Yashas Mahajan's Blog, page 5

Word of the Week #392:

Chortle

If there is one belief that encapsulates my path over my 7.5 years writing this blog and stands in sharp contrast to where I began, it is this:

“Think of your many years of procrastination; how the gods have repeatedly granted you further periods of grace, of which you have taken no advantage. It is time now to realise the nature of the universe to which you belong, and of that controlling Power whose offspring you are; and to understand that your time has a limit set to it.”

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

We keep moving forward.

Word of the Week #391:

Chortle

There are times when we do everything right, but somehow, at the very last step, we do not get the outcome we sought. Happens, right?

Work your heart out on a pitch, only for the client to go with an inferior option just to pinch some pennies.

Or follow a strict rehab plan to the T for weeks, only to be ruled out a day before the game due to a random and suddenly niggling joint.

Or… well, I can’t think of another example off the top of my head. These two have just happened to me, so they are extra-fresh in my mind.

Why do I feel uncomfortable sharing two examples? One or three would be okay. Two somehow just feels wrong…

Anyway… We’ve all been through such situations, right?

We all know how it felt to do our best and fail.

We all know someone who took great care of themself and still get diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.

We all know someone who always drove with great care, only to get hit by a drunk driver and lose their life.

The world is random. Our inability to control the outcomes we experience can be frustrating, right?

Well, I have found one simple way to cope with these frustrations: I keep in mind all the mistakes I’ve made that have been overlooked or excused; all the times I couldn’t do as well as should have (let alone my very best) and got what I wanted; all the times I did something ridiculously reckless and survived without any significant consequences.

The world is random. The world is weird. The world is funny.

Sometimes, we fail the world. Sometimes, it fails us.

Either way, I think the best path for us is usually to just laugh it off, get back on our feet, and keep moving forward the best way we can.

Word of the Week #390:

Monsoon

A faint clap of thunder.
Whether rain comes or not,
I will stay here,
Together with you.

Man’youshuu 2514

Word of the Week #389:

Odyssey

One of the most understated joys of the world is the opportunity to spend time with people who know what they like and want.

It might seem obvious, but it is quite easy to overlook.

The immediate impact of something this simple can make completely changes the way you experience someone’s company… and all the things they share with you.

I love meeting people like these. It is just a little reminder that there is a big, beautiful world out there, and I have barely begun exploring it. Being given a chance to see another part of it—however small—through their eyes takes me one step farther.

Miles to go before I sleep?

Word of the Week #388:

Socialisation

I talk a lot about growing up, don’t I?

Well, another thing I’ve recently been thinking about is the fact that when I was a kid, adults kept telling me that I would outgrow who I am.

Would I?

Did I?

We don’t really outgrow who we are, do we? We don’t change our fundamental nature.

We are who we are, and we will want what we want. Beyond that, as we continue to grow up, we will find newer, hopefully better paths and sources to seek what we want.

I suppose that is the point of growing up.

Word of the Week #387:

Erratic

I have talked about structures before. To quote myself from seven years ago: “Structures, beyond a certain extent, will always become more restrictive than supportive. And such structures need to be pulled down.”

I was quite radical, wasn’t I?

Well, I was 22…

As I have grown, my understanding of structures and their role in our lives has evolved.

Structures do bring order and direction to a life that can easily be overrun by chaos. And order is what allows us to harness our energy and utilise it for productive work.

After all, a 22-year-old can bask in the glory of his potential, but nearing 30, one has to start talking about tangible results.

I still detest external structures. I will not conform to societal expectations of what I should be or do.

However, the point of being an adult lies in the ability to create your own structures and patterns based on your own desires and needs.

Your life should be structured such that it gives you a foundation for that you can do today without becoming a barrier for that you could do tomorrow.

That’s what I am working towards right now.

Word of the Week #386:

Toll

Sometimes, these days, I don’t have anything new to talk about every new week.

It’s not that odd, though, is it?

I wouldn’t call it a routine, per se. I’m just… doing what needs to be done, then getting as much rest as I can.

This weird survival mode… Yes, it’s unsustainable in the long run. In the short run, at least it is taking me closer to what I want.

At what cost, though?

As long as I don’t lose who I am, it should all be fine.

Let’s see how things go.

Word of the Week #385:

Sanctimonious

I don’t normally talk about the things I dislike, do I? I world is so full of things that I love that I barely get a chance to look past them.

Lately, I have been finding new ways to prepare fruits and veggies, and I have been loving that. I love jams and preserves and pickles and salads and roasted veggies. I love hummus. Mushrooms? LOVE mushrooms! If I’m in a vegan restaurant, I usually have quite a happy time.

But what I do not like is veganism itself.

Vegan food? Yey!

Vegan people? Ew…

I mean, sure, there are some arguments for a more plant-based diet. Fruits and veggies and grains and legumes are all good for us.

But you know what isn’t good for us? The holier-than-thou drawl that follows every veganist argument. Like, just calm the hell down, man.

Huh… Just thinking of them is exhausting…

Word of the Week #384:

Monetise

Sometimes, for some of these posts, I wish I could customise them more.

I mean, I understand. The uniformity serves a purpose. They should look like different entries in the same blog. But I could also argue that they should look like different entries in the same blog, right?

There’s always the question of how much, of course, but that’s something we could figure out in time.

One thing that I have always been tempted to add is background music. That can be such fun, right? Just, the mood…

Now, am I not good enough as a writer to create the mood with just my words and nothing else? Heck, the purist in me would even consider the use of italics to be a cheap trick that is beneath who I want to be.

But at the end of the day, it’s short form writing. And above all else, I always wanna have fun!

There are ways to do these customisations… at least after I buy a domain and yada yada yada…

Just the other day, I was talking to Shruti (you remember her, right? She cool), and she mentioned that she was considering buying a domain too, just so that her readers don’t have to bother with ads and such. Me? I might do that exact same thing, but for such a different reason!

And ads? I’d totally keep ads. And then I’D take the money generated from them!

I don’t quite know if I will do this, but let’s see. Could be fun. And what more reason have I ever needed to do anything, right?

Word of the Week #383:

Entrepreneur

One thing I’ve realised lately… I LIKE business.

I like owning and running my own thing my own way.

And the most important thing, in my opinion, is that we are still in the early days. We’re still beginning to set things up. We’ve had our fair share of challenges already. We haven’t exactly had the payouts that come from a “successful” business.

And yet, just already, I am enjoying it. The organisational structure and setup. The recruitment. The client negotiations.

The process.

Let’s see when and what the results end up being. Meanwhile, I’ll just keep doing what I do.