Blog Revival – Or, The Gap From Intent To Action

I've been intending to revive this blog for a long time. I call the time month year of death sometime to 2018, when I last wrote something here (coincidentally, on someone's death - mom's death if you're curious but don't want to click).

I've had multiple different ideas still lying in draft stage.

However, this time is different! Or so says every addict looking to quit; or in this case, the reverse - a person with inertia looking to move to action.

Lots of updates in life but I'll just touch upon a few of them here. May (or may not!) cover in detail on some of these, in subsequent posts:

  • Got married to a wonderful life partner - easily the most 'high leverage' decision that I didn't realise/think was as impactful as it turned out to be. Aside from/along with/higher than one's 'work', life partner is the other context that carries maximum impact to our day-to-day peace/irritation/happiness/frustration/satisfaction/depression. One changes work far more frequently than one thinks about changing the life partner. Net net, I lucked out positively. Married in 2018.
    • I have a theory about 'reversible decisions' – one should view a given decision if it's relatively permanent or if it's 'reversible'. Reversible is a decision that if it goes wrong, there can be measures taken to 'undo' the effect or change that decision for a positive impact going forward. Marriage was something I considered as a reversible decision. "Worst case, you can divorce and move ahead," I used to suggest to others. It isn't. Marriage, I've realised, isn't a reversible decision. Even if one 'undoes' it, it would probably take a lifetime to undo the effects it has on one.
  • Co-founded/became an employee number 1-3 with equity at an edtech startup (also 2018). Left in 2020.
  • Moved to another startup and then joined another firm in 2021. Moved cities (Rohtak-Chandigarh-Delhi-Bengaluru-Delhi) in this time.
  • Pandemic (and luck!) was relatively kind on me. Didn't lose anyone in immediate family. Was based with the wife - after many intermediate periods of long-distance. And both of us (hopefully!) liked being in each other's presence during the lockdowns.
  • The wife moved to London for a year for her second Masters in 2023.
  • Started thinking about health and fitness with greater intent (2025).
I will touch upon some of these strands – especially the London strand – separately later. But today's point is about the distance of intent and action. There has been a strong intent for a fair period to revive this place. And, there's been a gap of action.

The gap from intent to action is fairly obvious, I imagine. But, two points:
  1. The narrative we tell ourselves becomes the self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. It becomes the narration to our cinematic lives. We start believing it and that belief fuels our actions.
  2. Our cynical selves add a certain kind of commentary to the narration on half-attempts. Instead of encouraging to finish, our (or is it just my?) narrative taunts on the incomplete mess of the attempt. And that leads to leaving that attempt incomplete.
I now attempt to be kinder to myself towards my attempts and intents. I hope to be more regular with my attempts at posting stuff here. And, even if I am not – it's okay! The universe will continue in its stead even if I don't :-).

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