Finally, the financial year has ended.
2025–26 was the best year of my life in terms of learning.
I grew significantly on multiple fronts. I also failed significantly on multiple fronts.
I achieved a lot on a personal level, but professionally, I failed in a way I had never failed in the last 10 years of my career.
And yet, this year brought tremendous learning.
The biggest takeaway from this year was simple: there is nothing more important than health.
I was slowly digging my own grave by taking things too seriously, committing to impossible goals, people-pleasing, ignoring data in favour of assumptions, and overcommitting myself.
Throughout the year, I tried fixing things through task management, delegation, therapy, workouts, and trekking.
But the real work began after October 2025.
I had been drinking too much and ignoring my health. My son was turning two in November, and I felt tremendous guilt. I kept asking myself: What am I doing with my life?
Neglecting my health had already resulted in hospitalisation in September 2024 and again in June 2025. I knew I had to improve.
So I started working on it.
But I realised that unless I addressed my work-related anxiety—which was less about work and more about my approach towards work—I could never truly fix my health.
From November 2025 onwards, everything seemed to come back on track.
I started trekking every week. I worked out three times a week. No alcohol. That was the strategy.
Then I realised trekking required strength, so working out became necessary.
Workout and trekking created energy management issues, so I sought help from a dietician and started dieting from January 2026.
In February, things started to slip.
I broke my alcohol fast. Though I did not drink much, the discipline broke.
I also kept smoking because I did not want to make too many changes at once.
By March 2026, I felt worse.
Even though I had addressed some of the anxiety and was less stressed, I could feel my health deteriorating. I could not point to what was wrong, but I knew something was.
I kept smoking. My sleep worsened. And finally, everything caught up.
On 19th March, the day of Gudi Padwa, I had a severe bout of shivering cold that felt unmanageable.
I took a Dolo and slept through the day. After a few hours, I felt okay and assumed it was just a phase.
I saw the doctor, and both of us initially felt it was food poisoning.
In the evening, I went for my workout, and the second bout hit me.
Again, I took it lightly.
I wanted it to end. Somewhere in my mind, I was still hoping for magic—close your eyes and everything will be okay.
But not this time.
The next day, I went to the office because the previous night had been manageable.
In the afternoon, while driving, it hit me again.
I was afraid, but somehow I drove home. I knew if I stopped, I would collapse in the cold.
I came home, took another tablet, and slept.
Again, I took it lightly.
The next day was Saturday. I rested.
But on Saturday evening, it happened again.
This time it was not just shivering—I could not breathe.
I genuinely thought I was going to die.
I finally accepted my wife’s suggestion and went to the hospital.
At midnight, I was admitted to LifeLine.
The diagnosis was a lung infection—pneumonia.
The result of years of smoking.
March is always the heaviest and most stressful month professionally. Nobody sanctions leave. And yet, I had no choice but to stop.
I had started the year with the promise that I would improve my health, and I ended March in a hospital bed.
That was the lesson.
Now the new year has started.
This year, I am building on what I have already started.
I am addressing my issues.
I have stopped smoking.
Sometimes life hits you hard so that you finally take the right steps.
I have a simple plan this year.
My tagline for the year is:
Professional Asceticism married to Stoicism — for everything, but primarily for health.
That’s it.
As of 1st April 2026, I am giving up all professional aspirations for the next 365 days.
No promotion.
No CDS.
No request postings.
No foreign postings like JIBO.
No special postings.
No recognition.
No awards, certificates, or campaigns.
No special invitations.
No parties.
No hosting parties.
No drinking.
No smoking.
No unnecessary travel.
No special mentions.
No asking favours.
No giving favours.
No big purchase over ₹5,000.
No business ventures.
No excessive reading.
No self-help podcasts or YouTube videos.
No extra mile.
No hustle culture.
I am committing to a clean and simple life.
Pure professional asceticism.
And married to stoicism—an unemotional approach to professional life.
I am giving up the old fear that something will go wrong, the thought pattern that created tremendous anxiety for years.
If something goes wrong, I will accept it and endure it.
No fuss.
No drama.
No problem.
I am not running away from postings, difficulties, or problems.
And I am not running towards a better future, a better life, promotions, or salary hikes.
I am not going anywhere.
In my heart, and to the best of my ability, I have realised something important:
I have already arrived.
My biggest accomplishment is already here.
I do not need to commit to something bigger.
I am focusing on a healthy, active present life.
That’s it.
This is my commitment for the next 365 days.
The time I save by not drinking, smoking, partying, or chasing unnecessary things—I will use it for one simple pursuit:
Reading financial statements of companies.
That’s it.
Happy New Year.