10 Reminders On My Birthday

Originally published on March 29th on Medium.

1. A routine existence is often what leads to great outcomes. Tiny daily habits, compounded, yield big results.

2. Go after your dreams with such an intensity that life, the universe feels the vibrations and aligns itself to you.

3. Take care of your friendships, old and new, but especially the old. Friendships are like plants that need nurturing.

4. Most of my energy should be devoted to what’s in my circle of control.

5. Get 1% better everyday.

6. The best way to progress in my career is to increase my leverage: more accountability, greater scope, working on bigger problems, applying myself to higher impact.

7. Make time for reflection at least every few months. Do a “retrospective” on various aspects of life.

8. Declutter life: inbox, people, closet.

9. Empty spaces in homes are necessary and beautiful, so are silences in conversations. They lead to creativity, depth of connection with the self and others.

10. Above all else, be true to yourself. Life is too short for pretences, fake friendships and living someone else’s version of success. Figuring out what you truly care about is half the battle, having the courage to eliminate everything else is the other half.

Principles I Live By

Over the last few years, I’ve reflected a lot on what my values are. I’ve arrived at several after a lot of reflection based on my life, what my parents taught me and the books I’ve read. These are six that I believe are specific to me.

  1. Personal Relationships are important for a happy life.

  2. Almost everything is a skill - if I put in the time and effort, I can learn it

  3. I am here to serve my fellow humans.

  4. I must be true to myself. Life is too short for pretenses, fake friendships and living someone else’s versions of success.

  5. Almost nothing is worth sacrificing my health

  6. When choosing friends, pick the ones with a good heart above all else.

Read More

Identity and Titles Follow Action, Not Declarations

I had attempted to start a tech startup when I was a senior in high school - it got some traction at the time and was even featured in a National newspaper. And it definitely made my college application look good. I was ‘the tech entrepreneur kid’. Fast forward to 2018 when I was looking to apply for a fellowship and was told to remove this from my resume by a well-wishing and knowledgeable friend. Why? Because it had been more than 4 years. And my friend was absolutely right: There is an expiration date after which you can no longer put your accomplishments from high school on your resume. If you won the debate competition six years ago, you were a great debater - I don’t know if you still are. This extends beyond just the resume. Someone who did something successful a long time ago can’t keep calling himself successful. You have to keep earning it. 

This applies in other areas of life too, not just career success. Think about someone who you were close to in high school but haven’t spoken to in years - you know as well as them that you used to be close friends, you are not anymore. Someone who played football in highschool can’t keep calling himself an athlete forever. If you consider yourself a good friend to someone, ask yourself if your recent actions have been consistent with being a good friend to that person instead of reminding yourself of that one time two years ago when you helped them out. So, as of today, I am not the ‘tech entrepreneur’ guy - sure, I used to be at some point in the past. And if I want this title as part of my identity, it has to be guided by actions not by a declaration to myself or to the world.

Derek Sivers put it succinctly - ‘You have to keep earning your title or it expires.’