Letters to the Person I’d Grow Into

Welcome to Letters of Wonder — a space to explore the truths behind clarity, creation, and what it means to live a truly wonderful life.

We’re always thinking, worrying or planning about random things.

But most of it is completely unconscious.

Like — how often are we actually aware and intentional of what we’re doing?

Or thinking?

Or feeling?

Most of the time, we aren’t.

But the most successful people are intentional about their energy and time.

Why don’t we start approaching time like money?

If someone gave you $1,440 every single day, no strings attached — would you hand it out carelessly to anyone who asked?

Maybe.

But what if you didn’t know which day would be your last?

What if, one morning, the deposits just stopped?

You’d probably think twice and realize that you should use it where it matters most for you.

You might spend on a few things to test, and realize they don’t bring you what you want.

And then you spend a little more and realize what you truly want.

Then, you spend your money there.

Now here’s the twist: You do get $1,440 every day.

Just not in dollars.

You get it in minutes.

And once they're gone - they’re gone for good.

And we have no idea how many days we actually have left.

Now… I get it.

It’s kind of dumb to say “live every day like it’s your last.”

Because realistically, you’ve got bills to pay, projects to finish, and a future to build.

You can’t just play with your dog and hug your mom for 10 hours every single day.

But here’s what helps me:

It’s that one chart that shows your life in weeks.

Where every week of your life is a little dot…

And you realize that even if you live to 90, it’s like 4,690 weeks total?

Yeah — this one:

It doesn’t tell you to live like today is your last.

It just helps you remember: You don’t have forever.

So the minutes?

Use them well.

Spend them with people who matter.

On work that lights you up.

And maybe…

Just maybe…

Stop handing so many of them away.

So how do you make the unconscious, conscious?

Okay I have a confession.

This essay is about journaling.

But before you click out, hear me out.

I know everyone says to do it.

And you’ve probably seen a million YouTube videos around it.

But I want to explain the benefits from someone who’s been journaling for over 7 years now.

And it’s not just your typical, “it’ll make you happier”.

The real benefits

What journaling actually does is it forces you to get intentional.

But what does that mean?

It means that every time you journal (about your thoughts and life, not about what your dog did today), you’re basically facing yourself.

“Wait, like looking in a mirror?”

No!

Facing yourself means you stop avoiding whatever it is you’re avoiding deep down.

To illustrate this, think about it the same way you approach money.

When you're broke → you’d rather not open your bank app.

But if you want to get rich → you have to open your bank app and that forces you to come up with an action plan.

It’s the same way with reflection. And journaling allows you to do this.

By writing your thoughts down, you might get uncomfortable.

But it helps you clarify your path forward.

Maybe you’re journaling and one day you realize you were going down a path you didn’t even want to.

And then it hits you...

Why am I even doing this thing?

And how can I switch paths as soon as possible?

What are you even chasing?

For years in high school, I wanted to be an FBLA officer.

It felt like the thing to do.

Everyone around me was going for an officer position.

So every day, I wrote about it.
FBLA, FBLA, FBLA.

But one day...as I was writing about it...I started wondering:

“Wait... why am I even doing this?”

(spoiler: I still ended up applying and got rejected)

But as I continued reflecting in my journal, my goals began to shift.

I began slowly writing down goals that felt more meaningful to me.

And it was hard.

Because anyone else who saw my journals would have thought “wth, srikar, that’s not realistic”.

But it was true to me. And that’s what mattered.

As I kept journaling, I began to reflect on what I really wanted vs what I thought I wanted.

Things that I thought I wanted:

• Prestige

• A ton of money

• A shredded body

• To be admired

• To be seen as impressive

Things that I really wanted:

• Love around me

• Inner peace

• Freedom to do what I wanted, with whom I wanted, when I wanted

• Health and vitality

• A sense of deep purpose

And the funny thing is that none of those things that I really wanted be measured by any metrics.

They don’t come from chasing what looks good.

They come from choosing what feels true.

And that’s ultimately what journaling helped me uncover.

Not just what I wanted… but who I was becoming in the process of wanting it.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this one.

As always, feel free to unsubscribe if you’d rather not read these.

I totally understand 🙂