When IITian and IIM Calcutta alum Mridul Anand turned 41, he didn’t gift himself a gadget, a getaway, or even a slice of cake guilt-free. Instead, he gave himself a question—one that most people spend a lifetime dodging: Who am I, really? His reflective yet witty post on LinkedIn turned into an internet favourite, blending midlife self-doubt, identity crises, and quiet self-acceptance into one deeply relatable narrative.
Mridul began his post by describing how birthdays have stopped feeling like milestones of celebration and started feeling more like annual performance reviews with life. He wrote about waking up late, skipping workouts for the third time that week, and replaying every small broken commitment in his head until it formed a harsh self-image: that of someone undisciplined and inconsistent.
He shared how quickly the human mind builds identities out of small moments—missing a workout becomes proof of laziness, scrolling on the phone becomes a sign of being a time-waster, failing at something makes you a failure. He compared these mental labels to tattoos we carry around, etched in pride or shame, constantly stinging no matter which side of success they fall on.
But the twist in his reflection came later that day. The so-called “time-waster” and “undisciplined” version of himself didn’t last beyond the afternoon. He found himself in deep work, followed by a long run that evening. The next day, he crushed his workout, only to feel undisciplined again by noon. The irony wasn’t lost on him—the patterns kept breaking their own rules.
His identity
This led him to a powerful realisation: identity isn’t fixed; it’s fluid. Between every “something happened” and “this is me,” there’s a pause—a small window where we get to rewrite who we are. Living in that pause, Mridul Anand said, takes a lifetime of practice, but he’s found one trick that helps. Whenever he catches himself labelling his behaviour, he adds two words: right now.
He admits it sounds simple, even silly, but those two words create just enough space to stop the spiral. “I’m undisciplined right now. I’m focused right now.” It’s a reminder that no state—good or bad—is permanent.
Internet reacts
In the comments, many readers found themselves deeply moved by Mridul Anand’s reflection. One person shared how they often drift between identities—wondering who they truly are without their attachments, achievements, or ambitions—and even recalled their mother’s advice that sometimes, thinking less might actually bring more peace. Another commenter described being human as a full-time job, juggling roles of critic, performer, and audience all at once, while learning to give oneself kinder reviews.
Others appreciated Anand’s honesty and self-awareness, saying they admired how he embraced his moments of indiscipline instead of fighting them. One reader beautifully summed it up, noting that life’s real joy lies in the ongoing search for “who am I,” and that perhaps it’s best not to find the answer too soon—because the journey itself is what makes us feel alive.
Mridul began his post by describing how birthdays have stopped feeling like milestones of celebration and started feeling more like annual performance reviews with life. He wrote about waking up late, skipping workouts for the third time that week, and replaying every small broken commitment in his head until it formed a harsh self-image: that of someone undisciplined and inconsistent.
He shared how quickly the human mind builds identities out of small moments—missing a workout becomes proof of laziness, scrolling on the phone becomes a sign of being a time-waster, failing at something makes you a failure. He compared these mental labels to tattoos we carry around, etched in pride or shame, constantly stinging no matter which side of success they fall on.
But the twist in his reflection came later that day. The so-called “time-waster” and “undisciplined” version of himself didn’t last beyond the afternoon. He found himself in deep work, followed by a long run that evening. The next day, he crushed his workout, only to feel undisciplined again by noon. The irony wasn’t lost on him—the patterns kept breaking their own rules.
His identity
This led him to a powerful realisation: identity isn’t fixed; it’s fluid. Between every “something happened” and “this is me,” there’s a pause—a small window where we get to rewrite who we are. Living in that pause, Mridul Anand said, takes a lifetime of practice, but he’s found one trick that helps. Whenever he catches himself labelling his behaviour, he adds two words: right now.
He admits it sounds simple, even silly, but those two words create just enough space to stop the spiral. “I’m undisciplined right now. I’m focused right now.” It’s a reminder that no state—good or bad—is permanent.
Internet reacts
In the comments, many readers found themselves deeply moved by Mridul Anand’s reflection. One person shared how they often drift between identities—wondering who they truly are without their attachments, achievements, or ambitions—and even recalled their mother’s advice that sometimes, thinking less might actually bring more peace. Another commenter described being human as a full-time job, juggling roles of critic, performer, and audience all at once, while learning to give oneself kinder reviews.
Others appreciated Anand’s honesty and self-awareness, saying they admired how he embraced his moments of indiscipline instead of fighting them. One reader beautifully summed it up, noting that life’s real joy lies in the ongoing search for “who am I,” and that perhaps it’s best not to find the answer too soon—because the journey itself is what makes us feel alive.
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