Hi friends,
I’ve had a really great week, what about you? I’m in a space where I’m overflowing with ideas and trying my best to not get overwhelmed. I’m also really happy because there’s rajma-chawal for lunch today. :)
I’ve also had some great projects on my work front, so that’s a huge plus.
Also, guess what? I woke up to over 1000 downloads of my ebook! It’s been 41 days since it was released and here’s what the stats look like:
I’m so grateful! :”)
Today I’ve shamelessly copied and pasted a Medium article I really want you to read. If you follow me on Twitter, you’d know how religiously I believe in the power of words and thoughts. What we say and think have a huge impact on our energies and our aura.
Think of something as simple as opening Instagram and judging people and criticising them in your head. It does nothing to them, but is harmful to you! It’s negative chatter in your head. Similarly, talking ill about yourself and subconsciously saying how you won’t make it or that you’re not good enough, you manifest that because you believe in it so hard.
Being mindful of our words and thoughts can change our reality.
“Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded.” - Buddha
This article is just a small example of that.
I hope you enjoy it, and I’ll see you next weekend :) Ciao!
One Word I Wish More People Used
My surgery opened my eyes in many ways, and one of them was knowing who my genuine friends are. My closest friends in school who are in different cities and so we don’t talk much, checked up on me every day. Workout buddies who live down the street told me how badly they wanted To see me and never turned up. A really close friend who lives 4 minutes away never got in touch with me.
I really like her. Okay, I love her. I’ve done whatever I can to be a good friend, whether it was lending a shoulder or giving her first big client when she started her business and never stubbed that upon her. I’ve been there no matter what, and we spoke about how she’ll get me fries during my 8 weeks of bed rest.
She never came.
Do you know what the worst part is? She’s insanely busy, even though that's BS because in life it all comes down to priorities. So I guess this was a lesson learnt the hard way that she didn’t feel the same about me.
But that’s not what we’ll talk about here.
She’s one of the many people I know who work themselves to death and get dark circles. Sometimes when I talk about how I’d want to get married in a year or so, I’m looked at weirdly because for some reason that automatically means I’m not ambitious enough. Whereas in my head, I want to grow and travel the world with the right person — and I don’t see how that affects my career.
I don’t swear when I write, but this is a phrase I must use, and a loved phrase in my generation, it's called f*ck you money (FYM). According to Urban Dictionary, this means,
“Any amount of money allowing infinite perpetuation of wealth necessary to maintain a desired lifestyle without needing employment or assistance from anyone.”
People are obsessed with attaining FYM even if that means sleeping for a few hours a day. For instance, my uncle, who’s chosen to never get married or have kids to keep earning. The surprising part? He’s gifted his dad a watch worth over $30,000, but still feels he doesn’t have enough money.
Now, it’s not even just money I want to talk about. Why discuss numbers because there’s no end to them?
I’m seeing less and less happy people around me. No matter how much self-improvement they read or how much they grow at work, they’re just waiting for the next step and a big reward. The next step has no end. There's always one waiting after.
Apparently, there’s some vision people see they want to get into. Like lots of labour will lead them to a shiny door that will be the end.
I was once told to attain FYM before 30 and then think of doing other things that make me happy. The thing is, I’m already doing things that make me happy without the FYM.
And what do I do after 30? It’s a long life ahead. Why are we treating life as a sprint instead of a marathon?
I have travelled to 24 countries. Even though I travelled to 10 of them solo and on a shoestring student budget, it was one of the fondest times of my life.
I’m already relaxed in my head. I work from 11 am to 1:30 pm and 5 pm to 7 pm — and this schedule changes depending on my needs.
I’m very content with life at 25, and I don’t think that makes me unambitious. I’m working as a writer, consultant, and creative entrepreneur. It's a choice to not sleep for 3 hours a day and take care of my body, and I don’t see how that equates to not being ambitious or hardworking enough.
Sacrificing mental and physical health for more money or fame is baffling, it's a short-lived reward.
“As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all — the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them.”
― J.K. Rowling
The word I’m talking about is — enough.
Nobody is happy enough, content enough, say they have enough money or even clothes. We are so hyperstimulated in our environment that we actually have more than enough, but still nobody has enough.
Contentment needs to be the next cool.
If you look at it from a negative perspective, there will never be enough money and your wardrobe will never have enough clothes because there’s no end to money and shopping. You will never be happy enough, especially when you open Instagram and see people relaxing in the Maldives.
You will never be beautiful or rich enough because there is always somebody better. But is that really a reason to be unhappy? How far will you go to search for people you’re better than?
This is no competition. We live in a world together. We co-exist.
I promise you that when you look at it that way, your behaviour and habits will change.
In fact, since you’ve read this, it means you’re literate and have an internet connection, and a device too — that’s more than enough. That’s a luxury for a huge portion of this world.
You have enough. You are enough. There’s enough for everybody.
“Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor. “— Benjamin Franklin
Here’s What I Published Last Week
I’ve been writing on Medium for over a year, but it’s the first time I got published in a Medium-owned publication called Index. The process includes submitting a high-quality story and pitching it to an editor. So grateful I made it!
It’s something really close to my vision and beliefs and is called Why I’m Done Living for The Weekend.
I love this! You are so inspiring! "Enough" is just a state of mind. Most of us have enough, but many don't even know it. "FYM" is a destructive illusion. People seeking "FYM" will never think they have enough money. Sadly, they think money is the most important thing in life. Those "friends" that were too busy trying to make "FYM" that they couldn't take time to call, visit, or bring you fries are basically saying, "FY." They are saying money is more important than our friendship. One day they will sadly realize that relationships, family, and friends are far more important than money. Fortunately, there are amazing people like YOU in the world. You deserve those fries! I wish I could bring you fries! Because you are the true kind of friend that would bring your friends fries!
Bravo!!!👏🏽👏🏽