2020: A Year of Bigness
After quitting my fulltime corporate job in mid-2017, I’ve had three excellent growth years, with each accomplishing something unique.
- The remainder of 2017 was about me regaining my mental health and balance and life energy.
- In 2018, I hit my personal goal of completing my novel manuscript. Professionally, I found my feet as a freelance consultant.
- In 2019, I pivoted towards becoming a working artist as acting, writing, and voice work occupied a greater share of both my time and income than strategy consulting projects. I also met LP and married her and found personal stability.
2020 was a year of bigness! A never-before year for all of us forced me to hunker down and consolidate. So, while I eliminated some aspects of life and sources of income entirely, I also settled and scaled others. I’ve reflected on the year through the 4Ps that I believe are important to a well-rounded sustainable lifestyle.
Personal:
2020 was a lovely year of much family time.
- I spent the major chunk of the year living under the same roof with my wife, my parents, and my brother and his spouse. It was amazing! We were given the rare gift of time and space together, and I am thankful for it.
- We also managed to bookend the year with some family travel — Sri Lanka in January before the pandemic and Kodagu in December after restrictions were eased.
Professional:
2020 was a work year on a large scale.
- Acting: As an onscreen presenter for the world’s largest edtech company, I was BUSY AF, shooting right through the year and pandemic restrictions!
- Writing: The world’s largest publishing house signed up my nonfiction book! Hence, I spent most of the pandemic lockdown researching and writing my book. Also, Pratham released my children’s book “My Appa and his Sounds”.
- Voice: I narrated two gripping audiobooks for Audible about Hanuman and Kishkindha.
Physical-Physiological-Psychological:
2020 was a good, stable year for my body, inner body, and mind.
- Workouts on the terrace with my wife through the pandemic lockdown.
- Cooking and eating at home A LOT!
- My first complete calendar year since embarking on this lifestyle where I didn’t feel the need for therapy. No sessions the entire year.
- I finished the year with a 4-day cycling tour (my first!) across NW Karnataka.
Phinancial:
2020 was my biggest financial year yet.
- I earned the most ever in a single calendar year.
- I paid off and closed my house loan. I now own my house.
- I finally made a couple of responsible investment decisions (read: mutual funds SIPs and health insurance).
- I started a practice of donating a percentage of my income every time I got paid. In 2020, it was 3%. It will be higher in 2021.
- Most importantly, I recouped the financial opportunity costs I faced of switching from a corporate job to this self-responsible lifestyle. It only took me 3.5 years!
Closing Thoughts:
Time and space are finite, theoretically. To me, however, time and space now feel infinitely elastic. I guess this is what personal freedom feels like. My wish for my 2021 is that I continue to be free.
