Well 30th birthday is just another day, just a number, but it’s a great time to look at things that have become biggest priorities in my life. I’ve lived life as I want, have enjoyed it so far. Over the last few years things have changed for good but I have never achieved anything noteworthy in my life yet. Now is the good time to look at the biggest stumbling blocks in my life and get over them.
A Romantic Relationship: Being an socially awkward and a shy person has meant that I’ve spent all my life without getting into any relationship. I have been yearning for one but it’s been hopeless so far. A year ago I decided I’d give it a last try and give up if it fails. It failed but I haven’t been able to give up. So well, it’s time to go on offensive. This year onward I’m going to put forward my best – try various mediums, meet more women, ask out more women. Hopefully, it’ll lead me to a meaningful relationship sooner or later. There’s only one way to find out, get out there and work on it.
Music and Dancing: As a kid, I was never fond of this whole dance and song routine but as I’ve grown up I’ve started enjoying it. I’ve started to understand the cultural aspect behind it. How beautiful these things can be! Watching someone performing is one thing, doing it yourself is something else. Being able to play music to yourself or just go out there and dance your guts out is just another level of enjoyment. And it is time I start doing it. Right now I am tone-deaf and have 2 left feet but I am sure it’s just my reluctance. It’ll take a lot of work to get the first step going but I’m sure it’s going to be worth it. Will have to start looking out for dance and music classes, I guess that’s the only way I can start for now.
Fitness: I have come a very long way from a 150 kg teenager to 80 kg 30 year old who regularly swims, cycles and runs distances that were once beyond my wildest imagination. But, it isn’t enough. It is time to take my fitness to the next level. I still have more than adequate fat in my body for an athlete. It’s time to eat healthier and in sane quantities and trainer harder. Gone are the days when I’d enjoy bragging the quantity I eat. I’d rather boast about quantity of mileage I can manage now. Besides, I rank pretty low on flexibility and core strength. I have never worked on these aspects. As I aim towards doing an Full IronMan in the near future these things will matter a lot. Let’s fix it! I’d love to get to a fitness level where I can go stronger, faster and longer for the rest of my life. Now is the time to build up.
Tech + Sports: In the last few months, I’ve come to realize that sports and technology have become a big part of my life. It’s something that’ll stay with me for years to come. I’ve been itching to do something in this field. I have a few raw ideas, time to give it a spin. Will write more on this as something concrete emerges.
Write postcards: I recently got into sending across postcards to people thanks to Nisha. Though I didn’t do it right this time, I’ve learnt and will do it the correct way henceforth. It has to be spontaneous. That’s the whole fun of postcards.
Save and Invest: Coming from days when I used to barely earn enough to make ends meet, I never learnt to save and invest. I do earn enough now but my heart yearns to participate in races and travel places. Will have to figure out the right balance and stop unnecessary expenses to be able to save. And also spend time building a good investment portfolio.
Betterment of children: I have long believed that the best way to have a bright future for our planet is to teach children to be self sufficient and open minded. They are who’ll go out there tomorrow and take our species ahead. All this while I was too engrossed fixing myself to be able to look outward but it may rather be that I look to these kids to become a source of strength and support for building a better me for times to come. For this, I’m starting with a fundraiser which went live on 15th August and will go on till 15th September. But, this is just a start and I’d be looking at more opportunities to interact and help us raise a better generation ahead.
Do something impactful: I have worked upon some good things and it has kept getting better with time but none of it has been something people can talk about or something that reaches a lot of people and changes their life in a positive way. I yearn to do something big in life. I need to push beyond the comfort that holds me captive. I know it’s tough but what is tougher is to someday look back and see yourself lost in the crowd of mediocrity. This is going to be the biggest challenge and only time will tell if I can overcome it. And I need to stop procastinating, like I have done on some of the points above.