Do you set personal goals for yourself?

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मैं तो बस ज़िंदगी काट नहीं रहा, जी रहा हूँ! Living Life King Size

An honest confession from a lazy person who somehow manages to get through life without a five-year plan!

Let me ask you a simple question.

Do you set personal goals for yourself?

You know, those goals that successful people talk about on podcasts, YouTube videos, motivational seminars, and LinkedIn posts. Wake up at 5 AM. Drink warm water with lemon. Meditate for 20 minutes. Read 50 pages of a book. Exercise for an hour. Earn your first crore before turning 30. Build an empire by 40. Retire by 50.

And here I am, struggling to decide whether I should have tea first or take a bath.

Honestly, I am a lazy person. Not the kind who is lazy because he has given up on life, but the kind who believes that life is already complicated enough without adding unnecessary complications to it.

Personal goals? Arre bhai, I haven’t even set a personal goal for getting out of bed on Monday morning!

My Life, My Rules, and My Very Flexible Timetable

I have never been particularly fond of setting goals. I don’t wake up every morning with a diary in my hand, writing down my targets for the day. I don’t have a vision board with pictures of luxury cars, foreign holidays, six-pack abs, and a beautiful house overlooking the mountains.

My vision board, if I ever make one, will probably have a steaming cup of chai, a plate of samosas, a comfortable chair, a few good friends, and a sign that says: “Please do not disturb unless you are bringing tea.”

And yet, surprisingly, life goes on.

My work gets done. Responsibilities are fulfilled. Problems arrive, make themselves comfortable in my living room, and eventually leave after I have spent enough time worrying about them. Somehow, the pending tasks get completed, the bills get paid, and the days keep moving.

Sometimes I wonder whether I am secretly very efficient or whether Hanuman Ji has appointed a special assistant to manage my affairs.

I strongly suspect the latter.

Whenever something gets done despite my impressive talent for procrastination, I fold my hands and say, “Jai Bajrang Bali! Aap hi sambhaal rahe ho!”

Because, frankly, I cannot take all the credit. My contribution to the process is often limited to worrying, postponing, and occasionally doing the actual work.

The Great Race of Life

Look around, and you will find everyone running.

One person wants to become a millionaire before 30. Another wants to own a luxury apartment before 35. Someone wants to travel to 25 countries in five years. Someone else wants to lose 15 kilos, gain 10 kilos of muscle, learn French, master Japanese, read 100 books, and start a business—all before the next birthday.

I admire these people. Truly, I do.

But sometimes I want to stop one of them in the middle of this marathon and ask, “Bhai, ek minute! Itni jaldi kahan jaana hai? Aur pahunch kar karna kya hai?”

Of course, ambition is wonderful. Having dreams gives us direction, and working hard to achieve them can make life meaningful.

But I sometimes wonder whether we have turned life into a school examination in which everyone is desperately trying to secure the highest marks.

We compare salaries, houses, cars, holidays, followers, achievements, and even happiness.

“How much do you earn?”

“Which car do you drive?”

“Where did you go on holiday?”

“What’s your five-year plan?”

Nobody asks, “Bhai, raat ko chain ki neend aati hai? Ghar mein sab khush hain? Chai peene ka time milta hai?”

These, in my humble opinion, are equally important questions.

My Five-Year Plan: Ask Me Again Tomorrow!

If somebody insists on knowing my five-year plan, I have a perfectly reasonable answer.

I plan to remain alive, healthy enough to enjoy my food, cheerful enough to laugh at silly jokes, and surrounded by people whose company makes an ordinary evening feel like a festival.

I would like to earn enough to meet my needs without constantly checking my bank balance before ordering another cup of tea.

I would like to travel when possible, read when the mood strikes, write a little, laugh a lot, and spend time with friends without looking at the clock every five minutes.

And if, along the way, I happen to achieve something extraordinary, wonderful!

If I don’t, I hope I will still have enough stories to tell and enough friends willing to listen to them.

Is that a goal? Perhaps it is.

But please don’t ask me to put it into an Excel sheet with quarterly milestones, performance indicators, and a progress tracker.

I beg you!

Hanumaan Ji, My Unofficial Life Manager

I must confess that my faith in Hanumaan Ji plays a significant role in my general approach to life.

Whenever things become complicated, I remember Him. Whenever I am worried, I pray. And whenever something works out in a way I hadn’t anticipated, I feel grateful.

Now, I am not suggesting that one should sit on the sofa all day, do absolutely nothing, and expect Hanumaan Ji to complete the office presentation, pay the electricity bill, and cook dinner.

Even divine assistance probably has certain terms and conditions.

My understanding is simpler: do what you can, make an honest effort, and leave the rest to God.

I may not have a perfectly structured life, but I try to do my work, fulfil my responsibilities, and keep moving. I don’t always know how things will work out, but somehow, they often do.

And when they don’t, I try to remind myself that one bad day is not the end of the world.

After all, even Lord Hanuman had to cross an ocean. He didn’t need a motivational podcast, but he certainly needed to take action!

So, yes, a little faith, a little effort, and a little less panic might be a reasonably good combination.

The Ultimate Destination: Square One!

Here comes the philosophical part of this otherwise unserious blog.

No matter how many goals we achieve, how much money we accumulate, how many properties we purchase, or how many awards we collect, there is one destination none of us can permanently avoid.

Eventually, we all have to leave everything behind.

The luxury car stays in the garage. The house belongs to someone else. The bank balance becomes somebody else’s responsibility. Even the chair in which we spent years sitting like a king will eventually accommodate another person.

We arrive in this world empty-handed, and we leave without carrying our worldly possessions.

In that sense, we all return to square one.

Now, please don’t misunderstand me. I am not against making money, building businesses, pursuing careers, or achieving great things. We need money, security, ambition, and purpose. We have families to support, responsibilities to fulfil, and dreams worth chasing.

But somewhere between earning a living and building a legacy, I hope we don’t forget to live.

What is the point of owning a beautiful house if we never have time to sit with our loved ones?

What is the point of earning a fortune if we are too anxious to enjoy a simple meal?

And what is the point of reaching the top of the ladder if we have spent the entire climb forgetting to look at the sky?

I would rather reach the end of my journey with a heart full of memories than a diary full of targets I never had time to enjoy.

My Favourite Philosophy: “Pyar Baantte Chalo”

There is an old Hindi film song that captures my philosophy rather beautifully: “Pyar Baantte Chalo.”

The thought behind it is so simple, yet so powerful.

Keep spreading love.

Keep smiling.

Keep making people feel that their presence matters.

If you can help someone, do it. If you can make someone laugh, don’t miss the opportunity. If a friend needs to talk, put your phone aside for a while. If your parents want to tell you the same story for the fifteenth time, perhaps listen to it for the sixteenth.

You never know which ordinary moment will become someone’s favourite memory.

I want to enjoy my life king-size, not necessarily by living in a palace or driving an expensive car, but by enjoying the little luxuries that money cannot always buy.

A long conversation over roadside chai.

An evening spent laughing with old friends.

A sudden plan that turns into an unforgettable trip.

A delicious meal shared with family.

A silly joke that makes everyone laugh until their stomachs hurt.

A quiet morning when there is nowhere urgent to go.

And the satisfaction of knowing that, somewhere, someone is happy because I was part of their day.

If these things make me a king, then I am perfectly happy with my kingdom.

My throne can be a plastic chair at a roadside tea stall. My royal court can consist of three friends arguing over politics, cricket, and the rising price of samosas. My royal feast can be a plate of hot pakoras.

And my royal decree?

“Chai aur mangwao, yaar!”

So, Do I Set Personal Goals?

Well, after writing all this, I suppose I do have a few.

I want to laugh more and complain less.

I want to worry less about things beyond my control.

I want to work honestly without turning every waking hour into a competition.

I want to cherish the people who make my life beautiful.

I want to remain curious, enjoy new experiences, and keep finding reasons to smile.

And above all, I want to spread a little love wherever life takes me.

But don’t expect me to wake up tomorrow at 5 AM to start working on these goals.

Let’s not get carried away!

I might wake up at 7, have my tea at 8, and begin pursuing world peace after breakfast.

Or perhaps after lunch.

Or maybe tomorrow.

You see? Old habits die hard.

But I will get there, in my own way, at my own pace.

Because I have finally understood something: life is not merely a destination to reach; it is also a journey to enjoy.

Some people may want to climb the highest mountain. Some may want to conquer the world. Some may want to become legends.

And some of us simply want to live a decent, cheerful life, do our bit, love our people, and leave behind a few smiles.

I don’t know which approach is best for everyone.

I only know which one feels right for me.

So, my friends, set your goals if they inspire you. Chase your dreams if they excite you. Work hard if your heart tells you to.

But every once in a while, take a break.

Sit down with a cup of chai.

Call an old friend.

Watch the sunset.

Laugh at yourself.

And remember that you are a human being, not a project that requires continuous improvement.

As for me, I will keep doing my work, keep faith in Hanumaan Ji, and keep trying to live life king-size.

And if you ever find me sitting at a roadside tea stall, laughing with friends and singing “Pyar Baantte Chalo,” please don’t interrupt me to ask about my five-year plan.

Just pull up a chair.

Order some chai.

And join me.

After all, if we must eventually return to square one, why not make the journey memorable, spread a little love, and have a wonderful time along the way?

Jai Bajrang Bali!

And yes, one last thing.

Pyar baantte chalo, khushi baantte chalo. Zindagi chhoti si hai, yaar — ise jeete chalo!