1050 days, since I quit corporate slavery (English translation of Naukri). Here are some immediate thoughts and #lifelessons:
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1) Wealth is not about having a lot of money, it's about having a lot of options. - Chris Rock
2) Just look around you... your boss, his boss, his Boss..they're all slogging for money which they are never ever going to use in this life.
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3) One who has Rs.1 Cr, thinks 5 Cr should be nice to have, one who has 5, thinks 20 should be nice, one who has 20 is gunning for 100 crs and so onand so forth!
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4) In the mad pursuit, we ignore the most important things in our lives - our loved ones, our life interests, our health, peace, happiness..and trade them for unhealthy competition, envy, angst, stress, bad health, dealing with people we don't like, doing things we hate, meetings
5) "If you put bananas and money in front of monkeys, monkeys will chose bananas because monkeys do not know that money can buy a lot of bananas.....
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In realty, if you put money and health in front of people, people tend to choose money because too many people do not know that health can bring more money and happiness. Nothing is more valuable than health." - Jack Ma
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6) "We have two lives, and the second begins when we realise we only have one." - Confucius
7) We have only one life. Do not procrastinate the joys of life, not for the drudgery of corporate life.
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8) Beyond a certain stage (depending on your asset liability profile), your money starts making money for you. That's when you need to take the tough call...keep running the rat race, or walk away & get a life!
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9) This can help you take that big call - You need to take a longish leave. May be take all that are available for the year. I took a 9 month sabbatical.This helps you cool down, unlearn the corporate life, reset & detox your settings to default mode; helps you think afresh.
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10) Once you reach a state of tranquillity, imagine you have say 5 or ten years of life left. Given, the unhealthy lifestyle of a corporate slave, this can be a reality anywhichways 😬. Life is ephemeral.
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11) List down top 10 important people in your life and top ten things you want to do and top 10 people you hate & top 10 things you hate doing. The following emerged as my priorities - My kids, wife, parents, some close friends & relatives, my health, 8 hours sleep....
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....quenching my thirst for wisdom through reading & following great thinkers and practitioners. Before this I wanted to eliminate negativity from my life - influence of negative people, negative environment, negative activities, moments of squeeze, traffic jams, meetings.
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12) The very realisation that life is short and therefore you need to prioritise your choices, give you enough motivation. This is the first big step. Once, you're here, your job is half done. Most of the people fail to break this psychological barrier....
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....Breaking this barrier gives you the escape velocity to propel yourself to life of freedom.
14) The next step is not to let this moment of motivation fizzle out. "Inspiration is perishable.... So when you have it, act on it then and there" - Naval Ravikant....
14/25
Act on this inspiration promptly. Now is the time to figure the financial aspect. You need to ensure that you savings are not rotting in savings account; they are invested in assets that help you beat inflation consistently over long periods of time.
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15) Then you need to figure your your expertise and interests in which you can meaningfully employ yourself. For me it was the field of Financial Markets. For most it emerges out of either their passions or the expertise that they have built over the years.
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16) Give yourself enough time, say 1-2 years to row on two boats; you continue you corporate slavery, while working overtime to build your own base. Keep a deadline (say 2020 Bonus, or 2021 annual review) and work backwards.
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17) Keep small targets in your preparation. They should be measurable. This keeps you motivated as you keep achieving them. Remember that huge partnership between Rahul Dravid & VVS Laxman....
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...When they came together in a hopeless situation in the match & the series, could they have said, "Let' stitch a 376 run partnership & let Bhajji do the rest". No. Instead they must have said, "let's play out this session". Play one session at a time...one step at a time.
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18) Your family support matters a lot at this stage (So ensure your spouse also reads this thread).
19) Then comes the D-Day, when you take the leap of faith. TAKE IT. Things will never be perfect. Good enough is good enough! Here are a couple of quotes to inspire you...
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20) "For all of the most important things, the timing always sucks. Waiting for a good time to quit your job? The stars will never align and the traffic lights of life will never all be green at the same time. ....
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The universe doesn't conspire against you, but it doesn't go out of its way to line up the pins either. Conditions are never perfect. “Someday” is a disease that will take your dreams to your grave with you.....
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Pro and con lists are just as bad. If it's important to you and you want to do it “eventually”, just do it and correct course along the way." - Timothy Ferriss
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21) There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, “Yes, I've got dreams, of course I've got dreams”. Then they put the box away and bring it out once in a while to look in it and yep, they're still there. - Emma Bombeck
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22) From the movie Pirates of the Carribean...
Carina Smyth - I'm not looking for trouble
Jack Sparrow - What a horrible way to live!
23) So, take the plunge, you will falter, you will hit the dead ends (seemingly). But, you will wriggle out. 👍
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