.”, He thought to himself.

He had recently read that it takes at least 21 days to turn a task into a habit, while it takes 90 days to turn it into a lifestyle. What he wanted was for a lifetime, so he needed to be ‘very’ disciplined for at least 90 days before his body gets accustomed to the routine and starts to act on things on it’s own.

And so began his journey for his SMIC routine…If he could attain 6 hours of Exercise/Sports and 10 hours of Work/Business, he should be all set to achieve his objectives. But there are many other take in a day besides this such as getting ready, eating, sleeping, talking to family and commuting. Is it okay to skip a few? No no. Everything on that list is important on a daily basis. All of them need to be done to have a relaxed mind and body.

“Let’s start slow”, he said to himself, “then we can see how things work and take it from there.”

Sports – Exercises related to Running

Modeling – Exercises to tone the muscles

Investing – Read the finance column and dabble in stock market for at least an hour daily

Creation – Manage what is at present and dive in something new by exploring the innovative possibilities

Will he be able to start his journey from this day?

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.

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.

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?

Journal #13

“Listen to that voice that tells you what you could do. Nothing will define your character more than that.” – Steven Spielberg

Journal Day 13, March 10th

So today is a Sunday again, and as usual it was the rest day. No exercise or jog. No work or blog.

Woke up, showered later in the afternoon, read a book (I recommend reading HBR On Strategic Marketing, the case studies are actually interesting).

In the evening played a little tennis until I hit the ball on the other side and had to sign off for the day. I suppose that was the only little exercise (plus some skipping rope) I got today. Then went off with family to have a cup of coffee. It is actually so peaceful to have that and talk about random things! Try it!

Now I am watching motivational videos on YouTube (Highly recommended: No Excuses). Also watched another episode of Black Lightning on Netflix today (This is a rather contrast)

How as your day?

Journal #12

“Continuous efforts – not strength or intelligence is the key to unlocking our potential.” – Winston Churchill

Here is Day 12. March 9th.

Today started okay, cleared up a confusion with a customer, and then had to think long for the correct product for them.

A walk around the manufacturing unit is always interesting when you reach workplace. Although there are new obstacles everyday, there are solutions as well.

Walked around quite a lot today, though it is good for the body rather than sitting at the desk, it sure is tiring as well.

Coming back home bought a new mobile for Mom. It was priceless to see how glad she was on getting it. 😊

Later watched a couple of episodes of Black Lightning on Netflix. I would say that the show is okay, could have been a little more character depth.