The Twentieth Mnemonic

What did I learn last year?

The Twentieth Mnemonic

On 21st December 2021, I posted a Twitter thread entitled Mnemonics for self. 

It was something inspired by Naval Ravikant’s mental frameworks, short, insightful guidelines to help you lead a better life. Today, two days before my exams, I felt an urge to write a blog. Something. Anything. I thought about writing about those 19 mnemonics (19 signifying the age I wrote them), and it stuck to me that I could add another point to the thread on my birthday every year, and make this thing an annual ritual. Maybe, condensing everything I have learnt over that 1 year into 280 characters.

So, what’s the 20th mnemonic going to be?

For that we need to understand how that year went for me, my experiences, my learnings, the kind of people I met, and the things I did.

My twentieth was way more exciting than my nineteenth. I was just doing things. Going from one thing to another. Constantly meeting new people, but also spending time with existing friends as well. I went on significantly more social outings than I had ever done. 

I even went out on my first trip with my friends. 

So, socially, last year was great.

Academically, it was very intense.

I had my CFA Level 1 exams in November, and just after that, I had my college exams. Grilling. Exhausting. But it felt good. I enjoyed the 7 months of CFA preparation, I got to know many different things about finance, the maths was fun, and so was the adrenaline rush of clearing it. 

So, all in all, a very exciting year. 

But, in retrospect, the only thing that’s coming to mind about that year isn’t just how great it was, but the events that led to it.

My nineteenth was a direct contrast to my twentieth.

I hardly made any new friends.

I rarely went out.

I wasn’t doing anything other than my academics, I was preparing for a competitive exam but made a mistake in choosing the coaching institute, I got exhausted, and decided to quit it (for then).

And it’s funny the kind of advice that I started receiving from people, even the ones whom I hadn’t asked for. 

Here’s a list of them:

“You won’t be able to get a job with just a BBA degree.”

“You need to do something different, more!”

“You don’t have a plan? But you need a plan!”

But… why?

This one stuck with me the most. And it's interesting how wrong it was. 

Plenty of people got a job from my college, with just a BBA degree. 

But that’s not what bothered me. What bothered me was how generalised the statement was, and how it failed to take into account any other facts: my academic performance, my understanding of the subjects, and my interpersonal skills. 

Note to self: Stop listening to (and stop giving) generalised advice. 

There is only one thing I want to tell you about this, a story.

At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over its whole history.

Heller responds, “Yes, but I have something he will never have — ENOUGH.”

And a dialogue, 

“Compromise where you can. Where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say 'No, you move'.”

Everyone, the entire world will tell you that you cannot stop, you can not be okay with what you have, with where you are. But sometimes, in your heart, you will know that this is the moment when you need a break. Take it then. 

Note to self: Take the break.

You can have a perfect plan, and it can still get wrecked in the face of reality. 

Some people work better with a plan, and some don’t. Some people work well with routines, and some don’t. For some, the excitement of knowing what’s next wakes them up in the morning, and for some knowing what to do when they wake up in the morning helps them have a good sleep. 

I have realised, I am kind of both.

I like routines, but it doesn’t make sense to me to plan for the long term.

To quote Keynes,

In the long run, we are all dead.

For me, the long term can at max be 2 years. There is no way to know what I will feel, or how I will think after 5 years, so how does it make sense to strive for some goal at 30, which I had made at 25? 

Note to self: Be okay with changing/not following your plans.

So, what will The Twentieth Mnemonic be?

Shut out the voices, and take your time.

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Some of my personal favourite mnemonics:

1. खाली हाथ आए है और खाली हाथ जाएंगे ।

2. Chop wood, carry water.

3. To Be Someone or To Do Something? Which way will you go?

4. Life without relationships, focused solely on accomplishments, is empty and fragile, and meaningless.