The Only Security is Agency

We spend 10 hours of our awake time on work. this must be the most important thing in ones life.

So, It has to be more than "paying bills." 

It should be a source of fulfillment. That pulls you into a state of flow. A meditative space where the outcome vanishes and the act itself becomes the prize.

but life and realities collide.

I see executive teams frozen by the risks of AI, and people layoffs. Recent Amazon, UPS, HD and several brands laying people in thousands is one of many rounds of layoffs. These have been going on since 2022 and ramping.

Some say that in this environment, one should be grateful to have a job.

That is a negative way to look at life and your capability. 

It puts the focus on external factors. 

A Company direction, business unit pivots, or market shifts. 

These are beyond your control.

The magic happens when you shift your focus to the only thing you own: Your Agency.

At a few points in my life, I found myself in positions that weren't at the scale I wanted. 

I was being asked to engage at a granular level I felt I had outgrown. 

My ego hated it. I felt like I was moving pebbles when I wanted to move mountains.

One evening after a long run, I realized - fighting the situation was a waste of my energy. 

I put my head down and immersed myself in the work. It was a choice.

That passion and all the experience I had opened bigger better doors soon. 

I led a massive data lake transformation, and stepped into security leadership when a CIO needed it most. 

Heck, I even got myself a AWS Certified SA Certification.

I want to be clear: none of my experience is the same as the pain of a layoff.

I haven’t had the rug pulled out from under me in that way. 

But the whole point is to remind, to believe in your own skills and capability.

Roles and titles are temporary. 

A board meeting or "strategic restructuring" can take it away. 

But the skills you build when you immerse yourself are yours forever.

all the best

Saurabh

My trading progress

I haven’t written for some time, but I have been journaling consistently.

A few weeks back, I wrote about trading and how my mind gets pulled toward it during days when work is slow or during periods of a lull. 

This happened again at the end of this year.

My first instinct was to reject it and think that this was just inaction. 

But a little later, I realized that a lot of people approach this systematically and have done well.

While it is said that most people lose money, why do hundreds of thousands of people work in this area? Many are wealthy, and millions of trades take place every day. Volume on a single stock like Apple averages around 50 million shares per day.

Yes, institutional investors are there. They are the biggest buyers, looking to increase their investments and profitability. They are highly sophisticated and deal in large volumes.

But there is a way retail trading can be done sensibly too, isn’t there?

I got burned in the past with options trading. It’s like bringing in a blowtorch and playing with it. The risks are massive—bigger than simply the fun of burning something.

So, I decided to learn the ropes and go the safe way: understand the forces at play and how the markets work, especially from a day trading perspective.

I am happy to share that I have found a good balance for myself. I have started trading small amounts with small position sizes, and I have been decently successful so far.

In future posts, I will share the lessons I have learned from it.

Cheers, Saurabh

Why Emotion and personality will set the standard in content marketing

The definition of "quality" is shifting. 

The bar is moving rapidly as AI makes headway in our lives.

In the past, high-quality content signaled resources. 

To win, you needed exclusive access to three things:

1. Deep Research: You had the data and the libraries.

2. Polished Words: You had writers who knew the grammar better than the drama.

3. High-End Production: You had the cameras, the software, and the pixels that couldn't hide.

If you applied speed and scale to those three things, you won the attention game.

But AI has turned it on its head.

In the new world, those rules don't apply. 

Speed, scale, and polish are no longer competitive advantages. 

If anything, "perfect" is becoming a liability.

It is getting easier to spot AI images and text specifically because they are near-perfect. 

They are too clean. They are too polished. 

And honestly? They are boring to look at.

Since everyone now has access to the tools, the standards have to rise much higher. 

The minimal bar for any work product is that it reads well and looks good. 

That is now automatic. Table stakes.

The new quality is not about the pixels—it’s about the person.

The best content of the future will have to do more than just inform. 

It will have to create an emotion. 

It will need to inspire,Surprise, Teach, Move or heck all of them to the consumer.

That is the massive challenge for platforms too. 

When everyone can generate content by the ton, how do you filter the noise? 

The algorithm of the future won't be looking for perfection. It will baise heavily on the ability to create an emotion, and the personality that should make something worth shareable.

My Struggles with Isolation: Why Networking is My North Star for 2026?

During my year-end analysis, I realized a huge gap lurking in my life. 

For some reason, I hadn’t addressed it. 

It wasn't a big deal—I could grow and succeed without paying it any attention.

But, like the book title What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There, I realized I must fix this gap. otherwise I will be stuck,

That gap is- the lack of a strong network.

I am good with people, and I enjoy being around them. 

But I refused to socialize "unnecessarily."

Unless we were making magic and getting work done, or unless we were on the same wavelength, I wouldn't engage.

and if I engaged, I would withdraw as soon as the work was done.

I developed standards for my time, and as a result, I unintentionally filtered everyone out—neighbors, colleagues, and potential friends.

My personality shifted to "business only."

• In my running club: I would run, chit-chat briefly, and leave.

• At the gym: Headphones on, finish the workout, leave.

• At conferences: I arrived with clear agendas, hated letting random interactions play out. I would get bored quickly.

It has been like this for years. 

When I reflect on the early years of my career, I was social, but I wouldn't spend time with people just for the sake of it. 

It was about respecting my time and engaging so, I could learn or have fun.

Moving to the States hardened this trait.

It helped me succeed tremendously. For a long time.

Books and high-performing individuals became my mentors. 

I learned from them. The Solitary pursuit moved me in the right direction.

Even recently, this has been my default.

But, this isolation eventually began to hurt. 

In my past role, where I was leading the company's growth, it got too lonely.

I had no relationships where I could bounce ideas, share the issues I was facing, or just go grab a drink to decompress.

I discovered I was doing everything alone—training for a marathon, learning music, writing for LinkedIn, creating YouTube videos, and editing. Everything by myself, from my basement.

Looking back across the last few years, I see this was a huge handicap developing.

Being comfortable with yourself is a superpower.

Many people lack the ability to sit with their own thoughts. 

But I have drifted onto an isolated island where no one knows I am here. 

That is borderline harmful.

I realized that in all spheres of life, I need company.

So, my North Star goal for 2026 is to fix this. 

To become a network magnet in my area and activate a strong community.

Here is what I am doing to open myself up to opportunities:

1. Connect locally: Reach out to folks in Naperville on LinkedIn. Offer to meet over coffee.

2. Don't just work—network: Staying in the basement is no longer an option. I need to get out of the house and work from libraries or coffee shops where people actually are.

3. Fix the body language: When working remotely, I need to stop walling myself off with headphones and closed-off posture. I want to be open to meeting people—smiling, saying hello, and signaling that it is okay to talk to me.

4. Give first: Offer to help or do something for others without any agenda and without expecting anything in return.

So far, so good.

Since starting this shift, five days ago, I have worked outside the home several times. 

I have exchanged messages with several people I hadn't touched base with in a long time. 

I’ve even had coffee meetings with a couple of folks right here in Naperville.

The book Never Eat Alone has played a big role in this realization. 

As Keith Ferrazzi says, "Don't build a network when you need it."

I am building an enormous network in 2026 to create a massive breakthrough.

If you read this, and it resonates with you, I would like to hear it from you. 

Comment below, and tell me if you have felt this way too. 

If so, did you overcome it? how? 

If not, do you want to join me in overcoming it?

-Saurabh

Here is the right way to look at "Gratitude"

The conventional way everyone talks about gratitude, feels like a transaction.

"Pay" gratitude so that we can receive more. 

Is it a vehicle for success? Is it an an insurance policy. 

The logic goes: 

"If I am thankful now, the Universe/God/Life will guarantee me more blessings later."

We are trying to empty our cup so it can be filled again.

But today, a different realization dawned on me. I was at the gym.

Gratitude isnt a strategy to get more.

It is humbleness. It is a realization that we have received far more than the math suggests we deserve.

The Uncertainty of It All

Life is fundamentally unfair and wildly uncertain.

 There is little that is guaranteed, regardless of our effort.

We like to think we control the outcome, We don’t.

* Accidents happen to good people on their way to sign billion-dollar deals.

* Championship games are lost by the best players in history due to a single bad bounce.

* Brilliant lives are cut short simply because a rare disease expressed itself in the DNA.

Gratitude is the realization that, despite this chaos, you are still here. 

You have received something, when there was a very high statistical probability that you wouldn't.

Sure, you can flip the equation.

You could argue that you *should* have received more, or that you’ve had bad luck. 

Both can be true.

But gratitude is looking at where you are today—standing, breathing, capable—and realizing that in a world where millions struggle for clean water or shoes on their feet, you have won the lottery.

The Anxiety of "Potential"

I struggle with this.

When I look at my life, I see gaps.

I see the capabilities I’ve have, and the opportunities I want. 

I am constantly working on self-improvement.

 Lately, I’ve been transitioning into a new role at an acquiring organization, and I’ve been plagued by anxiety.

Am I expressing myself fully?

Am I realizing my full potential?

I look at the CEOs of Amazon, Microsoft, or the Fortune 50, and I think:

I could do that. I could lead at that level. I am ready to put the work and 100x more.

The gap between where I am and where I think I *could* be makes me uncomfortable. 

It drives a restless anxiety.

But then I return to this new definition of gratitude.

I look at the places I’ve been. 

The small wealth I’ve been able to create. 

The books I’ve read. 

The countries i've visited.

I look at the family I came from, and the family I’ve built—my wife and two beautiful girls. 

I look at the support structure around me.

When I look at the data honestly, I can not help but accept that I have received a return on investment that far exceeds my input.

 Yes, I have ambition. 

Yes, I could lead a massive company and amass 100x of this. 

and I should continue working towards it.

But the point I have reached today is no small feat.

Gratitude isn't about asking for the next thing.

It’s a reflection on your own life, realizing that you have enough, and acknowledging that—despite the odds—you have been rewarded for your efforts in a fantastic manner.

Life is mysterious and we dont know where and when it ends. Gratitude is realizing you did your best but received far more. So many people, work hard even on the right things, and never get the results.

Here is a punch list to think this morning.

• If you can take a deep breath without pain, be thankful.
• If your body parts are functioning and you can move freely, be thankful.
• If you have a clear mind and the agency to think for yourself, be thankful.
• If you have a roof over your head to sleep under tonight, be thankful.
• If there is food on your table today, be thankful.
• If your parents are still alive to speak with you, be thankful.
• If you have brothers or sisters who care about you, be thankful.
• If you have a partner who understands you and stands by you, be thankful.
• If you have children who love you, be thankful.
• If you have even just two friends you can call in a crisis, be thankful.

and you have all of the above, you should be exceptionally thankful, because you a lot of people dont have these.

To grow in career, clarity is king

It is very easy to be stuck in your own stories and routines. It’s almost like you are fooling yourself.

My year in review for 2025 had a few breakthrough moments.

 I came completely undone, realizing I was holding onto things that were not serving me well.

It started when I asked Gemini for self-reflection questions. One question startled me:

"If nobody saw your title on LinkedIn, would you still do the work you are being positioned to do?"

The more I sat on it, I realized that the title and how things "appear" had become bigger than what I actually do.

The answer was an emphatic YES—but only for the hands-on work.

This drove me to realize that I love being in front of customers, solving technical problems, and understanding use cases. 

I love it. 

Not the managerial stuff, and not the internal politics.

If growth means becoming a manager of managers of managers, it is the wrong direction for me.

Managing a team isn't bad, and I’m not bashing it. 

But it comes with overheads and activities that are just soul-sucking for me.

I would rather be working with customers, hearing their challenges, and delivering value. 

Then I as I went on to document my thoughts, I realized there are a few other things that are either not serving me, or killing my gains on where I could be (sitting in front of my computer as a way of procrastinating, and lacking a social network). I will touch on these in different posts.

But, I feel I am in a much better place to make a subtle shift in 2026.

Welcome 2026 - my list of things to focus on in this year, and everyday

Welcome to the New Year.

The date changed. The clock ticked. And absolutely nothing happened.

When I was younger, I celebrated the arbitrary changing of a number. Now I realize that time is just a collective hallucination we agree to share. The only real clock is biology: Sun up. Sun down.

If the "New Year" gives you a burst of fresh energy, use it. But don't rely on it. Motivation is fickle. Systems are permanent.

This year, I am ignoring resolutions. I am building a machine.

Here is the system I am programming into my daily routine for 2026:

The Energy Protocol

• The Currency: Time is the only asset. Spend it or lose it.

• The Biology: Work out daily. Drink 4 liters of water. Eat slightly less than I want.

• The Mind: Re-read the best books (mastery) rather than skimming new ones (novelty). write everyday.

• The Soul: Play music. Intentionality beats talent.

• The Tribe: Take care of Dipti. Inspire Umika. Spoil Seerat. Call my parents more.

The Glitch in My Matrix During my yearly review, I found a fatal error in my programming.

I have operated as a "Lone Wolf." Head down. Focus on the work. Ignore the room.

In 2021, when I launched Brilliant Digital, it struggled. I analyzed the failure and realized it wasn't a product failure. It was a network failure.

I have thousands of connections on LinkedIn, but in Naperville, I am effectively alone.

The Math of Success Success is not just [Skill]. 

Success is [Skill] x [Network].

If your Network is zero, your total output is zero. At least in the field of business I am in.

I have spent years optimizing my skill stack (Generalist vs. Specialist). 

But I ignored the multiplier. You cannot build a castle on an island.

The Patch for 2026 My North Star is no longer just "output." It is connection. I am abandoning the strategy of "get in, get it done, get out."

I am going to build one of the strongest networks of my life. Not because I need something today, but because you don't build a network when you need it. You build it when you don't.

My Ask If you are reading this, you are part of the simulation. Leave a comment. Tell me one part of your "System" for 2026.

Cheers, Saurabh