This is kind of a sequel to my previous blog.

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About two months ago, there were good folks from my apartment cleaning the the road outside. They were wearing caps, gloves and masks and earnestly going about the job. The mountain of garbage that they picked was amazing.

Now – I have huge respect for people who volunteer time and effort. Because I too was like them, about ten years ago. I was enthusiastic and wanted to “make a difference”. The kind of stuff corporates brainwash you with.

Looking at the effort of my neighbors, I remember telling my friend PJ that these people underestimate mean reversion. That is, while the road is clean now, it will tend to go back to the way it was unless sufficient effort is made towards maintenance. And that is exactly what has happened. There was no periodic maintenance and the road has gone back to being dirty. And now there are no more enthusiastic volunteers.

I am not bitter. I am just wiser and I think we underestimate how difficult it is to bring about lasting change.

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In 2016, a cousin of mine gushed about how an uncle and aunt of ours had lost weight. She said “they have lost inches!”. She repeated “inches!”, as if I hadn’t heard the first time. How, I asked. She said they had stopped eating rice!

Remember, Lindy is a skeptic.

Lindy told me that food habits are extremely hard to change. Unless people have gone for a few years at least on their new diet, don’t declare victory. And that is exactly what happened. Rice has made a come back on their plate and so have the inches. Even the cousin who was excited, had lost a lot of weight drinking only juices and such. She too has reverted to mean.

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A while ago I wrote about my yoga experience. Because I had read about change being hard, I worked on reducing points of friction. I wanted the place to be either close to my office or my home because more the distance, more the friction. Then, because it rains so much in Bengaluru, I have kept an umbrella permanently in my office so that there are no rain related excuses. Third, I made sure I have two identical sets of clothes; this ensures I wear the same set of clothes every day. That way, the mind gets used to the routine. And lastly, I declined to join the Yoga studio’s WhatsApp group.

The fourth is worth detailing a little more. Everyday, the yoga studio informs everyone what routine we are going to follow that day. For example it could be Vinyasa or Ashtanga or with a prop like brick or belt etc. Some people like some routines and dislike others. What they dislike they don’t attend. I wanted to go everyday with low expectations and attend irrespective of whether I like the routine or not. That is why, I have deliberately worked on creating a path of least resistance. And more information lead to more resistance. These are all ideas I have picked up from many books.

Happy to share, because of these efforts, it’s now been 2.5 years of regular practice.

Every January, I see new people joining our class. I understand people want to work on themselves and I genuinely want them to succeed. It’s not just the work out; it’s the surrounding things that need work.

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Because I am a skeptic, I don’t do fad diets or the fashionable things. In fact, in most things, I am the least not the latest. Until things, habits or routines are tried and tested, I don’t buy into it. That makes me the boring guy.

And that is also why I avoid IPOs. Just as I am skeptical of new habits and routines, I am also skeptical of companies that are new to public markets.

Talk is easy, execution is hard. Hence, I want to see numbers. I want to see companies consistently generating cash flows. That is hard and the ones that are able to do – tell me they are worth looking into.

If you have read some of my blogs, you know there is nothing new or insightful. There are no stock tips. I keep rehashing old content in new words. Despite that, I have written close to 140 blogs over 7.5 years. For every blog that I have published, there are two I have not published. Sometimes all the things I want to say are nice and beautiful in my head, but when I start to write, they are all gone. Other times, I go for months without an idea for a blog. And that is why it has taken me 7.5 years to reach here. And by the way, it’s all I, no AI.

Just to write more often, I have made it a point to go to office on Saturdays too. Even a simple change like that has been hard to implement.

I know, I know, I know you can write better and more…I genuinely cheer for you. But until you actually have 140 blogs or even 100 blogs to show for, you will just sound like Kramer below. It’s done, only if it’s done.

In my head, I know I can write a book. But I am yet to type the first word of it. If you ever hear me say that, don’t even believe it.

Similarly, media commentators get so excited and project how Joe Root will surpass Tendulkar’s score.

Some historical perspective helps. There was another English batsman called Alastair Cook. In his prime, commentators predicted that he would surpass Tendulkar’s 15000+ runs. You know how much he ended at? Some 11,000 runs. A remarkable feat nonetheless.

Likewise, I am neither rooting nor dissing Joe Root. But whenever I see such rubbish commentary, I just smile and let it go. If and when Root gets there, I will be extremely happy for him. Until then, I am just being skeptical like Seinfeld.

We’ll See.

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So what are the takeaways, if any?

1. Even small change is hard and most people underestimate it.
2. Don’t declare victory or even announce it to the world for about a couple of years at least. (A neighbor mentioned that how he has skipped lunch and it was working for him. This new life style was less than 3 days old.)
3. If you want to make lasting change, approach it slowly and work towards it step by step. Work on minimizing resistance as much as possible. Work on sustenance and survival.
4. Don’t fall for new fads. Wait until it is tried and tested by others.
5. If you have something going for you, don’t break the momentum. The only reason I missed out on a Black belt in Karate is because I lost momentum after I got to Brown. So, don’t break the momentum.
6. 1st January is coming. I hope and pray for all your resolutions. But like I mentioned – know it is hard give the process the respect it deserves.

May the force be with you!

-Cheers