I Don’t Believe In Billionaire and Bossbabe Routines

I am fed up with the billionaire routine porn.

My Pinterest feed will no longer house the boss babe quotes because I am tired of the empty calories I have consumed all these years. I wonder, does having a billion dollars in a bank account make a person noble, intelligent, and an inspirational figure?

I don’t intend to dive deep into their personal lives but how can we replicate the habits of people whom we have no idea about except for what the media, life coaches, and the billionaire themselves project to us?

It comes down to this — we want results, we all want to get rich quick(est). We also want assurance that by following these habits ( no matter how absurd they sound) we are trying to turn ourselves into our best selves which are being — the next Steve Jobs or Oprah Winfrey.

Then here’s a thought- What about the habits of people around us who taught us to love consistently despite the ups and downs of life? What about the habits of a student who not only aced his grades but studied for the pure joy of it?

Or that of our grandmas who battled depression (without knowing they can take help), brought up their children, learned economic independence while fighting all the stereotypes alongside?

While I have no disagreement with people aspiring to be their best selves by following the super-rich, I believe in following the habits of people I have seen in my life — In taking the good things from people around me.

These amazing people are consistent in what they give to the world — love, work, dedication, to rise above poverty, and to fight for respect.

They are not billionaires, I assure you. Some were barely in their teens as I recollect. And by some coincidence, they are all women.

The world would call them the common people, for history may be nameless statistics.

Nevertheless, in my world — they are my heroes.

Padma — Lessons in Responsibility

I met Padma in my school days.

She was everything a teacher’s delight would be. She was brilliant in studies, a karate black belt holder, a humble and helpful friend.

When we were preparing for our board exams, someone casually mentioned her study routine (again, the obsession with the topper’s routine).

Her parents used to return back from work a bit late.

Every day after school, she would go home, clean her house, prepare a light dinner for her parents, help her little sister with studies and start with her board exams preparation. She did this for almost two years without complaints. To think of it she was just 15.

For people like me who had no major responsibility than sit with books added with an aura of importance surrounding me — this sounded absurd.

Padma went on to top the board exams that year, later she ended up a doctor from a top college in our state and is doing quite well now as a mother too.

A true force of nature she is!

Deepshika — Queen of Grit & Consistency

She is the celebrity in my list.

Her story was a popular WhatsApp forward and viral Linkedin post months ago for the recognition she brought to her state. She is my sister’s friend.

Deepshika is a doctor who two years ago was aspiring to join the armed forces. My sister would find a wonderful friend in her and share nerdy conversations in the Kerala rains.

Deepshika would wake up at 4 am, work out, study till 8 and join the coaching class with her classmates. Later she would return back to her studies, not before completing her walk.

My sister would see Deepshika rushing for a walk with an umbrella in hand and had never listened to her complain of her self imposed strict schedule. She would make time for her friends, never resort to gossip, was a great listener but when it came to her goals — there was no compromise.

It paid big time for her — her dreams came true, she topped the training and joined the Indian armed forces and her story is one true inspiration for many of young girls.

She did it!

My grandma — The strength of a Woman

There’s something special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer.” — Rihanna

She survived an abusive marriage, battled depression, never had her family support but fought with grit for years.

At 15, she married my grandfather and entered the difficult three decades of her life. At 16, she started tutoring kids in her neighbourhood for income when her alcoholic husband denied any help. She teamed up with a strong tribe of women and build her pickle making, basket weaving skills and turned it into a source of income for her family.

All her children are highly educated and well settled today.

She is the pioneer of self care in my family (to eyerolls from her daughters-in-law).

She is 70 now and this is how her routine looks for close to God know how many decades:

Get up at 5 30 am in the morning

During her 20s it was helping with cleaning her farm and milking the cow but today it’s prayers

She helps with cooking and sits with the newspaper and finishes it till the end (yes, she’s a major cricket fan too)

She gets ready for the day (never in my living memory I have seen her looking dull or unkempt)

She eats breakfast followed by 4 soaked almonds

Helps with cleaning the house, watches her tv shows and sits with a novel

Chats with my parents and when evening sets continues helping with dinner and she goes to sleep by 9 30 pm sharp

By God’s grace she is healthy and active and can eat chicken curry like nobody’s business and waits for Sundays to prepare our family special fish meals.

When people remind her about diet restrictions she would laugh saying for her it’s Now or never (to general amusement).

She plays with her great-grandchildren, discusses novel plots with my mom, and goes for a movie every weekend (on Netflix these days).

What I am astounded by is her complete lack of hatred towards how life had been to her or towards her now-dead husband for total neglect and abuse.

She has fought when problems came up one of the other but chose to never hold on to anger or resentment.

That quality is the only inheritance I want from her.

Final Thoughts

If we choose to look, there are lessons to learn from people around us.

Social media could have made all routines available but maybe it’s time we start appreciating and imbibing the good habits of people around us with a pandemic making us realise what truly matters at the end.

From what I can see, turning out to be a better human being goes well beyond having bank accounts stacked with million notes, and taking the good routines from people who made a difference around us would help us grow in our journey.

Maybe it’s time we stop letting winning and money alone being the benchmarks for being a worthy person.

Article was previously published in Medium