Gauravonomics Diary

Welcome to Gauravonomics! Subscribe to my RSS feed in a feed reader or by e-mail and you'll never miss my poems, stories, or essays.

(First published on 15-02-2008.)

At the beginning of every year, I use a simple test to measure how well I have done in the previous year. I ask myself if the previous year was the best year of my life so far.

I asked myself this question first in 2001, and after that, for five years in a row, the answer was “yes”. Every year, from 2001 to 2005, was the best year of my life! Imagine that! It felt as if everything I wished for was within my reach; all I had to do was to ask for it and it would be mine. It felt as if every possibility was like a low hanging fruit; all I had to do was to raise my arm and pluck it. My life changed in those five years; I was literally transformed into a new man.

Then, the bubble burst. I had two difficult years in a row. Suddenly, nothing was easy anymore. In fact, the harder I tried, the more difficult it became. Every important aspect of life — love, work, money, health — came to a standstill, or, devolved. I felt frustrated at work, didn’t save any money, broke my heart twice, ignored my interests, ate junk food and put on weight.

Towards the end of 2007, I decided that I had had enough and promised myself that 2008 will be the best year of my life so far.

I’m happy to tell you that, six weeks into the year, 2008 has already been the best year of my life.

At office, I do work that is both interesting and challenging. I handle sales and marketing for one of the most respected brands in India with annual revenues of more than $1bn. I’m one of the few brand managers in India who “get” both marketing and technology and I have a budget that allows me to experiment with emerging models of marketing.

I stay in a beautiful sea-view apartment, in the poshest part of Mumbai, five minute away from office. Even after working hard for ten hours, I have enough time and energy to pursue my interests. I read blogs, listen to podcasts, read at least one book every week, watch at least one concert/ play/ movie every week, work out at least three times a week, and host a house party every Saturday.

I earn more money than I can possibly spend. I save enough money every month and invest it well. For the first time in my life I feel financially secure — I have a portfolio of investments, a systematic investment plan, a demat account, and a portfolio manager to manage it all. I have made my investments when the stock market is down, so I have already secured my returns.

I’m working towards building my own startup. I have identified the market opportunity and I’m researching the space, experimenting with new tools, networking with other players, and preparing a business plan for the startup. After putting in a fifty plus hour work-week, working on a business plan can be overwhelming, but it’s also deeply fulfilling.

I have the time and energy to go out of my way to meet new people and make new friends. I have more friends than I have ever had and I’m making new friends everyday. I feel happy myself, so I’m more fun to be with, than I have ever known myself to be.

What’s more, I “know” that 2008 will end up being an even better year for me by the time it ends. Here’s a snapshot of where I see myself at the end of 2008 —

I’m the CEO of my own startup. We are at the forefront of a fast unfolding market opportunity. We have a close-knit team that is excited about the business, a well-packaged suit of offerings, dozens of delighted clients, and a library of well-executed projects. I have published my first book, primarily to build thought leadership for the business, and it has become a small bestseller. Version 1.0 of the business basically runs on its own and I spend most of my time building version 2.0.

I earn almost one-and-a-half times more than what I earn now and my portfolio of investments is twenty times bigger. The line between work and play has blurred and I feel that I have enough time to pursue all my interests.

I am married to a beautiful, independent and intelligent woman and we are deeply in love with each other. We have bought a beautiful sea-view house, five minutes away from work, and spent weeks setting it up so that it feels like home. We socialize with large overlapping sets of friends and every weekend is a whirlwind of plays, concerts and excursions. We love doing things together, and teaching new things to each other, and each new day is a new discovery.

Wish me luck.

Recommended Reading:

• No related posts.