It’s my 33rd birthday today and I am writing this blog to reflect on my life. Right now, if there’s one word that can express the state of my mind then it’s this – Gratitude.
As I look at my life now, I feel a sense of gratitude for everything that I have now. I am married to my beautiful wife for well over a year now and I am loving every bit of our married life. As a family, we’re doing really well on all fronts – financially, emotionally, socially and I am feeling great about it. I have become more self-aware and I am more deeply connected to my inner self now. I feel I know myself much better now.
I have learnt to embrace life as it unfolds without worrying too much about the future or agonizing too much about the past. I have shed my old, rigid way of thinking and adopted a more flexible and open mindset which has helped me a lot to tackle life’s challenges. I have shifted my focus from constantly seeking knowledge to applying that knowledge that can help me become a better person. I am consciously taking efforts to change my perspective from being overly critical and a cynic to having a more positive and constructive attitude.
Of course, that does not mean I don’t feel any negative emotions at all. What I mean is, I am now better equipped to handle those negative emotions. If I look at my life from a broader perspective, overall I think I am in the positive territory in all aspects.
My Reflections
Am I doing meaningful work?
✅ Yes! Currently I am doing what I enjoy the most – learning new technologies, writing code, building software that has real world impact. So yes, I am doing stuff that gives me a sense of satisfaction and purpose. The money is welcome too!
Do I feel healthy?
✅ Yes I do! I am feeling fit and fine. Both of us are going to the gym regularly, working out together and it feels good. Our food choices are conscious and we try to eat as much healthy as possible. I feel we have done a good job to make fitness a part of our lifestyle. I have also learnt swimming which is my new obsession. I also started outdoor running this year and I did my first 10K run. On the emotional front, I feel much more stable and in control of my feelings. I no longer experience extreme levels of emotional swings and I have learnt to consciously regulate my thoughts and feelings.
Do I have a good social life?
✅ Yes again! I am really thankful that I have a good set of friends and family. To be honest, since our marriage, my wife pretty much fills in 80% of my social requirements. She plays many roles – a best friend with whom I can joke and laugh around all day long and be myself, she is my therapist with whom I can open up and share my emotional traumas on my path of self discovery, she also serves as a source of my inspiration who motivates me to work harder, and the list can go on. For the remainder of 20%, I have my parents, my friends and my relatives.
Do I have the basics covered?
✅ Of course yes! This is the most important reason for which I feel a sense of gratitude. Financial security, good quality of life, sense of stability. All boxes checked! Without all of these basics covered, I don’t think I would have had the privilege to think about the higher things in life like self-discovery and meaning and working on growing myself as a person. A major portion of this is because my wife has played a pivotal role in giving us a super stable financial anchor and that has completely changed my perspective towards money. In my 20s, I always worked hard with the aim of achieving a certain figure as fast as I could but that has now changed. I don’t find myself constantly thinking about any specific magical figure or any specific goal in the future that I have to achieve quickly. Rather now I am more focused on the present moment. This is not to say that I have completely given up on money matters but the stress and urgency of achieving goals has definitely reduced now. I think I have transitioned from the “creation” phase of my 20s to the “preserving” phase in my 30s.
What are the negatives?
Of course, like I mentioned not everything in life can be so great all the time. Occasionally, I do encounter feelings of doubt and uncertainty and what-ifs towards some aspects of my life. For example, the future of the company I founded when I was 19 years old is highly uncertain. It worked out really great so far and everything I have achieved financially is because of my company but I am not sure what the future holds. Whatever it is, I am much better prepared to deal with whichever cards I am dealt. Also, there are other aspects like evaluating my duties as a son that I often contemplate. I keep questioning my responsibilities and my feelings towards my parents. However, I have learnt to navigate these feelings much better now. I am sure, life will throw many unexpected curve balls and black swan events at me, but now I am prepared to face those challenges without bending under undue stress.
What next?
👶🏻 Most likely, it’s going to be an expansion of our family soon! My wife and I have been together since 2008 (17 years out of 33 = 51%) which now means we have officially lived more life together on this planet than we have lived it as separate individuals and I think the time is now ripe to bear the fruit of our love! Right now, both of us are in the same state of mind and we are excited about the next chapter of our lives.
All in all, I am grateful for the life I have and on that note, I am ending my blog here. Looking forward to having a healthy, wealthy and wise year ahead!
