Life for Dummies: My Writing Journey

I was 30 years old when on a random afternoon I read this quote by Jim Rohn on LinkedIn:
“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”

This quote had an immediate deep effect on me. It was the moment of realization and putting many things into perspective. I sat there numb for several minutes. Many events and situations from past came to mind when I was not in others’ plans. It felt like I was in a canoe surrounded by storm with no paddles in hands.

I don’t remember who posted this quote on LinkedIn. I’ll always be thankful to them for posting it. I am also grateful to Jim Rohn for sharing this wisdom with the world.

The learning of this quote changed the trajectory of my life. These three sentences taught me the importance of self-reliance, being strategic, claiming the freedom, and not being taken for granted.

I, then set principles for my transformation, of doing more, being more disciplined, overthinking, over-planning, working harder, setting higher bar for myself, and exceeding my own expectations.

This path was certainly not easy. I took many risks, faced many challenges, and felt stuck and undervalued many times. I set targets and many of those I achieved successfully. and there were some losses too. At a point, my over-planning and perfection began to cause excessive anxiety. After all, there was no user manual of life which I could refer to. There was no significant mentor whose guidance and help I could use to navigate through life decisions and situations.

In mid 40s, I decided to slow down and let go of the worry of what is beyond my control. I embraced the idea of just being in the moment and trusting that I will be taken care of.

All this effort was fruitful in the overall journey of independence and self-reliance. It helped me to fulfill my life purpose, i.e. transformation from being stuck and struggling to ease and grace.

One key which helped me tremendously was to evaluate what works and what does not work. What works, do that and repeat as needed. And leave behind what does not work.

This book (now a blog) is a compilation of experiences and ideas of a simple person, shared with other alike simple people. It discusses what worked for me, and work arounds for what did not work. Being a person with disability, I am also sharing some ideas for those people who are in the same boat as mine.

You are welcomed to read what resonates with you and leave the rest behind.

Thank you,
Sam.