12 Years a Software Dev – How it Prepped Me to Help You Reinvent Your Life
A story of how I went from:
- stressed
- resentful
- trying to please everyone
to:
- purposeful
- physically and emotionally fit
- in an upgraded relationship with myself and the world
A thread
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A story of how I went from:
- stressed
- resentful
- trying to please everyone
to:
- purposeful
- physically and emotionally fit
- in an upgraded relationship with myself and the world
A thread
I have developed software for over 12 years now.
My creations:
- control robots in Japanese semiconductor factories
- run operations for Italian telecom giants
- do OTC trading in emerging markets
- power decision making of portfolio managers
- and many more...
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My creations:
- control robots in Japanese semiconductor factories
- run operations for Italian telecom giants
- do OTC trading in emerging markets
- power decision making of portfolio managers
- and many more...
I& #39;ve worked with some of the most brilliant minds in the industry.
I& #39;ve made some great friends.
I have led and been a part of teams with talented
and enthusiastic members
My clients have appreciated me time and again...
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I& #39;ve made some great friends.
I have led and been a part of teams with talented
and enthusiastic members
My clients have appreciated me time and again...
My wife Swati (also an S/W dev) and I have a beautiful, mortgage-free home.
A 3-year-old son whom we adore.
A frugal yet comfortable lifestyle
A high savings rate.
An impeccable investment discipline.
A nest egg to fund our lifestyle for the next 8 years...
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A 3-year-old son whom we adore.
A frugal yet comfortable lifestyle
A high savings rate.
An impeccable investment discipline.
A nest egg to fund our lifestyle for the next 8 years...
The picture of a perfect life.
That& #39;s what they sell to us right?
Reach every one of these markers and you will be happy.
I should have been happy as a lark.
Except, that I was not...
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That& #39;s what they sell to us right?
Reach every one of these markers and you will be happy.
I should have been happy as a lark.
Except, that I was not...
The work was interesting.
The deadlines and constant pressure were not.
The rush of building something that leaves a mark was great.
But working on projects and technologies that I don& #39;t want to
with people I don& #39;t want to
yet showing up every day, was exhausting.
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The deadlines and constant pressure were not.
The rush of building something that leaves a mark was great.
But working on projects and technologies that I don& #39;t want to
with people I don& #39;t want to
yet showing up every day, was exhausting.
And for what?
To increase the standard of living?
Build a financial future?
A good education for my child?
The comfort and security were there.
But I felt that I& #39;ve invested all my happiness in a long term bond.
And I was not allowed to book profits.
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To increase the standard of living?
Build a financial future?
A good education for my child?
The comfort and security were there.
But I felt that I& #39;ve invested all my happiness in a long term bond.
And I was not allowed to book profits.
Every day felt dull and meaningless - going through the same motions.
Nothing to look forward to.
Even holidays and festivities had lost their charm.
I felt apathy growing inside me like a disease.
I couldn& #39;t care less for anything or anyone.
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Nothing to look forward to.
Even holidays and festivities had lost their charm.
I felt apathy growing inside me like a disease.
I couldn& #39;t care less for anything or anyone.
My time-killers:
- video games
- endless movies
- medieval fantasy books.
Through the movie and book characters, I was:
- living again
- feeling long lost emotions
- going on grand adventures
I was living in a cocoon - a virtual life.
And even that was not the worst part...
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- video games
- endless movies
- medieval fantasy books.
Through the movie and book characters, I was:
- living again
- feeling long lost emotions
- going on grand adventures
I was living in a cocoon - a virtual life.
And even that was not the worst part...
My chronic people-pleasing was tearing me apart.
A habit I acquired from being the "problem-free" child in my family.
I was the good, responsible one.
With good behavior, and good grades.
The one that needs no care or attention.
Always ready to rescue others.
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A habit I acquired from being the "problem-free" child in my family.
I was the good, responsible one.
With good behavior, and good grades.
The one that needs no care or attention.
Always ready to rescue others.
I was always trying to cheer others
even while tolerating disrespects and insults.
I hated conflicts and arguments since I was always the mediator.
It drained me down.
I was so tired of always giving, wringing myself up, and getting scraps in return.
I was getting numb.
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even while tolerating disrespects and insults.
I hated conflicts and arguments since I was always the mediator.
It drained me down.
I was so tired of always giving, wringing myself up, and getting scraps in return.
I was getting numb.
But the human spirit is not meant to be a doormat.
My facade had cracks
My piled up rage and resentments came out in the privacy of my car.
Holding the steering wheel in my hands, I would sometimes erupt when everything became intolerable.
I would become the rash driver.
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My facade had cracks
My piled up rage and resentments came out in the privacy of my car.
Holding the steering wheel in my hands, I would sometimes erupt when everything became intolerable.
I would become the rash driver.
Swati and I had a good relationship with healthy boundaries
But she often drew the short end of the stick.
With her, I felt safe to share my anguish and frustrations.
But there was too much of it accumulated
and too few outlets
you can imagine how that went sometimes
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But she often drew the short end of the stick.
With her, I felt safe to share my anguish and frustrations.
But there was too much of it accumulated
and too few outlets
you can imagine how that went sometimes
I was like the frog
staying within the cooking pot
and getting boiled alive, while the heat rose slowly.
I needed a jolt - an abrupt change to jump out of the pot.
And thankfully, I received my wake up call.
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staying within the cooking pot
and getting boiled alive, while the heat rose slowly.
I needed a jolt - an abrupt change to jump out of the pot.
And thankfully, I received my wake up call.
The upheaval came in the summer of 2018.
Swati and I were new parents then, without much of a support system.
We were:
- overworked
- under-rested
- hardly got to any quality time to spend
At this juncture, a huge family drama instigated.
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Swati and I were new parents then, without much of a support system.
We were:
- overworked
- under-rested
- hardly got to any quality time to spend
At this juncture, a huge family drama instigated.
Blames and accusations flew like fireworks.
And when the dust settled...
the mantle of the scapegoat fell upon me.
I bet at this point, that didn& #39;t surprise you much, right?
And on top of that
I had an abrupt and bitter fallout with a close friend.
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And when the dust settled...
the mantle of the scapegoat fell upon me.
I bet at this point, that didn& #39;t surprise you much, right?
And on top of that
I had an abrupt and bitter fallout with a close friend.
Allegations were all around.
I was not:
- understanding enough
- caring enough
- strong enough
I was giving everyone whatever I had
and yet failed to satisfy anyone.
I was on the verge of a meltdown.
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I was not:
- understanding enough
- caring enough
- strong enough
I was giving everyone whatever I had
and yet failed to satisfy anyone.
I was on the verge of a meltdown.
I was reconsidering the values and meaning of my life.
The intense pain was almost visceral.
Everything that I had built was getting torn apart.
I thought I was a failure as a son, a brother, and a friend.
I was sure I was going to fail as a husband and father as well.
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The intense pain was almost visceral.
Everything that I had built was getting torn apart.
I thought I was a failure as a son, a brother, and a friend.
I was sure I was going to fail as a husband and father as well.
I was desperately searching for a way forward.
And thankfully, I found them.
My salvation arrived in the form of 2 books:
"Not Nice" by Dr. Aziz Gazipura
"No more Mr. Nice Guy" by Robert. E. Glover.
These were, as @tylercowen describes, quake books for me...
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And thankfully, I found them.
My salvation arrived in the form of 2 books:
"Not Nice" by Dr. Aziz Gazipura
"No more Mr. Nice Guy" by Robert. E. Glover.
These were, as @tylercowen describes, quake books for me...
"Not Nice" was like a soothing balm on my injuries.
It taught me that I have a right to look out for myself first.
No one can demand anything of me when it doesn& #39;t serve my interests.
I still carry the "bill of rights" from the book with me for a quick reference.
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It taught me that I have a right to look out for myself first.
No one can demand anything of me when it doesn& #39;t serve my interests.
I still carry the "bill of rights" from the book with me for a quick reference.
"No more Mr. Nice Guy" was a kick to my shins.
It made me realize that I was the one holding myself back.
I was blaming others for how they treated me, but I was the problem.
I allowed them to do that to me.
I didn& #39;t have enough self-respect. I was too clingy and needy.
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It made me realize that I was the one holding myself back.
I was blaming others for how they treated me, but I was the problem.
I allowed them to do that to me.
I didn& #39;t have enough self-respect. I was too clingy and needy.
I finally understood that I have a right to ask whatever I need.
I cannot expect others to read my mind.
I took a deep look inwards.
I was forced to admit that I didn& #39;t like what I saw.
I had nothing that I really took pride in.
So I set out to rebuild...
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I cannot expect others to read my mind.
I took a deep look inwards.
I was forced to admit that I didn& #39;t like what I saw.
I had nothing that I really took pride in.
So I set out to rebuild...
I started running.
I joined violin classes.
I started working out regularly with a personal coach.
I revamped my nutrition routine and my food habits.
I started Resilient Human.
I wrote about what worked for me.
And which roads not to take.
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I joined violin classes.
I started working out regularly with a personal coach.
I revamped my nutrition routine and my food habits.
I started Resilient Human.
I wrote about what worked for me.
And which roads not to take.
I had no idea how to write online.
My last creative writing efforts were school essays in the 6th grade
It was a steep learning curve for me.
But through some lucky breaks, I was able to build a network around me.
They were my mentors, friends, and inspirations...
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My last creative writing efforts were school essays in the 6th grade
It was a steep learning curve for me.
But through some lucky breaks, I was able to build a network around me.
They were my mentors, friends, and inspirations...
I learned the ropes of writing persuasively from @smartbloggerhq
A big shoutout to:
@LongLifeFunLife
@ProjectUntether
@michalkorzonek
@this_is_silvia
@liverealdotcom
@Cathy_H
@sarahlicain
I& #39;m forever indebted to them for their help and support.
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A big shoutout to:
@LongLifeFunLife
@ProjectUntether
@michalkorzonek
@this_is_silvia
@liverealdotcom
@Cathy_H
@sarahlicain
I& #39;m forever indebted to them for their help and support.
And then I found a supportive corner on Money Twitter
Here I& #39;ve found great inspiration and making some great friends.
This thread itself was inspired by @ImprovementGeek and @dvassallo
Life feels so fulfilling these days.
Everything seems to click in its place.
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Here I& #39;ve found great inspiration and making some great friends.
This thread itself was inspired by @ImprovementGeek and @dvassallo
Life feels so fulfilling these days.
Everything seems to click in its place.
Today the software developer in me lives on.
I& #39;m still:
- working with corporate clients
- developing solutions for them
- solving their problems
But everything else has changed.
I wake up every morning at 5.15 am (even earlier on some days).
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I& #39;m still:
- working with corporate clients
- developing solutions for them
- solving their problems
But everything else has changed.
I wake up every morning at 5.15 am (even earlier on some days).
I go through my morning routine:
-10 jumping jacks
- meditation
- journaling
Then I tackle priority tasks for my blog and my audience:
- working on a new article
- creating landing pages
- creating content for my twitter audience
- or learning some more
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-10 jumping jacks
- meditation
- journaling
Then I tackle priority tasks for my blog and my audience:
- working on a new article
- creating landing pages
- creating content for my twitter audience
- or learning some more
I follow the P.A.R.A by @fortelabs to organize my work.
My system stores the entire context of my work and retrieves it whenever I need it.
Without this, I wouldn& #39;t be able to create content in my shoestring time budget.
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My system stores the entire context of my work and retrieves it whenever I need it.
Without this, I wouldn& #39;t be able to create content in my shoestring time budget.
Every day, I write one major goal for the next day on a sticky note.
I stick it somewhere I can see the first thing in the morning.
My aim is to tick off that goal before my morning routine ends.
I do this until 7.30 am. Each day. No exceptions.
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I stick it somewhere I can see the first thing in the morning.
My aim is to tick off that goal before my morning routine ends.
I do this until 7.30 am. Each day. No exceptions.
At 7.30 am, the husband, dad, and the software dev takes over.
That& #39;s how I have been able to maintain my growth even within a pandemic.
The routine - it& #39;s exhausting.
But it& #39;s exhilarating.
I won& #39;t have it any other way.
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That& #39;s how I have been able to maintain my growth even within a pandemic.
The routine - it& #39;s exhausting.
But it& #39;s exhilarating.
I won& #39;t have it any other way.
I keep learning about:
- mental health
- self-awareness and acceptance
- emotion management
- and values and meanings to live by
And I write what I learn.
My goal is to give you hope
that even in the mid-30s, all is not lost.
It& #39;s never too late to start.
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- mental health
- self-awareness and acceptance
- emotion management
- and values and meanings to live by
And I write what I learn.
My goal is to give you hope
that even in the mid-30s, all is not lost.
It& #39;s never too late to start.
I want you to be able to get back in touch with yourself again.
I believe you deserve respect, happiness, and love.
And I’m determined to carve a way out for you to get them.
So that you, like me, know how it feels to be reborn.
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I believe you deserve respect, happiness, and love.
And I’m determined to carve a way out for you to get them.
So that you, like me, know how it feels to be reborn.
You are a Resilient Human.
So together, let& #39;s embark on a journey
to stop being powerless and take control of our lives
Together, let’s make this happen!
The world’s bounties await you... https://www.resilienthuman.me/reinvent-your-life/">https://www.resilienthuman.me/reinvent-...
So together, let& #39;s embark on a journey
to stop being powerless and take control of our lives
Together, let’s make this happen!
The world’s bounties await you... https://www.resilienthuman.me/reinvent-your-life/">https://www.resilienthuman.me/reinvent-...
Thanks for reading!
If you have any questions, please DM me - they& #39;re always open
If you enjoyed the thread, I& #39;d really appreciate if you retweet.
I also write a bi-weekly newsletter that you might like.
Cheers, Subhajit https://www.resilienthuman.me/newsletter/ ">https://www.resilienthuman.me/newslette...
If you have any questions, please DM me - they& #39;re always open
If you enjoyed the thread, I& #39;d really appreciate if you retweet.
I also write a bi-weekly newsletter that you might like.
Cheers, Subhajit https://www.resilienthuman.me/newsletter/ ">https://www.resilienthuman.me/newslette...