It’s been a while since I have written anything. For almost the past two months, I have been trying to find some time to write something of real meaning. After more than 13 failed attempts made during the extra 20 minutes I spend commuting between cities, I believe creativity comes from the heart, not from a schedule or force. It’s interesting how, now, in the very early morning, I am here on this ScotRail service, writing this not-so-common piece of text while planning my day and to-do list.

Today, I don’t have a story for you but rather an epiphany about human life through the lens of meaning, coupled with the logic of science. I wonder—what if we could quantify life as it is? What if we could simulate what we feel? What if we could reset ourselves and update the new code in our DNA? What if we could retrain our neurons and layer the learning cycle to be more efficient? Have you ever wondered about the same or something similar along these lines?

Well, using the phrase “along these lines” might not be entirely correct because life is definitely not a linear equation; it’s more of a multidimensional function defined over an array of events and elements. I just turned 24 recently, and I’ve already started feeling strange and anxious. Next year, around the same time, I will be approaching what some call a midlife crisis, where, no matter what I’ve achieved, I might start quantifying myself on a matrix comprised of static parameters defined by societal norms and scales of pseudo-entitlements. But is this really right?

Well, in my case, this isn’t about other people. Over the past year, I realized that I am running a race with myself, and I am very happy about it. There are people who talk about satisfaction, work-life balance, and slowing down for various reasons. I respect all these perspectives, but I am definitely not among those who embrace them. Interestingly, this blog, which I started writing almost three days ago, is finally being completed past midnight on January 14th, 2025.

I firmly believe in the idea that you are a reflection of the kind of people you surround yourself with. Just 55 minutes ago, I was ready to go to bed when I received a long-awaited call from one of my closest friends. It’s fascinating how everything can turn around with just a call. Now, after 50mins of talk with her I am all pumped up and ready to smash everything.

It’s always inspiring when I talk to people like her and my professor. They are true doers—individuals who work extremely hard and always inspire positively. I feel fortunate to be connected with such people. Every conversation with them revolves around ideas, meaning, and plans.

For all of you who regularly read my blogs, here’s a takeaway list for 2025:

1. Connect with people who inspire you to be better.
2. Immerse yourself deeply in your work.
3. Don’t say yes to everything.
4. Self-reflection and evaluation are important—do it monthly and consider every aspect of the network of life.
5. Follow the loop: do, evaluate, improve, and do it again.

Thank you for reading till the end. Surprisingly, even without any blog posts over the past four months, we have crossed the milestone of 100k unique reads. For those who have been following my blogs for a while, you know I always leave announcements at the end.

This time, I’m excited to share that Perplexed will be relaunching as a one-of-its-kind decentralized EdTech platform by the end of March—so stay tuned. Additionally, I am starting a small YouTube channel to document my life. If you want to be among the first to receive the video link, feel free to email me at vinamrasharma5@gmail.com with the subject line ‘Follow: YouTube Journey’. In the email, you can include your name and contact number if you’d like to be added to an announcement WhatsApp group. See you later with the next blog !