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Blog Post #4

Doing Less to Feel More

Vaibhav R. Patil

5/26/20251 min read

“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.”

Marcus Aurelius

Life is simple.

We make it complicated.

And then we suffer.

You have a stable job.

It pays well.

But your pursuit for more — more money, more status — starts harming your health and your relationships.

Wanting more isn’t bad.

Wanting more of what truly matters is the real question.

When I go to the temple, I pray for two things:

• “Deva, majhya saglya changlya ichcha poorn kar.”

Dear God, fulfil all my good aspirations.

• “Deva, mala samadhani kar.”

Dear God, make me content with what I have.

It doesn’t take much to live a good life.

Our endless chase for “more” is what makes us unhappy.

I’m guilty of it too.

I get attached to material things.

But the moment you realise your mistake — that’s the moment to correct it.

A few years ago, I wanted an Apple Watch.

I bought a used one.

Tried it for a week.

Returned it.

Before that, I wore an HMT mechanical watch.

Hand-wound.

I still wear it today.

There’s nothing like the feel of winding your watch in the morning.

It’s a ritual.

It grounds me.

I own 12 HMT watches, bought over a decade ago for ₹750–₹3,000 each.

They’re not worth much in money.

But to me, they’re priceless.

What truly matters is this:

Do more with what you already have.

Be more, with less.

The modern world calls it minimalism.

I just call it contentment.