being good at things isn't the point of doing them.

Jan & Feb's journey through Rise, 1517 grant, new routines, focus hackathons

at this point, failure is a friend & good friends help you.

Maybe it’s part of my Indian heritage that makes me nostalgic seeing every shady dark place called a ‘coffee house’- almost 2 houses combined area, lit up with just one chandelier, too high ceilings, and the area stretches beyond the reception’s end. It is simple. Life at the moment.

Redefining life.

My life rn is bigger than my dreams were. I wouldn’t have given a second thought if I had to do it all over again. So far I’ve mostly focused on creating excellent version of myself- it’s more than a science experiement, its achieveing greatness in a way that isn’t usual. So how did I do it- teaching myself to be better than i was before today?

picture from that art gallery that made me happy

one way is to realise. Realising an…

Idealistic but a realistic life.

(shoutout to Jess for this one) As you grow, you remember things that happen to you more. I am 16 & happy but it wasn’t always like this.

The good thing about being young, is that you have more time to do things. I could use my imagination then. - an old man on the internet.

Building a life that suits you in a way a glove would is not bad, it’s just that you’re not sure if you belong here. I constantly hear myself comparing how difficult it is for me to get friends or to have an easier life due to restraints but what I overlook is what leverage I have over millions around me.

I grew in the past 2 months more than I did in all of the years combined. My tolerance towards failure lessened while it increased towards resilience & understanding. As much as being in your happy place is comfortable it isn’t a token of growth. Find a happy place outside your comfort zone.

Which takes me to the second way-

Challenge yourself

What am I doing different than no other one is? Everyday I feel like I sarcrifice so much and yet there is somebody in this world who is sarcrificing more than me. Somebody who deserves it more than me.

So my advice: Challenge yourself not because somebody else is doing more but because you shouldn’t settle for anything less than what you deserve. Deserve by working hard.

I started using this tactic to remind myself what is weighing against my future.

cancelled my hotstar subscription to watch Mr Bean (honourable mention- my movies addiction)

I am Vibhuti, a 16 y/o with a lot of ‘I want to save the world’ in me. You can hear my spiel on anything at any time of the day, especially a philosophy lesson on how life is a lot more than trying not to die, but if you are into that kind of deep meaningful conversations, find me here or here

What the last 2 months looked like

Rise

submitted a project + cardboard prototype on ‘Portable desalination system’ suggested specifically for Rajasthan, India.

1517 Fund

Recently got $1000 to continue working on my project- building a battery management system (bms) for sodium batteries. Lithium is good but not good enough + clean energy is not the most reliable option. Different kinds of things require different use of energy so having our eyes open for cheaper, more available resources should be a thing.

Focus Hackathon

Here’s the deck + video but essentially we presented the idea of: Self charging sodium ion battery for wearable insulin pods (omnipods). These would be self charging using piezoelectricity so just by playing around with the pods, it could recharge & would be more flexible due to thin films.

We might’ve not won but didn’t fail either. “Failure is not about the outcome, it’s about not trying” (It seems that Sara Blakely’s words stuck.)

Working on a personal project

still pursuing on the bms project, I decided to give it my undivided attention & spending a lot of the time reading about it + dabbling into the EV world + Machine Learning

a month’s work for my bms design + my fat thumb

on a personal level though, I have been improving my deep work time. Solo travel around the city has been beautiful, if only i start to maybe travel to some more libraries & get shit done *cries in adhd* . Also reading more, reminding myself why I do it in the first place.

Anything else

(i haven’t been sleeping well due to exam season so chances are I sound salty to you)

so i tried the infamous American cream soda, and my brain said : Trash. But after the fizz went away, it grew on me only to have my teeth pain the entire next day based on how sweet it was.

they are not takis

learned to make boba at home & suceeded, the only problem is it was a face off vs my mom & technically she won so… either way it was a win for me for all the time i got with her & having a drink at the end is a bonus too.

realisation that i will be 17 is hitting me harder than ever. Tears appear behind my eyes thinking about it.

Random things i’ve been thinking of, often.

• Growing up is not the part that scares me, it’s not having the privilege to be a kid anymore that does.

• Building the T + tolerance for failure

• it takes a long time to realise how truly miserable you are and even longer to see it doesn’t have to be that way. - Bojack Horseman

• I grew in 2 most populated cities in the world with millions of people & yet nobody to talk to / I can call when I feel down.

• should i carry the green, metal notebook to write my thoughts down or the brown, harry potter one?

• also, which hardcover should I choose bw- all of them look like beauty to my eyes

(translation: no one here)