Looking back, Moving Forward #1: 20 Years of a Decade

I turn 41 this week, and for the last year or so, I have been living as if this is my last decade, even though I know I am likely to survive much longer. So why do you live as if I have only 9 more years left, and how has it changed my life?

 

In many ways, this phase of life is unique – with rare overlap of good health, control over time and place, reasonable wealth, a daughter on whom I still have some influence, and healthy parents living in the vicinity. I am fully aware that this equilibrium won’t last long and wish to make the most out of it until it lasts!

 

What changed, you ask? Apart from living more mindfully, as I reflect, I did a few things because of this mindset change, which I wouldn’t have otherwise or deferred for an extended period.

 

At the beginning of 2024, upgraded to a safer car (which also happens to be a fun drive) – the intention was to do more roadtrips. Upgrade also meant the number of cars exceeded the number of drivers, resulting in hiring a full-time driver. Parents now have full-time driving help and are driven to places where they would have taken the train. This also made returning the favour of offering a ride to relatives easier. While growing up, we used to tag along with others. With this upgrade, the last two-wheeler in the family was also retired. Earlier this year, I also managed to do a 1000 KM road trip, which the wife and the daughter enjoyed thoroughly.

 

While the idea is surely to have more fun, I also switched my focus to ProtectMeWell, a startup I co-founded 5 years back. This meant pouring more money and focus on the bootstrapped business and letting go of a big portion of the sizable income I generate from the consulting business. The good news is that the startup is now on its way to being cash positive, and the consulting business is stronger with four qualified actuaries, justifying my lesser involvement. We now have many more clients paying for the SaaS offering, a solid pipeline of clients, and more products in the bouquet!

 

My dad has been an avid reader and has published several articles and a couple of books. I enjoyed writing, but I thought writing a book should happen towards the fag end of the career. With the realization that I have less than a decade now, work on the book also started towards the end of 2024. The manuscript of Ring of FIRE is complete and is being proofread. The initial responses from the reviewers who are authorities in their respective fields are encouraging. 

 

I have been living closer to my parents since the time I moved to Bhilai in 2021. Meet them a couple of times every week. For over a year now, every time I visit them, I put my phone aside and aim to spend quality time with them because I know that the quantity is limited.

 

It was the beginning of 2006, and I was in Bangalore when Bryan Adams was performing. I was not a huge fan of his, but I would have surely considered attending his concert if affordability wasn’t a concern. The other band I enjoyed songs of was Guns N’ Roses. They performed in Mumbai earlier this year, and this time I travelled to experience the energy live. The band, over the years, has seen its share of ups and downs, with Axl Rose being the only constant. I wasn’t sure when the next opportunity would come, and I didn’t want to miss it this time!

I have been meditating for almost 6 years now and practising Shambhavi Mahamudra (which I learnt as part of Inner En

gineering), but I couldn’t ever be in the physical presence of Sadhguru. And then came the opportunity to be in the presence as part of the Ecstasy of Enlightenment in Bangalore. Planned a business trip around the event and experienced his presence for almost 8 hours.  The moment he entered the premises, tears flowed down my cheeks profusely. Since then, my eyes get teary almost every day after meditation.

 

 

(Yes, it is completely alright to be on a spiritual path and enjoy hard rock!)

 

There are a few things planned for the following months, which I have either postponed for a long time or would have deferred by a few years if the mindset shift hadn’t happened. I would consider writing about them in the future.

 

Even though I make most decisions as if this is my last decade, the actuary in me knows that there is a high chance I would survive beyond it. So, a part of me also actively works towards extending a few of the elements that make this decade unique. The ones that I can control. In particular, wealth accumulation can be achieved while protecting the downside and getting fitter and stronger. To that end, I started lifting weights a few months back, for the first time, and eating better. Because even though this decade turns out to be worth 20 years of life, I would want to top it in the next decade!

PS: The title of this blog is inspired by the title of (yet to be written/published) autobiography of Shah Rukh Khan