So finally I completed Phase I that started on 23rd of October, 2025.
It included 3 simple parts: 1. Workout 3 times a week 2. Trek once a week 3. No alcohol
And I made it through.
The most interesting one was ‘No alcohol’.
I realised that the alcohol had a very specific job in my life. To feel the gap between my desired success and my present condition. The moment I started trekking and took responsibility, I started climbing and descending mountains. This simple act made me successful weekly. And as I became successful, my sense of failure and need for alcohol slowly vanished.
Trek was the anchor identity.
You need strength to climb mountain so workout supported the muscle growth and strength building.
As a product of achieving these simple goals – Alcohol consumption stopped.
I did not weigh myself. I did not measure my muscles. The reason was I decided to establish behaviour first.
Success is the result of systems that we follow. If I can establish systems, time is the factor that guarantees results. So once the system is established – I know I am going to achieve my health goals without any hassle.
I slowly started to discover my strength. I am not intensity guy. I am the systems guy. Well, I knew that given the fact that I am mostly disciplined. But this discipline never reflected in public success. Now it does.
So I ended up 4 weeks of Phase I on 22nd of November, 2025 – on my son’s second birthday. We celebrated his birthday. My relatives and family members came and we celebrated the Birthday and then they all left except my uncle who stayed back.
I decided to trek Raigad. Raigad was the obvious choice because it was the capital of the Shivaji Maharaj’s Swarajya representing a milestone of coronation of Maharaj being Chhatrapati.
I thought as my uncle stayed back, I should not involve my parents. At an early morning, even they were ok. Only fact my parents were not aware of was that I was trekking Raigad.
Raigad is symbolic for all. Everyone wishes to visit and revisit the place of inspiration.
So I started in the morning. Landed at the base village by 9:00 AM and started climbing.
I firmly remember that for ascend I took ~ one hour twenty minutes. And on descend I took fifty five minutes.
As any weekend, the place was crowded. I went up, bowed before Maharaj’s samadhi and returned.
When I came home, I realised my mother is angry. She wanted to join me for the trek. I asked what about the uncle, her brother staying at home. ‘We would have arranged something’ she said.
For some reason I was happy to see that trekking has not just become my identity, my family also adopted the same identity.
The interesting things happened later. When I posted photos of the trek as usual, I got so many responses. One of my senior with whom I worked before congratulated me and expressed his disappointment with himself ‘I am staying in Pen and I have not yet visited.’