Welcome to Radhika’s Newsletter “Intent”. This is your bi-weekly guide to purposeful living, wealth-building, and personal growth.

Ever since the beginning of time (or at least since I was born), my Indian mom has been obsessed with routines. I vividly remember being 8 years old counting down the days to summer break. 2 whole months of freedom: watching tv, coloring, doing absolutely nothing productive.

Instead, I got exactly 2 days of that.

When Monday rolled around, my mom woke me up at 7am, sat my down, put a notebook and pencil in front of me and asked me to write down a routine I wanted to follow for the rest of the summer.

I was immediately taken aback. The whole point of summer is to not wake up at 7am Mummy! But it’s hard to argue with a very convincing, type-A mom.

Eventually, she helped me come up with this masterpiece:

Sadly, I no longer have this notebook, but here’s a AI generated version that very closely depicts it.

So naturally, when I left home at 18 for college (and then again at 21 after graduating) I spent years trying to prove that I no longer needed a schedule.

I can do whatever I want. Whenever I want! That’s what adulthood is, right Some nights I went to bed at 10pm. Other nights at 1am. Dinner was salsa and tortilla chips one day. Cheese and crackers the next. Netflix kept asking, “Are you still watching?”
And the answer was always… yes..

Now, I’m a few years older and it is a bit painful to admit this (and I really hope she’s not reading this edition) but my mom was right. 🤫

And your day is the foundation for whether you actually take action on the things you say matter to you. If you don’t intentionally build time for yourself: your goals, your health, your creativity, your rest, how exactly is it supposed to happen?
“Somehow” isn’t a strategy.

Your routine doesn’t have to look the same forever. The routine that served your 8-year-old self won’t serve your 28-year-old self. And the routine you need now might not work a year from now. The goal really isn’t discipline for discipline’s sake.

The goal is intention. (you know I had to bring it full circle)

A good routine isn’t about waking up early, being extreme, or romanticizing discipline. A good routine does one thing well: it makes the things that matter to you inevitable. That’s it.

Instead of asking: “What should my routine look like?”
Ask:“What do I want to incorporate into my life right now?”

For me, that answer is simple (and very unsexy):
my health, my work, and my peace.

Just like when I was 8, I still like things written out plainly. No fancy productivity hacks. No color-coded calendar screenshots.

So here it is:

This routine isn’t impressive. It’s intentional.

A good routine should set you up so that the life you say you want is the life you’re quietly practicing every day. The point isn’t to make it more work for you. It is to incorporate the things you truly want to do instead of dreaming and saying “I wish I had time for that”.

So the question really is: what are you incorporating in your routine? (reply back - I’d love to hear from you!!)

P.S. yes. my mom would absolutely say, “See? I told you so.”

Btw - a few of you have reached out about a potential mentorship. If anyone else is interested, here’s the link to set something up:

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Thank you so much for being a part of the INTENT community. I rely on word-of-mouth for growth. If you enjoyed this newsletter, I’d love for you to share it with a friend.
Your commitment to living with purpose is exactly why this space exists. Can’t wait to share more in the next edition!

Until next time,
Radhika
Creating a life of purpose, wealth, and growth