life

I've been told that a beard looks good on me. I like beards, but beards do not like me....

Spiralling into nothingness, with thoughts I can't control....

These days have been quite chaotic. There's too much happening at work and at home. Plus, I seem to have less time than I generally had. I know that's not the case, but that's just how life has been lately. Generally, this shouldn't be an issue. But what this means is I have very little energy to do anything other than what's in front of me. There's hardly any plan. Day dawns with a promise of busyness and settles with that promise fulfilled. I trudge along. This is not healthy. I need to take...

The Friday routine that we have fallen in love with....

I haven't been able to maintain a routine for several months now. I'm not blaming myself, as I simply had no desire to follow one. The idea of routinely doing any activity made me genuinely uncomfortable, so I didn't force myself into it. Why should I? Routine, to me, gives a semblance of control to one's life. As James Clear says, "In the absence of routine, we drift". But what if to drift is what my mind wants? Not reading. Not writing. Not pondering on stuff. Just drift through the days. L...

It's funny how such a simple set of words can be considered one of the most iconic and motivating slogans. Irrespective of what idea the tagline is rooted in, it can mean many things to many people. Going beyond limits. Being determined. Pushing past obstacles. To me, the most profound interpretation is to act—to start instead of waiting for the perfect moment, tool, or opportunity. I procrastinate when I overthink things, whether at work or in life. Thinking isn't doing. Doing is doing....

I usually drive to my office with navigation on, and at every turn, it suggests an alternative route: 5 minutes faster. 7 minutes slower. The screen keeps flashing updates at me. But over time, I’ve learned to ignore them and stick to the route I know is best. After all, there is no way to know if the route saves those minutes. Once I take a path, it becomes my reality. Faster or slower, it doesn't matter. But every time I go against the suggested route, a question lingers in the back of my min...

I am not listening to audiobooks anymore. There are many times when I need something to listen to, such as driving to the office, going for walks, or even doing chores at home. Audiobooks, podcasts, or songs have fulfilled this need at various points earlier. Songs have been a constant, but audiobooks have been my choice for a long time. But recently, I have not been enjoying the books I listen to. I generally do not listen to nonfiction as I cannot highlight or take notes. Fiction is mostly...

I logged into my system today with a plan to jot down what I had in my mind. What I did was keep my mind numb and just strolled around the web. I hate doing that, but I do that often to know something does not sit right. Inspiration. Motivation. All are just words. They don't appear silently. Even if they do, they don't help. I might be as inspired or motivated as I have been during my productive best periods, but it's all moot if I cannot get things rolling. Such have been the days recently....

I have meant to write this post for quite a while, where I spill all my thoughts. The title clicked, and here's the post, finally. The last few weeks have been crazy busy, both personally and professionally. I had to handle a lot of things and make too many decisions. Life kept throwing curveballs, and dodging them was all I did. That meant all the plans, the routine, and the focus areas for the year were out the window. I could not focus on anything other than living. Trudging along was produ...

For the past few days, I have wanted to write a lot, but I have stopped so many times. I read views from many people I have learned to trust and have loved them for their opinions. Yet, while they discuss this particular situation, I see them steer themselves toward opposing sides with little room for agreement. I avoided reading through most of the threads to keep myself away from the negativity. I do not deny the discourse's seriousness and applicability to all the people involved. But in my...

When my health is down, it becomes challenging to focus. I have been spending a few such days since last few weeks now. I have been unable to focus on my health; instead, I am stressed about everything. That invariably leads to the pressure of things that are yet undone. One of the things not done is to focus on health. It's a vicious cycle that I am not a big fan of. It's time to correct that....

After being sick for over a week, I feel slightly better today, allowing me to catch up on the stuff I am interested in. This period of slight calm was after multiple consultations and blood tests. Thankfully, every test came out negative. My illness turned out to be a severe viral infection. However, it impacted my platelet count, making me feel fatigued. Overall, though, I am on the path to recovery. I am still resting when I am not feeling my best. Sleeping. Reading. Watching. When I feel be...

I knew the two conditions were different—the latter has an unhappy connotation—but I could never explain exactly why. Until I read this quote by Kent Nerburn, which brilliantly sums up how they differ. Solitude is a condition of peace that stands in direct opposition to loneliness. Loneliness is like sitting in an empty room and being aware of the space around you. It is a condition of separateness. Solitude is becoming one with the space around you. It is a condition of union. Condition of pe...

I love buffet meals because I can decide what and how much I want on my plate. I serve myself only a few items and go through them, a section at a time. Some I would not touch, and some I would eat a couple of times during the same meal. People sometimes like to fill their plates to the brim. Nothing is wrong with that, but if they say, \"My plate is too full,\" they are doing it wrong. The burden of food in front of them prevents them from enjoying the meal. Life serves us a buffet of tasks e...