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Find your number...

It was May 2003, and my parents, at 50, decided to buy their first home in Delhi NCR.

After 20 years of renting and moving every few years, they were tired.
They found a house in Faridabad for 10L - a hefty sum back then.
They managed to secure an 8L loan, but at a steep interest rate because no bank would lend them that kind of money.

Life threw us a curveball in August 2004.
Papa lost his job.
At 50, finding work wasn't easy, so he started his own business.
But it struggled, and soon we were defaulting on EMIs.

One day, Papa called me, his voice heavy, asking if I had any money to spare.
Luckily, I did.
"Yes Papa, I have money right now," I said.
I could feel the relief in his voice.
"Thank you. Thank you so much," he said, his voice breaking.

At that moment, I HATED money for what its scarcity had done to us.

Today, I realize money is not to be hated.
Not to be loved either.
Instead, to be respected.

Money IS important.
It buys peace of mind, health, and safety.
But don't chase it endlessly.
Know what's enough for you.

We have two lives: one spent earning enough money, and another we live once we have enough.

At 28, I figured out my 'enough' number.
21.7 crores.
Now that I have it, I don't need to chase anymore.
I work not because I have to but because I want to.

Find your number, and don't be ashamed to pursue it.
Once you reach it, live your second life.
Chase nothing but your inner voice.
​(Share on X)​

Book I am reading this week

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Started reading "Anger Management: The Troubled Diplomatic Relationship between India and Pakistan".
On 7 August 2019, High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria was expelled from Islamabad, the first time an Indian head of mission had been asked to leave by Pakistan. This book is his account of how the past 75 years have been for the two countries and what has led us to the current state that we are in.
The writing is solid, the details are fascinating and the storytelling is gripping. Highly recommend if you love history, politics, and real-life stories.
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My 3rd book, Make Epic Money, has sold 1,20,000+ copies in India with a 4.4+ rating. You can buy it in Hindi, English, Marathi, Audio, and Kindle here.
The book has also been converted into a video course (in Hindi and English) - that you can read about here.
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Here is an alphabetical list of all books I have shared in this newsletter so far.
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Question of the week

If you could get only ONE thing in your job, in the next 12 months, which one would you pick?

• A promotion
• A salary increment
• A different profile
• A different manager
• A different company
• I am not currently working

(and see the results of others, too)

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Results of last week's question

This is what fascinates me. 2 weeks back, I asked how many people actively follow the budget and more than half said they don't. Last week, more than half felt that the budget wasn't good. Which, in my opinion, is largely the sentiment in the country and has been fueled by media/press - especially around the middle class. Taxes remained unchanged, and capital gains tax was increased which frankly, a lot of people are not even impacted by because they haven't started investing at the scale where the increase in taxes is material. The real estate removal of indexation is, in my opinion, not so significant because real estate capital gain taxes can be used to buy another property and save 100% on tax!
Sentiment is a thing. So fascinating!
​My response
​I liked the budget for its intended focus on increasing investments and jobs. Hoping it brings in results.

3-2-1
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3 pics from last week

Met Snehesh (left), Ravi (right) and their spouses (Mayuri, left and Sumona, right) last week for a lovely breakfast. Ravi and Snehesh are cofounders of nearbuy - Snehesh is with Google today and Ravi still at Paytm.

Was at JECRC Jaipur for their convocation - what a gathering. 7,000+ students under one roof. Insane energy!

In Dubai this week, and Taj hospitality never fails to impress. This is what awaited me when I entered my room :))

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2 quotes I wish to share

Own the outcome, not the output.

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Our minds are meant for thinking, not remembering!

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1 new thing I learnt this week

OpenAI, founders of ChatGPT, commissioned a 3-year study on Universal Basic Income and its effects.
Basically, what would happen if people were simply paid an amount every month, for no work at all?
I am assuming OpenAI wanted to check what would happen to the world if AI took away most jobs.
The results were quite shocking.
1,100 households were given $12,000/year (for free or no work), for 3 years. Their current annual incomes were less than $40,000 per year.
Result 1: Their incomes dropped from what it was
Result 2: Unemployment increased
Result 3: There was no increase in education or training
Result 4: Free time increased and almost all of it was diverted to leisure/entertainment

For me, this means that human life is intrinsically attached to some form of dignity that comes through work. We remove that; we remove a core foundation.
How do you read this?
​Here is the link to the entire study, if you are interested.

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🎙️ My top content from last week
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📹 YouTube:​ Power of financial planning​

📱 Instagram: Embarrassment tee​

🐥 Twitter: Everyone should take this test​

🎧 Podcast: Questions​
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You can, of course, always write to me by simply replying to this newsletter.

I love reading all your emails, even though I may not be able to reply to them all.
Yes! I READ ALL MY EMAILS. ALL OF THEM.​
​(Dubai ki garmi ko AC ke kamre se dekhne ki kasam)

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