Responsibility: Today I need to throw away all the garbage

The author writes about responsibility and how he is doing a lot of chores and tasks that are making him a responsible person.

I packed all the garbage and I’ll throw it today when the garbage truck arrives because it’s my responsibility as long as I’m in Bangalore.

And I don’t want to miss it, so I’m not wearing my earbuds while writing this blog post.

This is what responsibility does to you.

It makes you practical and grounded. 

It makes you want to save every paise and bargain with the shopkeepers. It makes you want to fight for survival and research the cheapest options before buying anything.

And that makes you a better person.

I learnt this from my elder sister. She always finds the cheapest food on Zomato. She always makes sure that she isn’t paying the delivery fee on Blinkit by buying over 200 INR of stuff.

So now I also follow my sister in her footsteps. 

But I also try to keep an abundant mindset. I don’t sacrifice quality for cheapness.

When I was younger, like maybe 19 years old, I used to think that money is meant to be used and spent to make life easier and more productive. 

Although it’s true to some extent, it is a dangerous belief because it makes you forget the value of saving money and the fact that for a middle class employee, money isn’t abundant, it’s scarce.

So we need to save money.

But do you see what responsibility did to me with regards to money.

It made me more practical and grounded.

And in life everyone has to become practical at some point.

It’s not optional.

Fear of not surviving, fear of death — these are the causes of this practicality.

And they are necessary. Responsibility is necessary.

Thank you for reading this line! It means a lot.

Say “Yes” to Life

The author writes why saying “Yes” is as important as saying “No” to life.

Daily writing prompt
How often do you say “no” to things that would interfere with your goals?

I don’t usually say “No” but I wish I had said it more.

I think I’m not clear about what I want.

Sure I want to buy a house, buy a car, a bike, and have a certain net worth. But I don’t think I’m clear on my purpose in life.

I mean I don’t value money or any kind of scarce resource more than time. 

I value relationships, time, people, etc. more than money.

In fact I say “Yes” more than I say “No”.

I want to meet more people, have more interactions, go out more, read more books, learn more courses, etc. 

I don’t want to work more to earn money. I want to do what’s best for me.

And earning money isn’t the only thing in the world.

It is important but it’s not everything.

I think being a good human being is what’s most important. And to be a good person, we need to interact more, talk to more people, understand ourselves, write more journals, etc.

So yeah I don’t say “No” much but I do say “Yes” to things that might interfere with my goals.

I mean what is life more than a journey towards your goals. 

And if you say “No” to the things that would enrich your life in the journey, there’s no point in living such a life.

So I say “Yes”.

Thanks for reading this line! It means a lot.

If I had to travel across the country, I’d do this…

The author writes about why he’d choose a business class air travel option over others for travelling across the country.

Daily writing prompt
You’re going on a cross-country trip. Airplane, train, bus, car, or bike?

If I am going on a trip across the country, I would use my credit card reward points to book a business class airplane ticket at a discount.

At least that’s what I would really do.

I am not a good bike or car driver. And I don’t want to waste my time travelling in a bus or a train.

I value my time and time is money. 

So yeah if I had to travel from Kolkata to Bengaluru, I would never, at least for now, travel in a bus, train, car or bike. I would take the airplane.

Because I really don’t want to waste my time.

And I know there’s the “viewing the scenery while travelling” part which I would miss. 

I’m sure I want to know the culture and I wish I could travel by train, bus, car or bike.

But I would be lying to you if I said I would go on a bike trip because I won’t. I would realistically get a business class airplane ticket.

Thank you for reading this line. It means a lot!

My “Perfect” Emergency Preparedness Plan Wisdom

Create an emergency preparedness plan.

Well I already feel anxious after reading this prompt…

And I feel like I don’t want to think about it.

All I want to do is avoid making this plan even though I know that making a plan is important.

Because I feel anxious and I want to stop feeling anxious.

But jokes aside, here’s my perfect plan-

  • Keep enough stock of food
  • Save money every month
  • Have an emergency fund
  • Make a household budget
  • Have investments
  • And at the same time stay sane

Maybe this is not the most perfect plan but it is a plan.

Many people won’t even make a plan.

But I did.

And regarding the last point “And at the same time stay sane”, it should come on top because without a calm mind you will make deadly mistakes.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most people suffered a lot due to improper planning.

And many didn’t even have a plan.

And again regarding the staying sane part, I have anxiety and bipolar disorder and personality disorders.

And I got discharged from NIMHANS, which is the most reputed mental health hospital in Asia, my family was able to sustain me and themselves because we had a plan.

I stayed in NIMHANS for 3.5months approx.

And I feel we were lucky to have a plan.

So this is my perfect emergency preparedness plan with an imperfect sequence of activities and a somewhat informal writing style.

Thanks for reading this line. It means a lot!☺️