Should you? — There are set expectations from every age group and when you refuse to bend to those expectations, they tell you to act your age. But does it make sense? “The advice shouldn’t be to act your age. It should be to act your spirit. Your age may try to prohibit you from dancing like that, or starting over, or trying something new. But your spirit would never do such a thing. If something feels aligned, your spirit wants you to go for it, whether you’re 15 or 85. Acting your age makes you fit in more, while acting your spirit will indeed cause you to stand out.” — Light Watkins

A piece of wisdom from ‘Four Thousand Weeks’ — Never settle. It’s so ingrained in my mind that when I read Oliver Burkeman’s insistence that living life to the fullest requires settling(with a reference to Robert Goodin’s ‘On Settling’), I read it twice. Settling is the yardstick I’ve always measured my life with — by the standards of which…

I still reciprocate if they smile at me first — I’ve always considered smiling at complete strangers the best thing about Americans. And it’s contagious. I couldn’t even remember when it became the norm of my life to be the first one to pass a smile at every passer-by. But then the day came when it dawned on me I…

A quote to keep handy — The new year/ new month/ new week/ new day/ new hour is a perfect time for some inspiration and to bring our attention back to the things that matter. “The sky isn’t more beautiful if you have perfect skin. Music doesn’t sound more interesting if you have a six-pack. Dogs aren’t better company if you’re famous. Pizza tastes good regardless of your job title. The best of life exists beyond the things we are encouraged to crave.”

When a 40 over 40 list would be far more inspiring — As far as I remember, I’ve never been a fan of 30 under 30, 40 under 40 genius people lists. But I see them everywhere. I could never understand who benefits from these lists. I still don’t get it. These lists are supposed to be an appreciation for exceptionally brilliant…

The why of writing personal stories — I like to write in the first person and feel tempted to add my personal views on things. And thus anything I write turns into a personal story. I might sound like a self-obsessed person but believe me, I am not. My personal stories are usually about my repents and…