The True Measure of a Life

A quick announcement before I begin today’s post – 

Special Discount on Boundless and The Sketchbook of Wisdom (available till 25th March)!

After a wonderful response during the pre-order phase, I finally have my new book Boundless in my hands and am shipping it out quickly. If you’d like to get your copy, click here to order now at a special discount that’s available till 25th March.

I am also offering a discount on my first book, The Sketchbook of Wisdom, which is also available till 25th March. Click here to buy now.

Plus, I’m offering a special combo discount if you order Boundless along with my first book, The Sketchbook of Wisdom. Click here to order your set.

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The True Measure of a Life

I was in Mussoorie a few days ago. The town holds a special corner in my heart. I had spent a good part of my early childhood there, during my schooling years in Dehradun. This visit was partly about revisiting those memories, the winding roads, the crisp mountain air, and the corners that still remembered me.

But there was another reason I was there.

I wanted to meet the beloved author Ruskin Bond and gift him a copy of my book, Boundless, which carries a chapter inspired by his timeless lesson on love.

Bond’s stories shaped my childhood, and to offer him something that came from my own heart felt like a small way of completing a circle.

However, as fate would have it, he wasn’t keeping well and wasn’t meeting anyone at the time. I was disappointed, of course. But life has its own way of making things happen. Through an acquaintance who knew him personally, I managed to send the book across to his home.

A couple of days later, I received photos that almost brought me to tears.

There he was—Ruskin Bond—holding Boundless in his hands. Just holding it gently, looking at it with what felt like childlike curiosity.

Now, if you grew up reading Ruskin Bond, you’ll know what that means. His books weren’t just stories but entire worlds you could step into. He made you notice the wind in the trees, the charm of an old train station, and the companionship of solitude.

And now, here he was, with my book in his hands.

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There was a time when I would have measured my life differently. By money in the bank, titles on a resume, my material possessions, and numbers that looked good on a spreadsheet. And to be honest, I did chase those things for a while.

But at some point—maybe it was age, or just life humbling me a few too many times—I realised that the things I had once obsessed over didn’t quite deliver the fulfilment they promised.

Of course, it wasn’t an overnight realisation. I spent years thinking success was about numbers. And let’s be real—it’s hard not to. The world around us is built on measurable things. Things like how much you earn, how big your house is, how many people follow you, and how many books you sell.

But then life throws experiences at you that force you to reconsider what really matters. Experiences like seeing Warren Buffett in flesh and blood, asking a question to Charlie Munger and being replied to, receiving a personally autographed book from Charlie, and now seeing Ruskin Bond hold Boundless.

None of these experiences have been about money or status. They have purely been about a closeness to greatness.

The True Currency of Life

As investors, we love to talk about compounding. Compounding wealth, compounding knowledge, and compounding returns. It’s the holy grail of long-term thinking—small things done consistently over time leading to extraordinary outcomes.

But I think the real magic happens when meaning compounds.

Because when I look back, not at the spreadsheets but at the soul-level, I realise the things that have truly stayed with me aren’t the financial milestones or business achievements, including how many people like my posts and how many follow on Twitter. What lasts are the conversations, the people, and the simple, unspectacular moments that made me feel something real.

Like getting letters from readers who told me Boundless and The Sketchbook of Wisdom made them rethink their entire approach to life. Some of them said the books made them cry. Others said they made them pick up a pen again, or call their parents, or quit a job that was eating away at their spirit.

Or like talking to my kids and trying to answer their endless stream of “but why?” questions—on why honesty is still the best policy, how they can keep their peace in a world going berserk with noise, or why some people believe money matters more than kindness. I know there’ll come a day when those questions will slow down, when the silence between us may grow longer before it fills again. And I’ll miss these days more than I can imagine now.

These are the real returns. The invisible ones. The kind you don’t see on a screen, but feel in your chest. They don’t add to your net worth, but to your life’s worth.

What Really Stays

I think about legacy sometimes, in the “what will I leave behind” sense. If there’s anything I’ve learned from the thinkers I admire, it’s that the real measure of life isn’t found in what we accumulate but in what we contribute.

Success, as the world defines it, is fleeting. Bank balances rise and fall. Titles get forgotten. Even bestsellers fade. But the way you make people feel, the ideas you share, and the love you give…that’s all that lingers.

Seeing Ruskin Bond holding Boundless reminded me of that.

I don’t measure my life in numbers anymore. I measure it in moments like these. And honestly, I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

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That’s all from me for today.

Let me know your thoughts on this issue of The Almanack of Good Life newsletter, and ways I can improve it. Also, if you have ideas or resources you think I can share in future letters, please email them to me at vishal[at]safalniveshak[dot]com.

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