Of all the goals I had for 2017, posting my first blog is the one that I am realistically about to achieve.

Like I said – it is, indeed, a START! And – getting started has been surprisingly interesting especially since I had 3 amazing (I think!) epiphanies.

Here’s the first – Deciding what to write about almost instantaneously got me to go the gym. Let me explain.

Figuring out what to write is really tough and my quest for inspiration always ended up 5.4 miles away at the gym as I kept telling myself I would figure it out while sweating it out on the Stairmaster. Does this mean I dropped a cool 50 pounds? Hell, no! Did I strike creative gold? Nope! Usually after an excruciatingly painful 7 minutes at best, I would take a break and upon resuming, Netflix took over. I realized very soon that working out was easier than deciding what to write and I stayed with it and 2017 has been the year when I have exercised more days than any other year in my whole life. People always say writing is therapeutic and I wholeheartedly agree!

Now on to the second one – Inspiration is truly overrated!

I waited all year long for divine inspiration to put words on paper but nothing arrived. And then I realized it is really about getting to it – start typing with whatever idea (s)/thoughts you have and it will eventually take shape. Simple! Clearly, I am no expert and I am making it sound way more simple than it really is but the fact is that it is almost like sketching – first come the lines, circles, dots etc. and before you know it, you have a recognizable Christmas tree! Here’s proof – I am at 290 words now and counting.

Finally, the third – these really have been the best years of my life!

As I looked back at the last few years trying to find “material”, I realized what a whirlwind it has been – I moved to Chicago in March 2013 and since then managed to graduate from business school, move through 3 roles at work, learn to drive on the “other” side of the road, deal with the Chicago cold, finally learn to make tea for the wife, buy our first house, paint the house, watch more TV shows & movies than what the Doctor would recommend, watch cricket while at work, travel to India and anywhere else I could afford to go, reconnect with an old friend, help one of my nieces with her college stuff, getting used to working US day hours, and so on. While there have been both good days and bad, every single day has been truly exhilarating and I never really stopped to acknowledge this up until now!

Where do I go from here? Now that I am off to such a wonderful start in 2017 having shared my first post , my goal is to continue sharing my experiences, epiphanies & wisdom (read: lessons from all the mistakes I make!) as frequently as I can in the next year. I mean – if I don’t manage to get anything out, I am using the non-arrival of inspiration as an excuse while sweating it out on the treadmill!

Happy 2018!