Day Zero

Last month, I met someone who was mentioning his interest in writing. He apparently was documenting something he was experimenting in his life. He said, "I started with day 0, which no one does." At that moment, it sounded awkward and strange.

Now while documenting the upcoming months of my life, I am starting with day zero. Huh!

So today, day zero, I am writing down the thoughts that are stirred up in my mind based on facts, opinions, and experiences. This is going to be a major project of mine in the coming months.

So, I am planning to go full throttle on my makeover. I choose to call it a makeover instead of weight loss as the former demands a lot more than just losing weight.

In this post, I am strictly limiting myself to the superficial. Otherwise, it will turn out to be an essay crossing 9000 words. I am certain that even I won't have the patience to read it again in the future and reminisce.

For people who are fat or skinny, get into shape. Period!

Although it might not seem conventional to conform to what others consider normal, it is important to conform to something appealing.

Speaking of opinions, almost everyone, regardless of what they are striving for in their own lives, will judge you if you are not appealing. Most of the times, it is OK if all this remains within the mind. But this judgement is explicitly or implicitly demonstrated on this individual.

I am going to lay down a few points that arise from a retrospection of experiences.

I am basically not an ugly person. I am gifted with the normalcy of two eyes, two ears, a nose and a mouth all in place. But I am obese. There was a point in time when I was morbidly obese, and it was by no means a happy phase for me nor pleasant for others around me. I came down to obese from morbidly obese after falling critically ill and narrowly escaping a grim death. Post this malady, I went into an existential crisis and while recovering, I decided to celebrate the fact that I am alive whenever I am alive. So I started dressing up well. Which means, I started wearing some make-up. I have noticed a marked difference in the way I am treated by the very same people who have subjected me to ill-treatment. Something that took me by shock was that children began noticing me only after I dressed up. These are the same children who have actually seen me and spent time with me before. They told their mother at one point "But I am seeing her for the first time!"

I also recollected success of people who put an effort on their looks. I honestly, never ever did. To the point that a therapist once scolded me about the absence of effort on my looks.

As for facts, the world wide web has explosive content to back up this. feel free to check it out.

So day zero starts with me reminding myself of the importance of working on my looks. This is actually a journey within.

On the following days, I will be working on my self-grooming (Yes, I know, this is something that I should have done ten years ago. But hey, I am a late bloomer, and better late than never!)

What's Next

Priority: Buy The Helmet.

I think my head is a little too big for size M of a helmet in the Decathlon stores. I should consult someone who is regular in cycling (biking for the people from the other side of the world) to get one.

The way things ended in my job was thoroughly unpleasant. As a consequence, I don't have my contingency fund to live on. I will have to borrow money on loan. Initially, I thought of getting an MBA degree. But that's too much of money borrowing, and MBA is way too conventional for a person like me.  So I am going to borrow money for a period of six months. I am giving myself 6 months. No questions asked. Nothing to worry about. This total freedom comes with the sole responsibility of living within a fixed amount of money that I will have to repay.

I am going to lay a few rules for myself to achieve the discipline that I have always yearned to have.

1. No eating out: Until I have a steady source of income. The only times I am allowed to eat out are if that food is supposed to be something I have earned. For example an internship or the types that only provides free food. Even this cannot exceed one a month. Simply because too much outside food is by no means good for health. So no drinking even tea out of the house.  Not even if anyone is paying for it. Special no-no to free food hosted by others. No adding on debts. Another exception is if I get to travel. I could carry dry food from home. But let me just keep a buffer here. This also includes the not particularly pocket-friendly items that come in a packet. Packaged food undoubtedly contains preservatives. Eliminating this itself is a big task and a leap in good health.

2. No car: Save on petrol. Ride a bicycle instead. Don't take lifts from people and add on to debt. Unless my health is so bad that I cannot ride the cycle, I am not allowing myself a car ride. This also includes Ola/Uber/Auto. If I have to buy something from really far away, I'd better think several times. I am providing an exception for Monda Market, where I go to buy groceries, veggies, etc.

3. No adding on debts: In cash or kind. No adding on debts. Be as kind as possible to people around. Don't take obligations from others. Don't donate when you are living frugally. Be gentle to people, make good friends.

4.Productivity: This period just cannot go to waste. I should be confident in answering myself of the time utilized. Productivity has to be at its best. 

5. Disciplined sleep schedules: It is easy to sleep during the day, and disturb the night sleep, and cause a chaos. Too much or too less sleep are both harmful. A well organized disciplined sleep is imperative.

6. Work on the bucket list.

I could add more. But I shall stop at 6 things to adhere to for the 6 months.

About Wear The Helmet

It has been more than a month that I have been sulking looking at my life that has no hope most of the times.

I am at a point without income, without an idea as to what to do next for it. Strangely, what next? is a typical question when one job ends. I wonder why no one asks that after a romantic breakup or failure of some kind. Crazy world!

I should not say that my life itself has been sad or bad. I have had good and bad days. Some very good, some very bad. If I dig deeper, some really awful ones too. These are best left there.

I had an epiphany a few minutes ago. I decided to borrow money on loan and live a proper sabbatical. Starting this blog is also a part of the epiphany.

The major checkpoints are to get out of my current job, to get healthy, to get fit, to have maximum learning experiences, to get wise, to grow spiritually, to find passion, tick off several items on the bucket list, and add new items to that list.

As a part of all this, I will also have to live frugally and give up the luxury of using petrol which is about 80 rupees a litre! So I thought of repairing my cycle. It is an old one. My mother bought it for me when I was in school. She hoped seriously that cycling regularly would make me slimmer. She was just happy to see me cycle. I have not used it enough for her ask me to get an upgrade. I could probably add that in this agenda- to use the cycle enough for my mom to insist me to get an upgrade on a bicycle.

Anyways. I will have to totally control my expenses if I have to live on money that I haven't earned. This means a serious cut on shopping. This is a time where I am happy that I am not a compulsive shopper like many people these days. I am probably a stingy person. Regardless of the appropriate adjective, I am happy that keeping a check on expenses won't be a herculean task.

In spite of a serious check on shopping, there is something I must totally buy -a helmet. This helmet is very important. Primarily about safety on road. Because I have had a few accidents while I was riding on the road. This helmet also signifies safety instructions for me on several other dimensions. Some might say I am not playing safe, but The Helmet is supposed to remind me of my safety and the wisdom gained on falling down and prevent another downfall and God forbid should I fall again, keep me safe.

So this blog is about my journey starting from the second half of the year, setting sails to search a new horizon. I have no clue how these six months are going to be. The only way is to live it and find out. So, when you are reading through the entries, feel free to learn from my mistakes, and avoid making them in your life. If you wish to try them out in your life, Wear The Helmet and succeed in areas that I have not. I hope it inspires you to live another day. If not, be entertained at the bare minimum.