Nothing pays as good as what unemployment feels
oofff
A year of two halves: employed and unemployed.
Unemployment for the win.
(But please send money.)
“Nothing pays as good as unemployment feels.”
That sentence does come from privilege and I’m aware of it.
The privilege of being able to resign and try to build something, knowing another job is probably just a message away. My college gave me that. Those weird JEE prep days gave me that. I’m grateful I tried betting on myself this year.
Someone asked me recently:
Why would you willingly put yourself in this uncertainty when 99% of startups fail?
On paper, it’s a recipe for failure.
What I couldn’t explain then was the frustration of not living up to the vision I have of myself.
The pain of knowing you might be the smartest person in the room but still being too afraid to even enter those rooms.
I’ve started believing we massively overestimate intelligence.
Intelligence is nothing if it doesn’t get you closer to the life you want to wake up to every day. Scores, ranks, CGPAs, packages, they mean very little if you don’t look forward to the next morning or just sleeping peacefully at night
Even if this startup fails, I want to end up with a life where I’m excited to sleep just so I can wake up again.
The same feeling I had the night before school picnics.
I’ve read more self-help books than I’d like to admit, hoping one line would magically fix things. It didn’t. Post-graduation days were weird, heavy, and confusing and I was desperate for a playbook. (Still am. Please send one.)
But in hindsight, only two questions from all those books actually mattered:
1. Would 8-year-old me find this genuinely interesting?
2. Would 80-year-old me look back at this and feel content?
If either answer is a clear yes, I’ll do it.
If not onto the next thing.
But, on being real, don’t know how many months are left with this startup experiment, hopefully I don’t get into god’s strongest warrior 2026 gang again and 2026 Mei diamond ftw!!
Top Screenshots of 2025, this section is just for me, on that note, even this substack is just for me, entire video of top-150 screenshots below followed by top picks (quite difficult task but we did it)
-
Still funny
-
Namma bangalore
-
I Identify with multiple personalities but theek hai
-
Sorry
-
Soon, some money and I’m out
-
Got my first term sheet, didn’t take it though but still he took my term sheet virginity
-
Pasting this here for future use, rajma chawal and dal chawal for the win because I can cook only these two dishes
-
Launch post
-
Okay jaanu
-
Sad but true (someone take the initiative)
-
I’m nerdy enough to explain
-
Tumhe dekho naaaaaaa, yeh kya ho gyaaaa
-
Most probably
-
TRUTH and I will never stop it (maybe in control wink wink).
-
Very Possible
-
Screenshot direct sent to boys group, Akshat needs to be better
-
Whyyyy but I get it too
-
99.9% doctors agree
-
Gurgaon flat was epic and sometimes wayyy too personal, Pranav naughty
-
Right I am (until now, maybe employee soon)
-
Completed 4 years as an ordained minister, one day I will use my powers and marry people (I can, I checked), I’ll take ‘advantage’
-
Free’d
-
Lovely Singh goated but koi ‘ koi baat nahi ‘ toh bole
-
Had multiple screenshots of this, will try and call now (lol)
-
Of course chutiye (please)
-
Please try and understand (saith bhi chal sakte)
-
Not anymore baby
-
Very accurate
-
6 messages in 3 hours, fielding set
-
Borderline genius (no borderline)
-
WANTED
-
Soon, will play Bella ciao on my yacht (promised my sister too early)
-
More power to this noble initiative
-
Gaand Master
-
Self love ftw
Ending this very long post but two of my other picks, these aren’t top picks but the picks which very poetically ends this blog with the same thoughts it started with
That’s all for last blog of 2025, have a more crazier idea for this substack for next year, let’s see