<script data-pm-proxy="intercept"></script><?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></title><description><![CDATA[Trying to change the World, 1 Human at a time! ]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3wPI!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3935c5a0-673a-455f-89cc-070adc5dfee5_1179x1179.jpeg</url><title>Hitesh Bhatia</title><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 05:19:42 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[hiteshbhatia1@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[hiteshbhatia1@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[hiteshbhatia1@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[hiteshbhatia1@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Full Power Ya Full Sanyas. Beech Mein Kuch Nahi. 😅]]></title><description><![CDATA[If I drank, I wanted it every night. If I stopped, I stopped for three years. I called it intensity. It was also a prison.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/full-power-ya-full-sanyas-beech-mein</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/full-power-ya-full-sanyas-beech-mein</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 01:30:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iB8l!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c6f9613-6b14-477b-9dd9-daac1a8df769_1254x1254.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Hey,</span></p><p><span>Can I confess something slightly ridiculous?</span></p><p><span>I have never been very good at &#8220;a little.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>If I decide not to drink, I can stay away from alcohol for three years. But if I begin drinking, one part of me wants it every night.</span></p><p><span>If the stock market falls, my first instinct is not, &#8220;Let us invest sensibly.&#8221; It is, &#8220;Put every rupee we have into the market.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>I used to call this passion. Commitment. Living fully.</span></p><p><span>My family probably had another word for it.</span></p><p><span>Extremist.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#128293; Zero to Hundred Was My Only Gear</span></strong></p><p><span>There was something thrilling about living at the edges. Moderation felt dull. Balance sounded like the advice cautious people gave themselves because they were afraid to jump.</span></p><p><span>I was proud of being the man who could go all in. When I worked, I worked relentlessly. When I committed, I wanted the entire result. When I changed a habit, I turned it into a law.</span></p><p><span>But the same intensity that helped me build also knew how to punish me.</span></p><p><span>A missed target did not remain one missed target. It became evidence that I was failing. One late morning was not rest. It became a character flaw.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iB8l!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c6f9613-6b14-477b-9dd9-daac1a8df769_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iB8l!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c6f9613-6b14-477b-9dd9-daac1a8df769_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iB8l!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c6f9613-6b14-477b-9dd9-daac1a8df769_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iB8l!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c6f9613-6b14-477b-9dd9-daac1a8df769_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iB8l!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c6f9613-6b14-477b-9dd9-daac1a8df769_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iB8l!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c6f9613-6b14-477b-9dd9-daac1a8df769_1254x1254.png" width="1254" height="1254" 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c6f9613-6b14-477b-9dd9-daac1a8df769_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iB8l!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c6f9613-6b14-477b-9dd9-daac1a8df769_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iB8l!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c6f9613-6b14-477b-9dd9-daac1a8df769_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iB8l!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1c6f9613-6b14-477b-9dd9-daac1a8df769_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#9200; Even Rest Had to Pass an Exam</span></strong></p><p><span>I am naturally an early riser. Over time, waking early stopped being something that suited me and became proof that I was disciplined.</span></p><p><span>If I did not wake at 5:30, guilt arrived before breakfast.</span></p><p><span>Then one Saturday, I slept until eleven. When I finally walked out, I expected my family to tease me. I was the one forever telling everyone else to wake up early.</span></p><p><span>Instead, they were delighted.</span></p><p><span>&#8220;We are so happy you slept.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>That sentence stayed with me. The rest I considered weakness looked like relief to the people who loved me. My discipline had quietly become pressure&#8212;not only for me, but for everyone standing near me.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#127917; The Shadow Wasn&#8217;t My Intensity</span></strong></p><p><span>When I began working with the shadow of balance, I assumed the solution was obvious: reduce the extremist, become calmer, stop being so much.</span></p><p><span>But shadow work does not ask us to murder one part of ourselves so another part can look respectable.</span></p><p><span>My extremism had gifts. It gave me courage, momentum, appetite and the willingness to attempt what sensible people might reject. The problem was not that this part existed. The problem was that it had become the only driver allowed near the steering wheel.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oRhB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2eec76ab-c630-48de-98b9-c753055dfdf5_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oRhB!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2eec76ab-c630-48de-98b9-c753055dfdf5_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oRhB!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2eec76ab-c630-48de-98b9-c753055dfdf5_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oRhB!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2eec76ab-c630-48de-98b9-c753055dfdf5_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oRhB!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2eec76ab-c630-48de-98b9-c753055dfdf5_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oRhB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2eec76ab-c630-48de-98b9-c753055dfdf5_1254x1254.png" width="1254" height="1254" 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2eec76ab-c630-48de-98b9-c753055dfdf5_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oRhB!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2eec76ab-c630-48de-98b9-c753055dfdf5_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oRhB!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2eec76ab-c630-48de-98b9-c753055dfdf5_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!oRhB!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2eec76ab-c630-48de-98b9-c753055dfdf5_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#127754; Balance Was Not the Opposite of Me</span></strong></p><p><span>The real shift came when I stopped treating balance as surrender.</span></p><p><span>Balance did not mean becoming less ambitious. It meant choosing when intensity served me and when it was simply an old reflex dressed as strength.</span></p><p><span>I could invest without betting every rupee. I could rest without filing a case against myself. I could enjoy something without needing it every night&#8212;and stop without turning abstinence into a medal.</span></p><p><span>For the first time, I saw that being extreme and being balanced were not enemies. They could move together. One gave me fire. The other helped me decide where to place it.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rkPN!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25416608-68e1-4024-8afb-1fc47d63c763_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rkPN!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25416608-68e1-4024-8afb-1fc47d63c763_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rkPN!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25416608-68e1-4024-8afb-1fc47d63c763_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rkPN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25416608-68e1-4024-8afb-1fc47d63c763_1254x1254.png" width="1254" height="1254" 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25416608-68e1-4024-8afb-1fc47d63c763_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rkPN!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25416608-68e1-4024-8afb-1fc47d63c763_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rkPN!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25416608-68e1-4024-8afb-1fc47d63c763_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rkPN!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25416608-68e1-4024-8afb-1fc47d63c763_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#129694; Where Are You Living at the Edge?</span></strong></p><p><span>Notice one area where you only allow yourself two settings: perfect or failed, productive or lazy, strict or careless, all in or completely out.</span></p><p><span>Then ask: What gift does my extreme give me? What does it cost me when it becomes the only option? What would a middle setting look like today&#8212;not forever, just today?</span></p><p><span>The goal is not to become less of yourself.</span></p><p><span>It is to stop letting one powerful part make every decision.</span></p><p><span>I still have intensity. I still love going all in. But now, sometimes, I also sleep until eleven.</span></p><p><span>And the world survives.</span></p><p><span>If you&#8217;d like to explore the parts of yourself you have been fighting, I&#8217;d love to welcome you.</span></p><p><span>Maybe we&#8217;ll meet there.</span></p><p><span>With love,</span></p><p><span>Hitesh Bhatia<br></span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Zgy2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03dc92a1-7d72-4ea1-b8a9-95098470552e_1672x941.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Zgy2!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03dc92a1-7d72-4ea1-b8a9-95098470552e_1672x941.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Zgy2!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03dc92a1-7d72-4ea1-b8a9-95098470552e_1672x941.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Zgy2!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03dc92a1-7d72-4ea1-b8a9-95098470552e_1672x941.png 1272w, 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1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Zgy2!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03dc92a1-7d72-4ea1-b8a9-95098470552e_1672x941.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span><br></span></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Maa Loved Me. I Kept Returning the Parcel. 📦]]></title><description><![CDATA[She gave love in the only language she knew. I spent years rejecting it because it did not arrive in mine.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/maa-loved-me-i-kept-returning-the</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/maa-loved-me-i-kept-returning-the</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2026 01:30:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kvzP!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43c5ae7b-5134-4d6a-98dd-282e2dc366ab_1254x1254.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Hey,</span></p><p><span>Can two opposite things be true at the same time?</span></p><p><span>Can your mother have loved you deeply&#8212;and can you still have felt alone?</span></p><p><span>For years, I thought I had to choose one answer. If I admitted that something had been missing, I was being ungrateful. If I accepted that she loved me, I had to pretend the loneliness was not real.</span></p><p><span>Then I understood something that changed the way I looked at mothers, children and love itself.</span></p><p><span>The love may not have been missing. The delivery had failed.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#128230; The Love Came in the Wrong Packaging</span></strong></p><p><span>A mother loves in the way she knows how to love. For one mother, love is a hug. For another, it is a full plate, a warning, a question about whether you reached home, or the same instruction repeated five times.</span></p><p><span>The child, however, is waiting for love in the language that makes sense to the child.</span></p><p><span>Perhaps you needed softness and received discipline. Perhaps you needed praise and received advice. Perhaps she kept feeding you while one part of you was still waiting to be heard.</span></p><p><span>So the parcel kept arriving. You simply did not recognise what was inside.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kvzP!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43c5ae7b-5134-4d6a-98dd-282e2dc366ab_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kvzP!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43c5ae7b-5134-4d6a-98dd-282e2dc366ab_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kvzP!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43c5ae7b-5134-4d6a-98dd-282e2dc366ab_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kvzP!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43c5ae7b-5134-4d6a-98dd-282e2dc366ab_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kvzP!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43c5ae7b-5134-4d6a-98dd-282e2dc366ab_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kvzP!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43c5ae7b-5134-4d6a-98dd-282e2dc366ab_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#129296; When Respect Became Silence</span></strong></p><p><span>In India, many of us learn very early: respect your parents. It is a beautiful value&#8212;until respect gets confused with silence.</span></p><p><span>We become afraid that naming our pain will make our mother wrong. So we protect her goodness by abandoning our own truth.</span></p><p><span>But acknowledgement is not accusation.</span></p><p><span>&#8220;Mama, I know you loved me&#8221; can be true.</span></p><p><span>&#8220;Mama, I still felt lonely&#8221; can also be true.</span></p><p><span>Adulthood is not choosing the kinder sentence and burying the painful one. It is becoming large enough to hold both without turning either person into the villain.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#127917; I Was Still Waiting for a Different Mother</span></strong></p><p><span>During the relationship workshop, I invited people to look at their mother exactly as she was&#8212;not kinder, not more expressive, not finally saying the perfect sentence.</span></p><p><span>That is harder than it sounds.</span></p><p><span>Many of us are not only carrying what happened. We are carrying the waiting. Somewhere inside, the child is still hoping that one day the mother will return with the missing hug, apology, protection or approval.</span></p><p><span>And while we wait for yesterday to change, today remains paused.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!folI!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4898c62c-b43c-434e-8fa0-3bb5d0e68896_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!folI!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4898c62c-b43c-434e-8fa0-3bb5d0e68896_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!folI!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4898c62c-b43c-434e-8fa0-3bb5d0e68896_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!folI!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4898c62c-b43c-434e-8fa0-3bb5d0e68896_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!folI!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4898c62c-b43c-434e-8fa0-3bb5d0e68896_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!folI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4898c62c-b43c-434e-8fa0-3bb5d0e68896_1254x1254.png" width="1254" height="1254" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4898c62c-b43c-434e-8fa0-3bb5d0e68896_1254x1254.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1254,&quot;width&quot;:1254,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!folI!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4898c62c-b43c-434e-8fa0-3bb5d0e68896_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!folI!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4898c62c-b43c-434e-8fa0-3bb5d0e68896_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!folI!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4898c62c-b43c-434e-8fa0-3bb5d0e68896_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!folI!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4898c62c-b43c-434e-8fa0-3bb5d0e68896_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#127793; I Stopped Asking the Past to Redeliver</span></strong></p><p><span>Receiving my mother does not mean approving of every action. It does not erase hurt, excuse harm or demand closeness where closeness is unsafe.</span></p><p><span>It means I stop asking her to become someone else before I allow myself to live.</span></p><p><span>I can take the life that came through her. I can leave with her what belongs to her. I can honour the child who needed more&#8212;and become the adult who no longer makes that child wait alone.</span></p><p><span>This is where blame begins to loosen. Not because the past becomes acceptable, but because my future is no longer held hostage by the delivery I never received.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uKq_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb8d55f8-c84a-40ee-9b3a-4ff1bc52e1bd_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uKq_!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb8d55f8-c84a-40ee-9b3a-4ff1bc52e1bd_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uKq_!, 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb8d55f8-c84a-40ee-9b3a-4ff1bc52e1bd_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uKq_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb8d55f8-c84a-40ee-9b3a-4ff1bc52e1bd_1254x1254.png" width="1254" height="1254" 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb8d55f8-c84a-40ee-9b3a-4ff1bc52e1bd_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uKq_!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb8d55f8-c84a-40ee-9b3a-4ff1bc52e1bd_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uKq_!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb8d55f8-c84a-40ee-9b3a-4ff1bc52e1bd_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uKq_!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb8d55f8-c84a-40ee-9b3a-4ff1bc52e1bd_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#129694; Try This Without Making Anyone Wrong</span></strong></p><p><span>Write five words that come to you when you think of your mother. Circle the word carrying the strongest emotion.</span></p><p><span>Then ask: Where does this quality live inside me? What has it cost me? And what gift, strength or choice has it also given me?</span></p><p><span>Finally, complete these two sentences without editing yourself:</span></p><p><span>Mama, I know you loved me. And Mama, I also felt ______.</span></p><p><span>Let both truths remain on the page.</span></p><p><span>You do not have to return one truth to keep the other.</span></p><p><span>If you&#8217;d like to explore these patterns with support, I&#8217;d love to welcome you.</span></p><p><span>Maybe we&#8217;ll meet there.</span></p><p><span>With love,</span></p><p><span>Hitesh Bhatia</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ux1B!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4682e132-ae22-4b8e-a5c9-ee812c15bf90_1672x941.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ux1B!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4682e132-ae22-4b8e-a5c9-ee812c15bf90_1672x941.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ux1B!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4682e132-ae22-4b8e-a5c9-ee812c15bf90_1672x941.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ux1B!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4682e132-ae22-4b8e-a5c9-ee812c15bf90_1672x941.png 1272w, 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8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Plot Twist: The Healer Was Becoming the Habit.]]></title><description><![CDATA[People were changing in my sessions. The uncomfortable truth was that some were forgetting how to change without me.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/plot-twist-the-healer-was-becoming</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/plot-twist-the-healer-was-becoming</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 30 Aug 2026 01:30:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b1TH!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F336a6de5-25a5-4a8f-ab62-a441fa78bd50_1254x1254.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Hey,</span></p><p><span>Can I admit something that was difficult for me to see?</span></p><p><span>People were healing in front of me&#8212;and I was beginning to wonder whether my help was quietly becoming another thing they could not live without.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#129694; The Question Behind the Applause</span></strong></p><p><span>For weeks, our morning sessions had been opening something beautiful. We looked at old pain, money, relationships and the patterns people had carried for years. There were breakthroughs. Tears. Messages telling me that life was changing.</span></p><p><span>From the outside, it looked like proof that the work was succeeding. And if I am honest, part of me enjoyed being the person people came to when they felt lost.</span></p><p><span>Then, while travelling, the noise became quieter. I had time to notice what the applause had hidden: some people were waiting for the next session before they trusted themselves again.</span></p><p><span>They needed the next process. The next explanation. The next moment in which I helped them understand what was happening inside them.</span></p><p><span>A painful question rose in me: Was I helping people become free&#8212;or was I becoming necessary to their freedom?</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b1TH!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F336a6de5-25a5-4a8f-ab62-a441fa78bd50_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b1TH!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F336a6de5-25a5-4a8f-ab62-a441fa78bd50_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b1TH!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F336a6de5-25a5-4a8f-ab62-a441fa78bd50_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b1TH!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F336a6de5-25a5-4a8f-ab62-a441fa78bd50_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b1TH!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F336a6de5-25a5-4a8f-ab62-a441fa78bd50_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b1TH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F336a6de5-25a5-4a8f-ab62-a441fa78bd50_1254x1254.png" width="1254" height="1254" 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!b1TH!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F336a6de5-25a5-4a8f-ab62-a441fa78bd50_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#9888;&#65039; When Helping Starts to Feel Like Being Needed</span></strong></p><p><span>Dependence does not always look unhealthy. Sometimes it looks exactly like progress. You feel lighter after a session. You understand one more wound. Then life touches the same place again&#8212;and you wait for someone else to return you to yourself.</span></p><p><span>That realisation unsettled me because it also exposed something in me. Being needed can feel meaningful. It can look like service while quietly feeding the part of a teacher that wants to remain important.</span></p><p><span>I did not want to build a room where my presence was the source of someone else&#8217;s power. I wanted to build a room people could eventually leave with their own power intact.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#9917; The World Cup Showed Me What Was Missing</span></strong></p><p><span>Around that time, I watched the Football World Cup properly for the first time. I had never been a sports person, but one thing stayed with me: world-class players did not spend all day analysing why they once missed a goal.</span></p><p><span>They trained. They repeated the movement they wanted until their bodies could find it under pressure.</span></p><p><span>And suddenly I saw the gap. Healing can reveal why I freeze, blame, shrink or run. But awareness alone does not teach my life a new response. At some point, I have to practise the person I want to become.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0C6Y!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd630e407-8fb7-4620-a705-5cb9c98b1e6d_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0C6Y!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd630e407-8fb7-4620-a705-5cb9c98b1e6d_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0C6Y!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd630e407-8fb7-4620-a705-5cb9c98b1e6d_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0C6Y!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd630e407-8fb7-4620-a705-5cb9c98b1e6d_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0C6Y!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd630e407-8fb7-4620-a705-5cb9c98b1e6d_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0C6Y!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd630e407-8fb7-4620-a705-5cb9c98b1e6d_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#127793; I Changed What I Believed My Role Was</span></strong></p><p><span>After that, I stopped wanting our mornings to be only a place where we cleaned yesterday. I wanted them to become a place where we rehearsed tomorrow.</span></p><p><span>A guide can help you see. A process can help you feel. A community can hold you while something difficult moves. But no teacher can live the phone call, the money decision, the boundary or the ordinary afternoon when inspiration disappears.</span></p><p><span>That is where the work becomes yours.</span></p><p><span>The best guidance does not make the guide more powerful. It helps you recognise the power that was always waiting inside you.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Kb4!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac260233-048a-4ef2-87bc-980beb8235b2_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Kb4!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac260233-048a-4ef2-87bc-980beb8235b2_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Kb4!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac260233-048a-4ef2-87bc-980beb8235b2_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Kb4!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac260233-048a-4ef2-87bc-980beb8235b2_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Kb4!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac260233-048a-4ef2-87bc-980beb8235b2_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Kb4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac260233-048a-4ef2-87bc-980beb8235b2_1254x1254.png" width="1254" height="1254" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ac260233-048a-4ef2-87bc-980beb8235b2_1254x1254.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1254,&quot;width&quot;:1254,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Kb4!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac260233-048a-4ef2-87bc-980beb8235b2_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Kb4!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac260233-048a-4ef2-87bc-980beb8235b2_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Kb4!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac260233-048a-4ef2-87bc-980beb8235b2_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9Kb4!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac260233-048a-4ef2-87bc-980beb8235b2_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#129517; What Are You Practising Now?</span></strong></p><p><span>Ask yourself one question today: What am I ready to practise&#8212;not merely understand?</span></p><p><span>Choose one feeling you want more of: peace, confidence, abundance, freedom or love. Then complete this sentence: Today, the version of me who already feels ______ will ______.</span></p><p><span>Make the call. Say no. Review the finances. Receive the compliment. Rest without guilt. Give the new version of you one real moment&#8212;not only one more insight.</span></p><p><span>I still believe deeply in teachers, processes and communities. We all need support. But support should return you to your life more capable of living it; it should not make you frightened of who you are without the room.</span></p><p><span>My role is not to make you need me. It is to help you remember what becomes possible when you begin living the work for yourself.</span></p><p><span>If you&#8217;d like to experience this practice, I&#8217;d love to welcome you.<br><br>Maybe we&#8217;ll meet there.</span></p><p><span>With love,</span></p><p><span>Hitesh Bhatia</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2TJZ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F147a7933-82cb-4756-b7a1-4744fb13d975_1672x941.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2TJZ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2TJZ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F147a7933-82cb-4756-b7a1-4744fb13d975_1672x941.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[₹10 Crore in the Bank. Still Poor in My Head.]]></title><description><![CDATA[The balance had changed. The frightened man checking it was still waiting for permission to feel abundant.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/10-crore-in-the-bank-still-poor-in</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/10-crore-in-the-bank-still-poor-in</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 29 Aug 2026 01:31:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFta!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a759512-f863-431f-9fe6-9e45f276b367_1254x1254.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Hey,</span></p><p><span>Can I tell you what &#8377;10 crore could not buy me?</span></p><p><span>Permission.</span></p><p><span>Permission to relax. Permission to stop calculating. Permission to choose comfort without first putting myself on trial.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#9992;&#65039; The upgrade I could afford&#8212;but could not receive</span></strong></p><p><span>There was a time when I believed one number would change everything. At &#8377;1 crore, I still hesitated before spending, so I made myself a promise: when I reach &#8377;10 crore, I will finally feel abundant.</span></p><p><span>Then &#8377;10 crore arrived. The bank balance looked different, but the voice in my head sounded exactly the same: Do you really need it? Is it sensible? What if the money stops coming?</span></p><p><span>I could imagine having &#8377;100 crore and still staring at a business-class fare as though one comfortable flight might expose me as irresponsible. That realisation hurt&#8212;not because I wanted a luxurious seat, but because the man I had worked so hard to become still did not feel safe.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFta!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a759512-f863-431f-9fe6-9e45f276b367_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFta!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a759512-f863-431f-9fe6-9e45f276b367_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFta!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a759512-f863-431f-9fe6-9e45f276b367_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFta!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a759512-f863-431f-9fe6-9e45f276b367_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFta!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a759512-f863-431f-9fe6-9e45f276b367_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFta!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a759512-f863-431f-9fe6-9e45f276b367_1254x1254.png" width="1254" height="1254" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8a759512-f863-431f-9fe6-9e45f276b367_1254x1254.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1254,&quot;width&quot;:1254,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFta!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a759512-f863-431f-9fe6-9e45f276b367_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFta!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a759512-f863-431f-9fe6-9e45f276b367_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFta!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a759512-f863-431f-9fe6-9e45f276b367_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DFta!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a759512-f863-431f-9fe6-9e45f276b367_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>&#128176; My money grew. My fear upgraded with it.</strong><span><br>I had believed lack belonged to my circumstances. It did not. Lack had become part of my personality, and my personality kept recreating the same personal reality&#8212;even inside a much larger bank account.</span></p><p><span>More money gave me more choices, but it could not make those choices feel safe. It could support my family, build businesses and create extraordinary possibilities. It simply could not heal an emotion I practised every day.</span></p><p><span>That was the uncomfortable truth: I was rehearsing scarcity far more faithfully than I was visualising abundance. Ten minutes of imagining freedom could not compete with an entire day of guilt, caution and fear.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIeQ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7a0ab7d-0fdd-4e15-ae89-9d72dabd18ec_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIeQ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7a0ab7d-0fdd-4e15-ae89-9d72dabd18ec_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIeQ!, 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7a0ab7d-0fdd-4e15-ae89-9d72dabd18ec_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIeQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7a0ab7d-0fdd-4e15-ae89-9d72dabd18ec_1254x1254.png" width="1254" height="1254" 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7a0ab7d-0fdd-4e15-ae89-9d72dabd18ec_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIeQ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7a0ab7d-0fdd-4e15-ae89-9d72dabd18ec_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIeQ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7a0ab7d-0fdd-4e15-ae89-9d72dabd18ec_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eIeQ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7a0ab7d-0fdd-4e15-ae89-9d72dabd18ec_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#127917; I was waiting for money to change my character</span></strong></p><p><span>I kept seeing the house, the freedom and the bank balance I wanted. Then I opened my eyes and returned to being the same person who believed that life was still far away.</span></p><p><span>So I asked myself a different question: What did I believe more money would finally allow me to feel? The answer was not business class. It was peace. Security. Freedom. The feeling that I was finally enough.</span></p><p><span>And if those were the real desires, why was I postponing every one of them until a future number gave me permission?</span></p><p><strong><span>&#127793; Abundance had to become familiar</span></strong></p><p><span>I did not need to spend recklessly or pretend reality did not matter. I needed to practise becoming the person who could hold abundance without panic, guilt or apology.</span></p><p><span>That could begin in ordinary moments: making one decision from security, asking for the fee my work deserved, receiving help without proving I could do everything alone, or resting without feeling that I had failed.</span></p><p><span>The amount did not need to arrive before the identity could begin. The identity could begin today.<br><br></span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5Z_B!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb4eff9f-510e-42e1-87d1-54bcabc2e866_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5Z_B!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb4eff9f-510e-42e1-87d1-54bcabc2e866_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5Z_B!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb4eff9f-510e-42e1-87d1-54bcabc2e866_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5Z_B!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb4eff9f-510e-42e1-87d1-54bcabc2e866_1254x1254.png" width="1254" height="1254" 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb4eff9f-510e-42e1-87d1-54bcabc2e866_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5Z_B!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb4eff9f-510e-42e1-87d1-54bcabc2e866_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5Z_B!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb4eff9f-510e-42e1-87d1-54bcabc2e866_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5Z_B!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb4eff9f-510e-42e1-87d1-54bcabc2e866_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#129694;Try this today</span></strong></p><p><span>Write down one financial desire. Then ask: What feeling do I believe this money will give me?</span></p><p><span>Choose one word&#8212;peace, freedom, security, joy or worthiness&#8212;and complete this sentence: Today, the version of me who already feels ______ will ______.</span></p><p><span>Then do the second blank. Your financial reality may not change today, but the person creating it can.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#10084;&#65039; What changed for me</span></strong></p><p><span>I still welcome more money. I still want to create an extraordinary life. But I no longer expect a future number to complete all the inner work I keep avoiding today.</span></p><p><span>Money can expand my choices. It cannot choose my identity. That part is mine.</span></p><p><span>If you&#8217;d like to experience this practice, I&#8217;d love to welcome you.<br><br>Maybe we&#8217;ll meet there.</span></p><p><span>With love,</span></p><p><strong><span>Hitesh Bhatia</span></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pDo3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5559be85-3f6b-4e0d-8354-5f357d5c228e_1672x941.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pDo3!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pDo3!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5559be85-3f6b-4e0d-8354-5f357d5c228e_1672x941.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Love, Blame Aur Five-Minute War.]]></title><description><![CDATA[We still lose our way. Healing taught us how to return before anger turns into distance.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/love-blame-aur-five-minute-war</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/love-blame-aur-five-minute-war</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 01:30:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Swgj!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb5c2bd3-0cc3-43e4-b050-fcf7ce46cd78_1254x1254.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Hey,</span></p><p><span>Can I tell you something a therapist is not supposed to admit so easily?</span></p><p><span>My wife and I still fight. Sometimes, we fight like we have forgotten everything we teach.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#127968; The House That Started a War</span></strong></p><p><span>Recently, life felt like a rollercoaster. I had been travelling, plans kept changing, and then I learned that we had to leave our house.</span></p><p><span>I was tired, unsettled and angry. Instead of saying, &#8220;I am scared,&#8221; I looked at my wife and found someone to blame.</span></p><p><span>I told her, &#8220;This happened because you manifested change.&#8221; She replied, &#8220;You manifested change. You love change. Now we are changing the house.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>Back and forth we went. You did this. No, you did this. Both of us were speaking. Neither of us felt heard.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Swgj!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb5c2bd3-0cc3-43e4-b050-fcf7ce46cd78_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Swgj!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb5c2bd3-0cc3-43e4-b050-fcf7ce46cd78_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Swgj!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Swgj!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb5c2bd3-0cc3-43e4-b050-fcf7ce46cd78_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#128293; When One Fight Becomes the Whole Marriage</span></strong></p><p><span>If you had seen us, you might have wondered how two people who work on themselves could still behave like this. Honestly, a part of me wondered too.</span></p><p><span>I once believed healing would make me calm enough to never be triggered. But the person you love can still press a button nobody else knows exists.</span></p><p><span>Earlier, the argument would end but the punishment would continue. I would replay her words, prepare my defence and collect evidence that I was right.</span></p><p><span>Soon, one difficult moment became a verdict: she does not understand me; she does not respect me; perhaps she does not love me.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#127917; The Children Inside the Adults</span></strong></p><p><span>That day, it looked as though we were fighting about a house. Underneath, two frightened parts of us were trying not to feel powerless.</span></p><p><span>We were adults in the room, but younger versions of us had entered the argument. One heard danger. The other heard blame. Both wanted protection.</span></p><p><span>Seeing that did not make us instantly polite or decide who was right. But it stopped me from turning my wife into the enemy.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZN4v!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09861abd-6749-4e05-87cc-56b7aabf63ae_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZN4v!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09861abd-6749-4e05-87cc-56b7aabf63ae_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZN4v!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09861abd-6749-4e05-87cc-56b7aabf63ae_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZN4v!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09861abd-6749-4e05-87cc-56b7aabf63ae_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZN4v!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09861abd-6749-4e05-87cc-56b7aabf63ae_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZN4v!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09861abd-6749-4e05-87cc-56b7aabf63ae_1254x1254.png" width="1254" height="1254" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/09861abd-6749-4e05-87cc-56b7aabf63ae_1254x1254.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1254,&quot;width&quot;:1254,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZN4v!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09861abd-6749-4e05-87cc-56b7aabf63ae_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZN4v!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09861abd-6749-4e05-87cc-56b7aabf63ae_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZN4v!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09861abd-6749-4e05-87cc-56b7aabf63ae_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZN4v!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09861abd-6749-4e05-87cc-56b7aabf63ae_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#10084;&#65039; Five Minutes Back to Love</span></strong></p><p><span>For one brief second, winning still felt important. I could have delivered one more sharp sentence. I could have made sure she knew exactly how hurt I was.</span></p><p><span>But then I saw the person beside me&#8212;not the villain my fear had created, not the person responsible for every unfinished pain inside me. My wife.</span></p><p><span>Five minutes later, we were hugging and smiling. The house still had to change. The uncertainty had not vanished. But anger no longer owned the day.</span></p><p><span>That is one of the deepest changes in our marriage. We still lose our way. We simply do not build a home inside the distance anymore.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dwig!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a1f2633-1bd8-47b2-84e6-042f759f83ad_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dwig!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a1f2633-1bd8-47b2-84e6-042f759f83ad_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dwig!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a1f2633-1bd8-47b2-84e6-042f759f83ad_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dwig!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a1f2633-1bd8-47b2-84e6-042f759f83ad_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dwig!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a1f2633-1bd8-47b2-84e6-042f759f83ad_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dwig!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a1f2633-1bd8-47b2-84e6-042f759f83ad_1254x1254.png" width="1254" height="1254" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2a1f2633-1bd8-47b2-84e6-042f759f83ad_1254x1254.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1254,&quot;width&quot;:1254,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dwig!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a1f2633-1bd8-47b2-84e6-042f759f83ad_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dwig!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a1f2633-1bd8-47b2-84e6-042f759f83ad_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dwig!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a1f2633-1bd8-47b2-84e6-042f759f83ad_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Dwig!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2a1f2633-1bd8-47b2-84e6-042f759f83ad_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#129782; The Question That Changed Everything</span></strong></p><p><span>Maybe we measure relationships by the wrong question. We ask, &#8220;Why do we still fight?&#8221; A better question may be, &#8220;How long does it take us to come back?&#8221;</span></p><p><span>Can I recognise the hurt beneath my anger? Can I pause before the cruel sentence? Can I remember that disagreement is not rejection?</span></p><p><span>Healing is not the day nothing difficult happens. It is the day one painful moment stops stealing an entire relationship from you.</span></p><p><span>Think of your last argument. What were you really protecting&#8212;your need to feel safe, respected, important or loved? Name that need before you name the enemy.</span></p><p><span>Two people can lose their way without losing each other. Sometimes the most powerful words in a relationship are not &#8220;I was right.&#8221; They are &#8220;I am back.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>If you&#8217;d like to experience this practice, I&#8217;d love to welcome you.</span></p><p><span>Maybe we&#8217;ll meet there.</span></p><p><span>With love,</span></p><p><strong><span>Hitesh Bhatia</span></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YIPq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa40b1d97-1656-4f2f-aaf2-827acdeab1c5_1672x941.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YIPq!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a40b1d97-1656-4f2f-aaf2-827acdeab1c5_1672x941.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YIPq!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YIPq!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa40b1d97-1656-4f2f-aaf2-827acdeab1c5_1672x941.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pink Didn’t Make Me Less of a Man. Fear Did.]]></title><description><![CDATA[For years, I called three safe colours my personality. I was really dressing for the approval of a rule nobody had asked me to obey.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/pink-didnt-make-me-less-of-a-man</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/pink-didnt-make-me-less-of-a-man</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2026 01:30:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!urc_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fbd89dd-fbe9-4e41-af8f-8c4b10b60650_1000x1000.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Hey,</span></p><p><span>Can I tell you about a rule I followed for years&#8212;without remembering who had made it?</span></p><p><strong><span>&#128084; The Office Uniform</span></strong></p><p><span>My wife told me this much later. Before we started dating, we worked in the same office. She and her colleagues had a small game: they would guess which shirt I would wear the next day.</span></p><p><span>It was not a difficult game. I wore only three colours: blue, grey and white. If I wore grey on Monday, someone would confidently predict white for Tuesday&#8212;and usually be right.</span></p><p><span>I laughed when I heard this. But they had noticed something I had never questioned. My wardrobe was not simply a wardrobe. It was a boundary I had mistaken for a personality.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!urc_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fbd89dd-fbe9-4e41-af8f-8c4b10b60650_1000x1000.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!urc_!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fbd89dd-fbe9-4e41-af8f-8c4b10b60650_1000x1000.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!urc_!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fbd89dd-fbe9-4e41-af8f-8c4b10b60650_1000x1000.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!urc_!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fbd89dd-fbe9-4e41-af8f-8c4b10b60650_1000x1000.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!urc_!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fbd89dd-fbe9-4e41-af8f-8c4b10b60650_1000x1000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!urc_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fbd89dd-fbe9-4e41-af8f-8c4b10b60650_1000x1000.jpeg" width="1000" height="1000" 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!urc_!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2fbd89dd-fbe9-4e41-af8f-8c4b10b60650_1000x1000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#127917; The Rule Nobody Gave Me</span></strong></p><p><span>Somewhere along the way, I had decided that masculine men did not wear pink. They did not choose anything too bright. They looked serious, respectable and safely colourless.</span></p><p><span>Nobody stood outside my cupboard enforcing this rule. There was no fashion police. No family meeting. No official declaration. I had become both the prisoner and the guard.</span></p><p><span>The clever part was that it did not feel like fear. It felt like taste. It felt like identity. That is how an inherited belief survives: it stops sounding like an opinion and starts introducing itself as you.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0pD7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f37d2e9-bb38-4c6a-ac64-205fe7c82f1b_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0pD7!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f37d2e9-bb38-4c6a-ac64-205fe7c82f1b_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0pD7!, 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f37d2e9-bb38-4c6a-ac64-205fe7c82f1b_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0pD7!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f37d2e9-bb38-4c6a-ac64-205fe7c82f1b_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0pD7!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f37d2e9-bb38-4c6a-ac64-205fe7c82f1b_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0pD7!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f37d2e9-bb38-4c6a-ac64-205fe7c82f1b_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#129694; A Shirt Was Never Just a Shirt</span></strong></p><p><span>I sometimes describe belief as &#8220;the lie you live.&#8221; That was exactly what I had done. I had repeated a small lie about colour until obedience began to look natural.</span></p><p><span>And this pattern was bigger than clothing. We all carry invisible dress codes for life: people like me cannot do that; a good partner must behave this way; success will make others uncomfortable.</span></p><p><span>Then we organise our choices around those rules and call the result reality. We do not realise that the cage feels familiar only because we have decorated it ourselves.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#127752; The Day Pink Became Ordinary</span></strong></p><p><span>Today, I wear pink&#8212;and I enjoy it. It is not a dramatic rebellion. No music plays when I open the cupboard. No one hands me an award. It is simply a shirt.</span></p><p><span>But it is also evidence. An old rule can lose its authority. I can notice a belief without continuing to obey it. I can become more expressive without becoming less of a man.</span></p><p><span>The colour was never the transformation. The freedom was. Pink did not change my masculinity; it exposed how much of it I had outsourced to other people&#8217;s imagined approval.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZwjZ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F131beb52-44e2-48e2-8f4d-e2665087ec4a_1024x1536.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZwjZ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F131beb52-44e2-48e2-8f4d-e2665087ec4a_1024x1536.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZwjZ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F131beb52-44e2-48e2-8f4d-e2665087ec4a_1024x1536.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZwjZ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F131beb52-44e2-48e2-8f4d-e2665087ec4a_1024x1536.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZwjZ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F131beb52-44e2-48e2-8f4d-e2665087ec4a_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZwjZ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F131beb52-44e2-48e2-8f4d-e2665087ec4a_1024x1536.png" width="1024" height="1536" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/131beb52-44e2-48e2-8f4d-e2665087ec4a_1024x1536.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1536,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZwjZ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F131beb52-44e2-48e2-8f4d-e2665087ec4a_1024x1536.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZwjZ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F131beb52-44e2-48e2-8f4d-e2665087ec4a_1024x1536.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZwjZ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F131beb52-44e2-48e2-8f4d-e2665087ec4a_1024x1536.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZwjZ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F131beb52-44e2-48e2-8f4d-e2665087ec4a_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#128173; What Is Your Pink Shirt?</span></strong></p><p><span>Look at one area of your life that has become blue, grey and white&#8212;safe, predictable and familiar. What rule are you following there? Who told you it was true?</span></p><p><span>Now imagine yourself without that rule. Notice how you speak, choose and enter the room. Then do one small thing that version of you would do today.</span></p><p><span>Freedom rarely arrives as one heroic act. Sometimes it begins quietly&#8212;in front of a cupboard&#8212;when you reach past the colours you have always worn.</span></p><p><span>If you&#8217;d like to experience this practice, I&#8217;d love to welcome you.</span></p><p><span>Maybe we&#8217;ll meet there.</span></p><p><span>With love,</span></p><p><strong><span>Hitesh Bhatia</span></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DBrN!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd8e07e8b-6fa5-4937-b6ab-65ba6f4a46a1_1672x941.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DBrN!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Love Wasn’t Repeating Itself. I Was.]]></title><description><![CDATA[I called it intuition. It was an old heartbreak putting every new relationship on trial.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/love-wasnt-repeating-itself-i-was</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/love-wasnt-repeating-itself-i-was</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 01:30:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o9N7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb0be7a9-4b44-4c3a-bb4e-5ebe16fb95b5_1024x1536.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o9N7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb0be7a9-4b44-4c3a-bb4e-5ebe16fb95b5_1024x1536.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o9N7!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb0be7a9-4b44-4c3a-bb4e-5ebe16fb95b5_1024x1536.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o9N7!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb0be7a9-4b44-4c3a-bb4e-5ebe16fb95b5_1024x1536.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o9N7!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb0be7a9-4b44-4c3a-bb4e-5ebe16fb95b5_1024x1536.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o9N7!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb0be7a9-4b44-4c3a-bb4e-5ebe16fb95b5_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o9N7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb0be7a9-4b44-4c3a-bb4e-5ebe16fb95b5_1024x1536.png" width="1024" height="1536" 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb0be7a9-4b44-4c3a-bb4e-5ebe16fb95b5_1024x1536.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o9N7!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb0be7a9-4b44-4c3a-bb4e-5ebe16fb95b5_1024x1536.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o9N7!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb0be7a9-4b44-4c3a-bb4e-5ebe16fb95b5_1024x1536.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!o9N7!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb0be7a9-4b44-4c3a-bb4e-5ebe16fb95b5_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>Hey,</span></p><p><span>For a long time, I thought heartbreak had made me wiser in love. I noticed every change in tone, silence and delayed reply.</span></p><p><span>I believed I could sense distance before there was any distance.</span></p><p><span>Then I saw something uncomfortable: I was not always reading the person in front of me. Sometimes, I was reading my past.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#9654; The Rules Nobody Could Hear</span></strong></p><p><span>Years ago, I experienced heartbreak. Life continued and I loved again&#8212;but one frightened part of me stayed behind.</span></p><p><span>It wrote quiet rules: be careful, do not trust too quickly, and never miss the signs again.</span></p><p><span>So quietness became withdrawal. A changed plan became rejection. Someone needing space became the beginning of an ending.</span></p><p><span>My mind filled in every blank before I had asked a single question.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#9680; Fear Wearing Wisdom&#8217;s Clothes</span></strong></p><p><span>I called this intuition. But intuition is quiet; this was fear speaking urgently while dressed as wisdom.</span></p><p><span>It was not trying to destroy love. It was trying to protect me from ever feeling that old pain again.</span></p><p><span>For the first time, I did not fight that part. I thanked it for trying to keep me safe.</span></p><p><span>Then I added the sentence it needed to hear: this is not then, and this person is not that person.<br><br></span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6cpW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7df1e3cd-f06a-4380-934d-1b4061aba458_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6cpW!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7df1e3cd-f06a-4380-934d-1b4061aba458_1254x1254.png 424w, 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6cpW!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7df1e3cd-f06a-4380-934d-1b4061aba458_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#9678; When the Past Entered the Room</span></strong></p><p><span>Nothing disappeared dramatically. I simply began noticing when the past entered the room.</span></p><p><span>When it did, I paused: what has actually happened, and what am I assuming?</span></p><p><span>Am I responding to this moment&#8212;or trying to prevent an old one?</span></p><p><span>Those questions created space to ask instead of accuse, listen instead of prepare for an ending, and let silence remain silence.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#9733; A New Person Is Not an Old Ending</span></strong></p><p><span>I once believed healing meant forgetting what happened. It does not. The memory and its lessons can remain.</span></p><p><span>What does not have to remain is the rule that every new story must end the same way.</span></p><p><span>Love cannot grow while answering for somebody else&#8217;s mistake. The person in front of me deserves to be seen as they are.</span></p><p><span>And I deserve to experience this chapter without reading it through the ending of an older one.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iEV5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e31b50-e951-4b9d-974a-73822dafbb20_1024x1536.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iEV5!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e31b50-e951-4b9d-974a-73822dafbb20_1024x1536.png 424w, 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iEV5!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e31b50-e951-4b9d-974a-73822dafbb20_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#10022; I Will Not Abandon Today</span></strong></p><p><span>Now, when fear asks, &#8220;What if it happens again?&#8221; I do not promise myself that pain will never return. None of us can make that promise.</span></p><p><span>I tell myself something more honest: if pain comes, I will meet it then. But I will not abandon today while trying to protect myself from tomorrow.</span></p><p><span>My past has taught me and shaped me. It does not get to choose every person I trust&#8212;or write every ending before the story has begun.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#9676; Your Turn</span></strong></p><p><span>When fear speaks, ask: is this moment dangerous, or does it simply resemble something that once was? See the person in front of you before asking them to defend you from somebody who is no longer there.</span></p><p><strong><span>If you&#8217;d like to experience it, I&#8217;d love to welcome you.</span></strong></p><p><span>Maybe we&#8217;ll meet there.</span></p><p><span>With love,</span></p><p><strong><span>Hitesh Bhatia<br></span></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ip2h!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a7dc23e-544c-4a08-8986-be55b3110547_1672x941.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ip2h!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mere Dost Ki Haar Mein, Maine Apni Jeet Chhupa Di.]]></title><description><![CDATA[I called it kindness. It became a lifelong rule: if someone else was hurting, I had no right to shine.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/mere-dost-ki-haar-mein-maine-apni</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/mere-dost-ki-haar-mein-maine-apni</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2026 01:30:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rRG5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9983055e-2b3f-4bf5-b4ca-4b19475b66fc_1024x1381.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rRG5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9983055e-2b3f-4bf5-b4ca-4b19475b66fc_1024x1381.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rRG5!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9983055e-2b3f-4bf5-b4ca-4b19475b66fc_1024x1381.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rRG5!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9983055e-2b3f-4bf5-b4ca-4b19475b66fc_1024x1381.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rRG5!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9983055e-2b3f-4bf5-b4ca-4b19475b66fc_1024x1381.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rRG5!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9983055e-2b3f-4bf5-b4ca-4b19475b66fc_1024x1381.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rRG5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9983055e-2b3f-4bf5-b4ca-4b19475b66fc_1024x1381.png" width="1024" height="1381" 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1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rRG5!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9983055e-2b3f-4bf5-b4ca-4b19475b66fc_1024x1381.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>Hey,</span></p><p><span>I still remember the day I topped my school in mathematics. I scored 76 out of 100, and to the boy I was then, it felt enormous.</span></p><p><span>I wanted to celebrate. I wanted to stand at the Gateway of India and tell the whole world, &#8220;I did it.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>But one of my closest friends had failed that year. So I folded my happiness away and spent two hours at his house consoling him.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#9654; The Scene That Changed the Script</span></strong></p><p><span>On the surface, it looked like kindness. Part of it was&#8212;but another lesson quietly entered me that day.</span></p><p><span>If someone else was struggling, my joy could hurt them. If I celebrated openly, I might look insensitive, arrogant or full of myself.</span></p><p><span>So I did not simply comfort my friend. I made a private bargain: I could care for other people, but only by becoming smaller beside them.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#9680; When Humility Became a Disguise</span></strong></p><p><span>That bargain followed me into adulthood. Whenever something went well, I immediately explained why it was not a big deal.</span></p><p><span>When someone appreciated me, I softened the compliment. When I felt proud, I looked around to check whether everybody else was comfortable first.</span></p><p><span>I called it humility. But sometimes humility is fear wearing respectable clothes&#8212;the fear that our light will disturb the room.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUt3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91903ff8-81c8-4acc-9ba4-d6ab1e970212_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUt3!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91903ff8-81c8-4acc-9ba4-d6ab1e970212_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUt3!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91903ff8-81c8-4acc-9ba4-d6ab1e970212_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUt3!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91903ff8-81c8-4acc-9ba4-d6ab1e970212_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUt3!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91903ff8-81c8-4acc-9ba4-d6ab1e970212_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUt3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91903ff8-81c8-4acc-9ba4-d6ab1e970212_1254x1254.png" width="1254" height="1254" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/91903ff8-81c8-4acc-9ba4-d6ab1e970212_1254x1254.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1254,&quot;width&quot;:1254,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUt3!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91903ff8-81c8-4acc-9ba4-d6ab1e970212_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUt3!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91903ff8-81c8-4acc-9ba4-d6ab1e970212_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUt3!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91903ff8-81c8-4acc-9ba4-d6ab1e970212_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yUt3!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91903ff8-81c8-4acc-9ba4-d6ab1e970212_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#9678; The Finish Line I Kept Moving</span></strong></p><p><span>Years later, I carried the same rule into Joining Hands. I decided it would count as successful only when it reached &#8377;100 crore.</span></p><p><span>People could tell me their lives were changing. One person could feel lighter, one family could respond differently, and my mind would still whisper: not enough.</span></p><p><span>I thought I was setting a bold goal. In truth, I had placed success so far away that I never had to risk calling myself successful today.</span></p><p><span>Failure was not the real fear hiding beneath that number. Visibility was.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#9733; I Was Allowed to Be Seen</span></strong></p><p><span>So I began changing the definition. Success became one honest message saying, &#8220;My life is changing.&#8221; It became one person choosing a new response instead of an old reaction.</span></p><p><span>Those moments were not tiny steps on the way to success. They were success&#8212;and acknowledging them did not steal anything from anyone else.</span></p><p><span>I could celebrate without becoming superior. I could be visible and remain kind. I could take up space and still make room for others.</span></p><p><span>Humility did not require me to disappear.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qF1J!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45376a2-3133-4401-932d-339c923ee8e5_1024x1536.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qF1J!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45376a2-3133-4401-932d-339c923ee8e5_1024x1536.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qF1J!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45376a2-3133-4401-932d-339c923ee8e5_1024x1536.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qF1J!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45376a2-3133-4401-932d-339c923ee8e5_1024x1536.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qF1J!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45376a2-3133-4401-932d-339c923ee8e5_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qF1J!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45376a2-3133-4401-932d-339c923ee8e5_1024x1536.png" width="1024" height="1536" 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45376a2-3133-4401-932d-339c923ee8e5_1024x1536.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qF1J!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45376a2-3133-4401-932d-339c923ee8e5_1024x1536.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qF1J!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45376a2-3133-4401-932d-339c923ee8e5_1024x1536.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qF1J!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc45376a2-3133-4401-932d-339c923ee8e5_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#10022; The Words I Once Avoided</span></strong></p><p><span>The boy who topped mathematics never had to choose between loving his friend and celebrating himself. He could have done both.</span></p><p><span>I wish I had known that then. But I know it now, and I am learning to say the words that once made me uncomfortable.</span></p><p><strong><span>I am successful. I am powerful. I am visible. I am making a difference.</span></strong></p><p><span>Not because everything is perfect, but because success is already happening in the moments I once trained myself to overlook.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#9676; Your Turn</span></strong></p><p><span>What achievement have you made smaller? What compliment have you refused to receive because somebody else might feel uncomfortable?</span></p><p><span>Today, stop moving the finish line. Name one thing you are proud of, say it without apologising, and let yourself feel it.</span></p><p><span>You are not becoming arrogant. You are becoming available to your own power. It is safe for you to be seen.</span></p><p><strong><span>If you&#8217;d like to experience it, I&#8217;d love to welcome you.</span></strong></p><p><span>Maybe we&#8217;ll meet there.</span></p><p><span>With love,</span></p><p><strong><span>Hitesh Bhatia</span></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w8yQ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67ebd1fd-3eab-4bea-aca5-4db8d7ab64d3_1672x941.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w8yQ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67ebd1fd-3eab-4bea-aca5-4db8d7ab64d3_1672x941.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w8yQ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67ebd1fd-3eab-4bea-aca5-4db8d7ab64d3_1672x941.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w8yQ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67ebd1fd-3eab-4bea-aca5-4db8d7ab64d3_1672x941.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w8yQ!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67ebd1fd-3eab-4bea-aca5-4db8d7ab64d3_1672x941.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Picture Hit Thi. Main Hi Script Badalta Raha.]]></title><description><![CDATA[I called it a discipline problem. The truth was harder: every time success became repeatable, I ran towards something new.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/picture-hit-thi-main-hi-script-badalta</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/picture-hit-thi-main-hi-script-badalta</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 01:30:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lGxV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb128f29e-9196-4adb-911e-8fba7b20aa16_1536x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Hey,</span></p><p><span>For years, I said I wanted growth: bigger work, more impact and more money. The ambition sounded clear. My behaviour told a very different story.</span></p><p><span>At Joining Hands, we had built a successful model. People were learning, the community was growing and the work was creating results. Then, just when the structure began to work, I changed everything.</span></p><p><span>I stopped teaching constellations and explored something new. Then came shadow work, another process and another programme. From the outside, it looked like reinvention. Inside, I simply could not stay.</span></p><p><span>&#9654; The Story I Kept Telling Myself</span></p><p><span>I decided the problem was discipline. Maybe I became bored too easily. Maybe I lacked consistency. Maybe I was the reason my work was not growing in the way I said I wanted.</span></p><p><span>I searched for better plans, stronger routines and more commitment. But I was solving the wrong problem, because discipline was never the real villain in this story.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lGxV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb128f29e-9196-4adb-911e-8fba7b20aa16_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lGxV!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb128f29e-9196-4adb-911e-8fba7b20aa16_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lGxV!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb128f29e-9196-4adb-911e-8fba7b20aa16_1536x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lGxV!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb128f29e-9196-4adb-911e-8fba7b20aa16_1536x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lGxV!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb128f29e-9196-4adb-911e-8fba7b20aa16_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lGxV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb128f29e-9196-4adb-911e-8fba7b20aa16_1536x1024.png" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b128f29e-9196-4adb-911e-8fba7b20aa16_1536x1024.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lGxV!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb128f29e-9196-4adb-911e-8fba7b20aa16_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lGxV!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb128f29e-9196-4adb-911e-8fba7b20aa16_1536x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lGxV!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb128f29e-9196-4adb-911e-8fba7b20aa16_1536x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!lGxV!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb128f29e-9196-4adb-911e-8fba7b20aa16_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>&#8635; The Plot Twist</span></p><p><span>One morning, I finally saw the pattern. I was not changing everything because I was incapable of consistency. I was changing everything because variety is one of my deepest psychological needs.</span></p><p><span>I love discovery, possibility and the excitement of what I have not tried before. I kept saying I wanted growth, but whenever growth required repetition, my need for variety quietly took control.</span></p><p><span>The business did not always need another idea; sometimes I needed the emotional high of one. I had confused movement with progress and novelty with transformation.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rI0S!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8443c759-cf77-409f-bc35-984f1cb55862_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rI0S!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8443c759-cf77-409f-bc35-984f1cb55862_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rI0S!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8443c759-cf77-409f-bc35-984f1cb55862_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rI0S!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8443c759-cf77-409f-bc35-984f1cb55862_1536x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rI0S!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8443c759-cf77-409f-bc35-984f1cb55862_1536x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rI0S!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8443c759-cf77-409f-bc35-984f1cb55862_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>&#9670; I Wasn&#8217;t Broken. I Was Protected.</span></p><p><span>The realisation did not excuse my choices, but it changed the way I understood them. I was not lazy, broken or undisciplined. A part of me was protecting an experience that mattered deeply: freedom through variety.</span></p><p><span>That protection had a cost. Every time I abandoned what was working, I protected myself from boredom but also interrupted momentum. I got the excitement of a fresh beginning without allowing the old work to mature.</span></p><p><span>&#10003; Discipline Wasn&#8217;t the Answer</span></p><p><span>My transformation was not forcing myself to become a person who loves repetition. It was learning to honour variety without allowing it to destroy the growth I had already created.</span></p><p><span>Now I ask a different question when I want to change direction: does the work genuinely need a new path, or does a part of me simply need something new to feel alive?</span></p><p><span>Sometimes the answer is innovation; sometimes it is patience. Now I can choose consciously instead of letting an invisible need rewrite the entire script.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vsiq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e63f7b-7d0c-48ba-aaf2-e4b038874781_887x1539.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vsiq!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e63f7b-7d0c-48ba-aaf2-e4b038874781_887x1539.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vsiq!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e63f7b-7d0c-48ba-aaf2-e4b038874781_887x1539.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vsiq!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e63f7b-7d0c-48ba-aaf2-e4b038874781_887x1539.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vsiq!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e63f7b-7d0c-48ba-aaf2-e4b038874781_887x1539.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vsiq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e63f7b-7d0c-48ba-aaf2-e4b038874781_887x1539.png" width="887" height="1539" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/28e63f7b-7d0c-48ba-aaf2-e4b038874781_887x1539.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1539,&quot;width&quot;:887,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3225363,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vsiq!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e63f7b-7d0c-48ba-aaf2-e4b038874781_887x1539.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vsiq!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e63f7b-7d0c-48ba-aaf2-e4b038874781_887x1539.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vsiq!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e63f7b-7d0c-48ba-aaf2-e4b038874781_887x1539.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vsiq!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28e63f7b-7d0c-48ba-aaf2-e4b038874781_887x1539.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>&#10022; Look Beneath the Label</span></p><p><span>What do you keep criticising in yourself? Procrastination, inconsistency, undercharging or staying small? Before you call it self-sabotage, ask what emotional experience that pattern may be giving you.</span></p><p><span>Is it protecting comfort, safety, belonging, importance or freedom? Do not rush to judge the answer. Curiosity can reveal what punishment never will.</span></p><p><span>You may not need a harsher routine. You may need a life where your goals and emotional needs can move in the same direction. That is where discipline stops feeling like punishment and starts feeling like alignment.</span></p><p><span>If you&#8217;d like to experience it, I&#8217;d love to welcome you.</span></p><p><span>Join us for MAP</span></p><p><span>Manifestation Alignment Practice</span></p><p><span>Every weekday morning at 8 AM</span></p><p><span>A daily practice of becoming aware of what we are creating, noticing the patterns from which we are living, and practising how we want to show up differently.</span></p><p><span>Maybe we&#8217;ll meet there.</span></p><p><span>With love,<br>Hitesh Bhatia</span></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Wasn’t Chasing Money. I Was Begging to Be Seen.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Every success was supposed to prove I mattered. Instead, it exposed how deeply I believed I didn&#8217;t.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/i-wasnt-chasing-money-i-was-begging</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/i-wasnt-chasing-money-i-was-begging</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2026 01:30:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s_ZT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb607d102-e588-400e-ab95-438e7a16d3ba_1536x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Hey,</span></p><p><span>Can I tell you something I took years to admit?</span></p><p><span>For a long time...<br>I said I wanted more money.</span></p><p><span>I wanted my work to grow.<br>I wanted to reach more people.<br>I wanted abundance to flow easily.</span></p><p><span>But whenever money came close...<br>something inside me became uncomfortable.</span></p><p><span>I was a therapist.<br>A coach.<br>A healer.</span></p><p><span>My work was about helping people transform their lives. So a quiet voice inside me would ask:</span></p><p><span>How can you charge for healing?<br>If people are suffering, how can you feel good about receiving more?</span></p><p><span>Consciously, I wanted success.<br>Unconsciously, I was standing against it.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s_ZT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb607d102-e588-400e-ab95-438e7a16d3ba_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s_ZT!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb607d102-e588-400e-ab95-438e7a16d3ba_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s_ZT!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb607d102-e588-400e-ab95-438e7a16d3ba_1536x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s_ZT!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb607d102-e588-400e-ab95-438e7a16d3ba_1536x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s_ZT!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb607d102-e588-400e-ab95-438e7a16d3ba_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s_ZT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb607d102-e588-400e-ab95-438e7a16d3ba_1536x1024.png" width="1456" height="971" 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s_ZT!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb607d102-e588-400e-ab95-438e7a16d3ba_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#128176; My Ambition Had a Secret Agenda</span></strong></p><p><span>My resistance had another layer&#8212;one that was harder to admit.</span></p><p><span>I thought I wanted money.<br>But what I really wanted...<br>was importance.</span></p><p><span>Somewhere inside me, I had made a bargain:</span></p><p><span>When I have enough money, people will look up to me.<br>When I become successful, my work will matter.<br>When I achieve enough, I will finally matter.</span></p><p><span>Money was no longer simply money.<br>It had become proof.</span></p><p><span>Proof that I was valuable.<br>Proof that my work mattered.<br>Proof that I mattered.</span></p><p><strong><span>That is too much responsibility to place on money.</span></strong></p><p><strong><span>&#9889; When Money Carries Your Identity</span></strong></p><p><span>When money carries your identity, you don&#8217;t only fear losing money.</span></p><p><strong><span>You fear losing yourself.</span></strong></p><p><span>When it comes easily, you question whether you deserve it.<br>When you ask for more, you worry that people will judge you.<br>When you succeed, you may feel you are leaving someone you love behind.</span></p><p><span>I was asking money to make me feel significant...<br>while also judging myself for wanting it.</span></p><p><span>No wonder receiving felt unsafe.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HVHy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73675067-2fa8-4a0b-abe2-9b00727cecb7_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HVHy!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73675067-2fa8-4a0b-abe2-9b00727cecb7_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HVHy!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73675067-2fa8-4a0b-abe2-9b00727cecb7_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HVHy!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73675067-2fa8-4a0b-abe2-9b00727cecb7_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HVHy!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73675067-2fa8-4a0b-abe2-9b00727cecb7_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HVHy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73675067-2fa8-4a0b-abe2-9b00727cecb7_1254x1254.png" width="1254" height="1254" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/73675067-2fa8-4a0b-abe2-9b00727cecb7_1254x1254.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1254,&quot;width&quot;:1254,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HVHy!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73675067-2fa8-4a0b-abe2-9b00727cecb7_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HVHy!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73675067-2fa8-4a0b-abe2-9b00727cecb7_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HVHy!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73675067-2fa8-4a0b-abe2-9b00727cecb7_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HVHy!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73675067-2fa8-4a0b-abe2-9b00727cecb7_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#129516; I Had Inherited More Than Money Beliefs</span></strong></p><p><span>My first relationship with money did not begin with a bank account.</span></p><p><span>It began with what I watched.</span></p><p><span>How my parents worried.<br>How they worked.<br>How they saved.<br>What they allowed themselves to enjoy.<br>What they believed about wealthy people.</span></p><p><span>One question changed the way I saw it:</span></p><p><strong><span>What did my father teach me about money without ever saying it?</span></strong></p><p><span>I began to see that some of my beliefs were not truths.<br>They were patterns.</span></p><p><span>And some of the limits I had carried as loyalty...<br>were never love.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#128683; Struggle Was Not Loyalty</span></strong></p><p><span>I did not need to repeat someone else&#8217;s struggle to honour them.</span></p><p><span>I did not need to remain smaller to remain a good son.</span></p><p><span>I did not need to reject money to prove that I cared about people.</span></p><p><span>I could serve and receive.<br>I could be spiritual and successful.<br>I could become wealthier without becoming less loving.</span></p><p><span>That understanding changed something fundamental in me.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zVLK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca28b5d-4b2e-451f-9e92-bd4db970dc60_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zVLK!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca28b5d-4b2e-451f-9e92-bd4db970dc60_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zVLK!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca28b5d-4b2e-451f-9e92-bd4db970dc60_1536x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zVLK!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca28b5d-4b2e-451f-9e92-bd4db970dc60_1536x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zVLK!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca28b5d-4b2e-451f-9e92-bd4db970dc60_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zVLK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca28b5d-4b2e-451f-9e92-bd4db970dc60_1536x1024.png" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7ca28b5d-4b2e-451f-9e92-bd4db970dc60_1536x1024.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zVLK!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca28b5d-4b2e-451f-9e92-bd4db970dc60_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zVLK!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca28b5d-4b2e-451f-9e92-bd4db970dc60_1536x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zVLK!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca28b5d-4b2e-451f-9e92-bd4db970dc60_1536x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zVLK!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7ca28b5d-4b2e-451f-9e92-bd4db970dc60_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#127793; Money Became Safer When It Became Ordinary</span></strong></p><p><span>I stopped asking money to make me important.</span></p><p><span>And I stopped treating money as dirty for wanting to enter my life.</span></p><p><span>I gave it its rightful place.</span></p><p><span>Money is not my identity.<br>It is not my worth.<br>It is not proof that I matter.</span></p><p><span>It is a resource&#8212;a way to create, contribute, experience and support.</span></p><p><span>Service could give me purpose.<br>Connection could give me belonging.<br>My inner relationship could give me significance.</span></p><p><span>And money could simply be money.</span></p><p><strong><span>That was freedom.</span></strong></p><p><span>Not an endless amount in the bank.<br>No longer needing a number to tell me who I am.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#128173; The Question Your Bank Balance Cannot Answer</span></strong></p><p><span>Today, I still welcome abundance.<br>I still want my work to grow.</span></p><p><span>But I ask a different question now:</span></p><p><strong><span>What feeling do I believe money will give me?</span></strong></p><p><span>Importance?<br>Safety?<br>Freedom?<br>Love?</span></p><p><span>Once you name the feeling, you can begin creating it consciously. You no longer have to wait for money to give you permission.</span></p><p><span>So place your hand on your heart and ask:</span></p><p><strong><span>What have I been asking money to prove about me?</span></strong></p><p><span>Listen to the first answer.<br>Don&#8217;t judge it.<br>Just see it.</span></p><p><span>You can honour the past without repeating it.<br>You can receive more without becoming someone you are not.</span></p><p><strong><span>It is safe to serve.<br>It is safe to succeed.<br>It is safe to receive.</span></strong></p><p><strong><span>&#129293; If You&#8217;d Like to Explore This With Us</span></strong></p><p><span>If you&#8217;d like to experience it, I&#8217;d love to welcome you.</span></p><p><strong><span>Join us for MAP<br>Manifestation Alignment Practice<br>Every weekday morning at 8 AM<br><br>A daily practice of becoming aware of what we are creating, noticing the patterns from which we are living, and practising how we want to show up differently.</span></strong></p><p><span>Maybe we&#8217;ll meet there.</span></p><p><span>With love,<br>Hitesh Bhatia</span></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Self-Help Made Me Smarter. It Didn’t Make Me Better.]]></title><description><![CDATA[I could explain healing perfectly. My reactions proved I hadn&#8217;t changed.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/self-help-made-me-smarter-it-didnt</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/self-help-made-me-smarter-it-didnt</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 22 Aug 2026 01:30:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jemf!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdea1d58b-8632-4829-b3ef-b5104ba42832_1536x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"></p><p><span>Hey,</span></p><p><span>For years...<br>I believed transformation was hiding inside one more answer.</span></p><p><span>One more book.<br>One more workshop.<br>One more conversation with the right person.</span></p><p><span>I collected insights the way some people collect trophies.</span></p><p><span>I could explain gratitude.<br>I understood forgiveness.<br>I knew that old wounds shaped our reactions.<br>I could speak beautifully about creating a new reality.</span></p><p><span>Honestly...<br>I became very good at sounding transformed.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jemf!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdea1d58b-8632-4829-b3ef-b5104ba42832_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jemf!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdea1d58b-8632-4829-b3ef-b5104ba42832_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jemf!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdea1d58b-8632-4829-b3ef-b5104ba42832_1536x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jemf!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdea1d58b-8632-4829-b3ef-b5104ba42832_1536x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jemf!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdea1d58b-8632-4829-b3ef-b5104ba42832_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jemf!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdea1d58b-8632-4829-b3ef-b5104ba42832_1536x1024.png" width="1456" height="971" 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdea1d58b-8632-4829-b3ef-b5104ba42832_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jemf!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdea1d58b-8632-4829-b3ef-b5104ba42832_1536x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jemf!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdea1d58b-8632-4829-b3ef-b5104ba42832_1536x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Jemf!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdea1d58b-8632-4829-b3ef-b5104ba42832_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#129504; My Wisdom Disappeared Under Pressure</span></strong></p><p><span>Someone would disagree with me.<br>A plan would fall apart.<br>Something would take longer than I wanted.</span></p><p><span>And within seconds...<br>all my wisdom would disappear.</span></p><p><span>I would react in the same old way, feel hurt in the same old way and repeat the same old story.</span></p><p><span>Then the moment would pass...<br>and I would become wise again.</span></p><p><span>I could explain exactly what I should have done.<br>I just couldn&#8217;t do it when it mattered.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#9889; Self-Help Had Become My Hiding Place</span></strong></p><p><span>Learning felt like growth. Every new insight gave me a small high&#8212;the feeling that something had changed.</span></p><p><span>But information can make you feel powerful...<br>without making you different.</span></p><p><strong><span>I had confused understanding transformation with being transformed.</span></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCf2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081ac3be-a9c7-4371-9963-1b9800d7038e_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCf2!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081ac3be-a9c7-4371-9963-1b9800d7038e_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCf2!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081ac3be-a9c7-4371-9963-1b9800d7038e_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCf2!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081ac3be-a9c7-4371-9963-1b9800d7038e_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCf2!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081ac3be-a9c7-4371-9963-1b9800d7038e_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCf2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081ac3be-a9c7-4371-9963-1b9800d7038e_1254x1254.png" width="1254" height="1254" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/081ac3be-a9c7-4371-9963-1b9800d7038e_1254x1254.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1254,&quot;width&quot;:1254,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCf2!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081ac3be-a9c7-4371-9963-1b9800d7038e_1254x1254.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCf2!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081ac3be-a9c7-4371-9963-1b9800d7038e_1254x1254.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCf2!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081ac3be-a9c7-4371-9963-1b9800d7038e_1254x1254.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BCf2!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081ac3be-a9c7-4371-9963-1b9800d7038e_1254x1254.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#128257; My Old Self Was Better Trained</span></strong></p><p><span>You can understand fitness and never exercise.<br>You can understand love and still withhold it when you feel hurt.<br>You can understand peace and lose it over one message.</span></p><p><strong><span>Knowledge shows you what is possible.<br>Practice makes it available when life tests you.</span></strong></p><p><span>I wanted a new life...<br>but I kept rehearsing my old self.</span></p><p><span>The old reaction had years of practice. It was fast, familiar and efficient. My body knew it without asking.</span></p><p><span>Real change meant interrupting that efficiency&#8212;in the middle of an ordinary Tuesday, when nothing was going my way.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#127793; One Practice Beat Another Insight</span></strong></p><p><span>So I stopped asking, &#8216;What else do I need to know?&#8217;</span></p><p><span>I began asking, &#8216;What am I willing to practise today?&#8217;</span></p><p><span>Not ten things.<br>Not forever.<br>One thing, today.</span></p><p><span>Could I pause once before reacting?<br>Could I feel grateful for sixty seconds instead of merely writing the word?<br>Could I choose calm in one moment when anger felt easier?<br>Could I keep one promise to myself?</span></p><p><span>These actions looked small.<br>But small things repeated become identity.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wHwr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F99eab92d-2900-4713-81c6-40e38700bc2c_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wHwr!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F99eab92d-2900-4713-81c6-40e38700bc2c_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wHwr!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wHwr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F99eab92d-2900-4713-81c6-40e38700bc2c_1536x1024.png" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/99eab92d-2900-4713-81c6-40e38700bc2c_1536x1024.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wHwr!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, 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xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong><span>&#10024; The New Me Was a Beginner</span></strong></p><p><span>At first, practice felt unnatural. Of course it did.</span></p><p><span>The old reaction had years of repetition.<br>The new response was a beginner.</span></p><p><span>I had to stop judging myself for not changing instantly...<br>and start respecting the repetition that change requires.</span></p><p><span>Slowly, the pause became easier.<br>The old story became less convincing.<br>One emotion stopped controlling the entire day.</span></p><p><span>Nothing magical happened overnight.</span></p><p><strong><span>But the things I knew...<br>began to become the way I lived.</span></strong></p><p><strong><span>&#128173; The Question Knowledge Hates</span></strong></p><p><span>Don&#8217;t ask only, &#8216;How much do I understand?&#8217;</span></p><p><strong><span>Ask, &#8216;What has my understanding changed?&#8217;</span></strong></p><p><span>The answer you are searching for may already be inside you. It may simply be waiting to be practised.</span></p><p><span>Today, choose one thing you already know.<br>Live it once.<br>Then live it again tomorrow.</span></p><p><span>That is how knowledge becomes transformation.</span></p><p><strong><span>&#129293; If You&#8217;d Like to Practise With Us</span></strong></p><p><span>If you&#8217;d like to experience it, I&#8217;d love to welcome you.<br><br></span><strong>Join us for MAP<br>Manifestation Alignment Practice<br>Every weekday morning at 8 AM<br><br></strong>A daily practice of becoming aware of what we are creating, noticing the patterns from which we are living, and practising how we want to show up differently.<br><br>Maybe we&#8217;ll meet there.<br><br><span>With love,<br>Hitesh Bhatia</span></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Got Everything I Wanted. Then My Life Fell Apart.]]></title><description><![CDATA[The problem wasn&#8217;t money or marriage. It was how easily I had trained myself to feel poor and unloved.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/i-got-everything-i-wanted-then-my</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/i-got-everything-i-wanted-then-my</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 01:31:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v0da!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a4eef82-28bc-4c15-811f-8c1b0229541a_1536x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v0da!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a4eef82-28bc-4c15-811f-8c1b0229541a_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v0da!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a4eef82-28bc-4c15-811f-8c1b0229541a_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v0da!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a4eef82-28bc-4c15-811f-8c1b0229541a_1536x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v0da!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, 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4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>Recently, I got almost everything I wanted.</span></p><p><span>Time with my family.</span></p><p><span>A comfortable journey.</span></p><p><span>The joy of giving someone I love a beautiful gift.</span></p><p><span>From the outside, it looked like a beautiful life.</span></p><p><span>And honestly...</span></p><p><span>it was.</span></p><p><span>Then I came home.</span></p><p><span>And within a short time, everything felt as though it was falling apart.</span></p><p><span>Not because something terrible had happened.</span></p><p><span>But because two very small buttons inside me had been pressed.</span></p><p><span>One said...</span></p><p><strong><span>You are poor.</span></strong></p><p><span>The other said...</span></p><p><strong><span>You are not loved.</span></strong></p><p><span>And I had trained both buttons to work instantly.</span></p><div><hr></div><h2><strong><span>&#128184; One Number Was Enough</span></strong></h2><p><span>For a short while, the balance in my bank account was lower than I expected.</span></p><p><span>I knew more money was coming.</span></p><p><span>I was safe.</span></p><p><span>Nothing about my life had suddenly changed.</span></p><p><span>And yet...</span></p><p><span>one number on a screen changed the way I felt about my entire life.</span></p><p><span>I did not think...</span></p><p><span>&#8220;The balance is temporarily lower.&#8221;</span></p><p><span>I felt poor.</span></p><p><span>One was a fact about a moment.</span></p><p><span>The other was an identity.</span></p><p><span>My mind moved from one to the other in seconds.</span></p><div><hr></div><h2><strong><span>&#128148; One Argument Was Enough</span></strong></h2><p><span>Around the same time, my wife and I started arguing.</span></p><p><span>Nothing dramatic happened.</span></p><p><span>There were disagreements.</span></p><p><span>Different opinions.</span></p><p><span>Ordinary moments of tension that happen in every relationship.</span></p><p><span>But each disagreement pressed another familiar button.</span></p><p><em><span>She doesn&#8217;t respect me.</span></em></p><p><em><span>She doesn&#8217;t listen to me.</span></em></p><p><em><span>She doesn&#8217;t love me.</span></em></p><p><span>Years of care disappeared from my awareness.</span></p><p><span>Countless beautiful moments became invisible.</span></p><p><span>One difficult conversation was allowed to speak for the entire relationship.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TItv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd4d5fa89-c788-4207-80e4-feef3c407283_1254x1254.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TItv!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><h2><strong><span>&#128280; I Had Trained the Wrong Buttons</span></strong></h2><p><span>That was when I finally saw it.</span></p><p><span>I had made my buttons for pain incredibly easy to press.</span></p><p><span>One disagreement...</span></p><p><span>and I felt unloved.</span></p><p><span>One number on a banking app...</span></p><p><span>and I felt poor.</span></p><p><span>But my buttons for feeling rich?</span></p><p><span>For feeling loved?</span></p><p><span>For feeling grateful?</span></p><p><span>I had made those almost impossible to press.</span></p><p><span>For pain, I needed one small moment.</span></p><p><span>For love, I demanded perfect evidence.</span></p><p><span>&#128161; </span><strong><span>I had become world-class at finding evidence for the absence of love.</span></strong></p><p><span>And that was uncomfortable to admit.</span></p><p><span>Because I said I wanted love.</span></p><p><span>But what was I practising every day?</span></p><div><hr></div><h2><strong><span>&#9917; We Practise What Becomes Automatic</span></strong></h2><p><span>If a footballer were preparing for the World Cup, what would he do?</span></p><p><span>He would practise.</span></p><p><span>For hours.</span></p><p><span>Every day.</span></p><p><span>He would prepare for pressure before the pressure arrived.</span></p><p><span>He would never enter the final and say...</span></p><p><span>&#8220;I really want to win. Isn&#8217;t wanting it enough?&#8221;</span></p><p><span>But that is how I had been approaching love.</span></p><p><span>I wanted the World Cup of love...</span></p><p><span>while practising fear.</span></p><p><span>I replayed old arguments.</span></p><p><span>I imagined what might go wrong.</span></p><p><span>I looked for rejection before it had even happened.</span></p><p><span>And because I practised fear so often...</span></p><p><span>fear arrived instantly.</span></p><p><span>Love felt slower.</span></p><p><span>Not because love was difficult.</span></p><p><span>Because love was less familiar.</span></p><div><hr></div><h2><strong><span>&#127793; So I Began Practising Too</span></strong></h2><p><span>Not teaching.</span></p><p><span>Not fixing.</span></p><p><span>Practising.</span></p><p><strong><span>I am love.</span></strong></p><p><span>Not only when my wife agrees with me.</span></p><p><span>Not only when my bank balance reassures me.</span></p><p><span>Not only when life gives me perfect evidence.</span></p><p><span>I am love before any of that happens.</span></p><p><span>Every time the old button is pressed, I still have a choice.</span></p><p><span>I can repeat the old programme.</span></p><p><span>Or I can practise a new one.</span></p><p><span>&#10024; </span><strong><span>The emotions that come naturally tomorrow are the emotions I practise today.<br><br></span></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hx4M!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25cad7ae-aaf0-4c0e-a1ff-cb47636ac488_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hx4M!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25cad7ae-aaf0-4c0e-a1ff-cb47636ac488_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hx4M!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25cad7ae-aaf0-4c0e-a1ff-cb47636ac488_1536x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hx4M!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25cad7ae-aaf0-4c0e-a1ff-cb47636ac488_1536x1024.png 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data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/25cad7ae-aaf0-4c0e-a1ff-cb47636ac488_1536x1024.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hx4M!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25cad7ae-aaf0-4c0e-a1ff-cb47636ac488_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hx4M!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25cad7ae-aaf0-4c0e-a1ff-cb47636ac488_1536x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hx4M!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25cad7ae-aaf0-4c0e-a1ff-cb47636ac488_1536x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hx4M!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25cad7ae-aaf0-4c0e-a1ff-cb47636ac488_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><h2><strong><span>&#128173; A Question for You</span></strong></h2><p><span>What have you become world-class at practising?</span></p><p><span>Fear?</span></p><p><span>Anger?</span></p><p><span>Rejection?</span></p><p><span>Or love?</span></p><p><span>Today, do not wait for someone else to press the right button.</span></p><p><span>Pause for one minute.</span></p><p><span>Remember one moment when love was unquestionably present.</span></p><p><span>Do not analyse it.</span></p><p><span>Let yourself feel it.</span></p><p><span>Then say...</span></p><p><strong><span>I am love.</span></strong></p><p><span>Because the emotions that come naturally tomorrow...</span></p><p><span>are the ones you practise today.</span></p><div><hr></div><p><span>If you&#8217;d like to experience this work, I&#8217;d love to welcome you.</span></p><p><span>Maybe we&#8217;ll meet there.</span></p><p><span>With love,</span></p><p><strong><span>Hitesh Bhatia<br></span></strong><span>Founder, Constellation Facilitator, Cycle Breaker</span></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Everyone Loved Me. I Didn’t. ]]></title><description><![CDATA[The hardest person I ever had to forgive... was the one staring back at me every morning.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/everyone-loved-me-i-didnt</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/everyone-loved-me-i-didnt</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 25 Jul 2026 01:31:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DXWF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff53ff669-b8ea-4431-be31-094c423c6bda_1024x1536.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey,</p><p><strong>Can I tell you a secret?</strong></p><p>Not one I&#8217;ve kept from you.</p><p>One I kept from myself.</p><p>For years...</p><p>I genuinely believed I had a self-esteem problem.</p><p>I was wrong.</p><p>It was much worse than that.</p><p><strong>I hated myself.</strong></p><p>I just never said those words out loud.</p><p>If you&#8217;d met me back then...</p><p>you&#8217;d never have guessed.</p><p>I smiled.</p><p>I cracked jokes.</p><p>I built businesses.</p><p>Bought nice clothes.</p><p>Expensive watches.</p><p>Drove nice cars.</p><p>I looked...</p><p>successful.</p><p>Confident.</p><p>Happy.</p><p>Inside?</p><p>I was constantly trying to become someone else.</p><p>Because I couldn&#8217;t stand being me.</p><p>People think self-hatred sounds like...</p><p><em>&#8220;I hate myself.&#8221;</em></p><p>It doesn&#8217;t.</p><p>It sounds like...</p><p><em><strong>&#8220;Maybe when I lose another five kilos...&#8221;</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;Maybe when I earn another crore...&#8221;</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;Maybe when people respect me...&#8221;</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;Maybe when I become successful...&#8221;</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;Maybe when I find the right partner...&#8221;</strong></em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DXWF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff53ff669-b8ea-4431-be31-094c423c6bda_1024x1536.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DXWF!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff53ff669-b8ea-4431-be31-094c423c6bda_1024x1536.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DXWF!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff53ff669-b8ea-4431-be31-094c423c6bda_1024x1536.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DXWF!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff53ff669-b8ea-4431-be31-094c423c6bda_1024x1536.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DXWF!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DXWF!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff53ff669-b8ea-4431-be31-094c423c6bda_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>It&#8217;s amazing how society applauds self-hatred...</p><p>as long as it looks like ambition.</p><p>I remember standing in front of mirrors.</p><p>Not to fix my hair.</p><p>Not to shave.</p><p>Just...</p><p>looking.</p><p>And every single time...</p><p>my mind found something wrong.</p><p>Not good enough.</p><p>Not successful enough.</p><p>Not spiritual enough.</p><p>Not worthy enough.</p><p>I wasn&#8217;t looking at my reflection.</p><p>I was looking at evidence for the case I was building against myself.</p><p>Then something happened I&#8217;ll never forget.</p><p>After one of my sessions...</p><p>a woman came up to me.</p><p>She hugged me.</p><p>She looked me in the eyes.</p><p>And she said,</p><p><strong>&#8220;Hitesh... you&#8217;ve changed my life.&#8221;</strong></p><p>I smiled.</p><p>She walked away.</p><p>I got into my car.</p><p>Closed the door.</p><p>And cried.</p><p>Not because she&#8217;d changed my life.</p><p>Because I realised...</p><p>she could see something in me...</p><p>that I had never been able to see myself.</p><p>That day...</p><p>I asked myself a question I&#8217;d never asked before.</p><p><strong>What if she&#8217;s right...</strong></p><p><strong>and I&#8217;m wrong?</strong></p><p>What if the story I&#8217;ve believed about myself for forty years...</p><p>isn&#8217;t true?</p><p>That question changed my life.</p><p>Not because I suddenly started loving myself.</p><p>Healing doesn&#8217;t happen like that.</p><p>It changed because, for the first time,</p><p>I stopped treating every thought about myself...</p><p>as the truth.</p><p>Even today...</p><p>that old voice still visits.</p><p>It whispers,</p><p><em><strong>&#8220;You&#8217;re not enough.&#8221;</strong></em></p><p>The difference is...</p><p><strong>I don&#8217;t believe everything it says anymore.</strong></p><p>If you&#8217;ve been fighting yourself...</p><p>please hear me.</p><p><strong>The loudest bully in your life...</strong></p><p>may not be your parents.</p><p>Or your boss.</p><p>Or your partner.</p><p><strong>It might be the voice you&#8217;ve carried inside your own head for years.</strong></p><p>And the saddest part?</p><p>You may have believed it for so long...</p><p>you&#8217;ve forgotten it isn&#8217;t you.</p><p>Today...</p><p>people often ask me,</p><p>&#8220;How do people share such deeply personal things with you?&#8221;</p><p>Maybe it&#8217;s because...</p><p>I stopped hiding mine.</p><p>Because the day I admitted,</p><p><strong>&#8220;I hated myself.&#8221;</strong></p><p>was the day other people finally felt safe enough to tell me the truth about themselves.</p><p>Every weekday morning at <strong>8:00 AM</strong>, we meet inside <strong>The Conscious Creation Space</strong>.</p><p>Not because we&#8217;ve mastered life.</p><p>But because we&#8217;re learning something far more important.</p><p>How to stop being at war with ourselves.</p><p>If your heart is ready...</p><p>I&#8217;d love to meet you there.</p><p>With love,</p><p><strong>Hitesh</strong></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Hated Myself. I Just Never Told Anyone.]]></title><description><![CDATA[I became really good at pretending everything was okay.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/i-hated-myself-i-just-never-told</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/i-hated-myself-i-just-never-told</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2026 01:31:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zjCn!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36d80b77-7b7e-4598-977a-5ee7f121e5ae_1536x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey,</p><p>There&#8217;s something I&#8217;ve never said out loud.</p><p>Not because I was ashamed of it anymore.</p><p>But because I genuinely believed everyone felt this way.</p><p><strong>I hated myself.</strong></p><p>Not every day.</p><p>Every moment.</p><p>I just became really good at hiding it.</p><p>If you&#8217;d met me back then...</p><p>you would never have guessed.</p><p>I laughed.</p><p>I joked.</p><p>I built businesses.</p><p>Bought nice clothes.</p><p>Expensive watches.</p><p>Drove nice cars.</p><p>People thought I was confident.</p><p>The truth?</p><p><strong>Everything I did was an attempt to stop feeling like me.</strong></p><p>I remember looking into mirrors...</p><p>and never liking the person looking back.</p><p>Not because of my face.</p><p>Because of who I thought he was.</p><p>Not enough.</p><p><strong>Not successful enough.</strong></p><p><strong>Not lovable enough.</strong></p><p><strong>Not worthy enough.</strong></p><p>No matter what I achieved...</p><p>that voice never left.</p><p>It always wanted more evidence.</p><p><strong>Do you know what&#8217;s strange about self-hatred?</strong></p><p>It doesn&#8217;t usually sound like...</p><p>&#8220;I hate myself.&#8221;</p><p>It sounds like...</p><p>&#8220;I need to lose a little more weight.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I need to earn more.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I need people to respect me.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I need one more achievement.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I need someone to choose me.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I need to become better.&#8221;</p><p>The world applauds that voice.</p><p>It calls it ambition.</p><p>I now know...</p><p>it was self-rejection wearing a beautiful suit.</p><p>The hardest part wasn&#8217;t hating myself.</p><p><strong>The hardest part...</strong></p><p><strong>was making sure nobody found out.</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zjCn!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36d80b77-7b7e-4598-977a-5ee7f121e5ae_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" 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1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zjCn!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36d80b77-7b7e-4598-977a-5ee7f121e5ae_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>So I became funny.</p><p>Helpful.</p><p>Successful.</p><p>Available.</p><p>Strong.</p><p>Anything...</p><p>except honest.</p><p><strong>Because I believed that if people ever met the real Hitesh...</strong></p><p><strong>they&#8217;d leave.</strong></p><p>Then something unexpected happened.</p><p>A woman came up to me after a session.</p><p>She hugged me.</p><p>And said,</p><p><strong>&#8220;Hitesh... you&#8217;ve changed my life.&#8221;</strong></p><p>I smiled.</p><p>She walked away.</p><p>And I cried.</p><p>Not because she&#8217;d changed my life.</p><p>Because...</p><p>for the first time...</p><p><strong>I wondered if I had been wrong about myself.</strong></p><p>Healing didn&#8217;t begin the day I started loving myself.</p><p>It began the day I admitted...</p><p>I never had.</p><p>That sentence changed everything.</p><p>Because you can&#8217;t heal something you&#8217;re still pretending doesn&#8217;t exist.</p><p>Today, when people tell me,</p><p>&#8220;You&#8217;ve helped me.&#8221;</p><p>I don&#8217;t think,</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m amazing.&#8221;</p><p><strong>I think about the man who spent years believing he had nothing worth giving.</strong></p><p>And I wish I could go back...</p><p>sit beside him...</p><p>and whisper,</p><p><em>&#8220;One day, the thing you hate most about yourself will become the reason people trust you.&#8221;</em></p><p>Can I ask you something?</p><p>What if the person you&#8217;ve been trying to improve...</p><p>is actually someone you&#8217;ve been trying to escape?</p><p>With love,</p><p><strong>Hitesh</strong></p><p><strong>PS: Now, I help people feel good about themselves. If you want to love yourself, then <a href="https://wa.link/qlpttc">ping me here</a></strong></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[“I’ve Been Having An Extra-Marital Affair.”]]></title><description><![CDATA[The room fell silent. Then she said something that changed the conversation forever.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/ive-been-having-an-extra-marital</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/ive-been-having-an-extra-marital</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 23 Jul 2026 01:30:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!n1Go!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F39c1a558-dc55-4be5-84d8-0d47190d2de5_1536x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A few weeks ago, during one of our morning sessions, a woman looked into the camera and quietly said,</p><p><strong>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been having an extra-marital affair.&#8221;</strong></p><p>Let&#8217;s call her <strong>Meghna.</strong></p><p>The Zoom room froze.</p><p>Nobody spoke.</p><p>Nobody judged.</p><p>Nobody rushed to fix her.</p><p>She had trusted a room full of strangers with the one secret she had been carrying alone.</p><p>I looked at her and asked,</p><p><strong>&#8220;How long have you been carrying this by yourself?&#8221;</strong></p><p>She looked down.</p><p>&#8220;Three years.&#8221;</p><p>Three years.</p><p>Three years of waking up every morning carrying guilt.</p><p>Three years of pretending everything was normal.</p><p>Three years of smiling at family dinners.</p><p><strong>Three years of wondering if today would be the day everything fell apart.</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!n1Go!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F39c1a558-dc55-4be5-84d8-0d47190d2de5_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" 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1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!n1Go!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F39c1a558-dc55-4be5-84d8-0d47190d2de5_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>People think healing begins when we stop making mistakes.</p><p>I&#8217;ve learned...</p><p>Healing often begins the moment we stop hiding them.</p><p>As Meghna spoke, something beautiful happened.</p><p>One by one...</p><p>other people started speaking.</p><p>One woman admitted she hadn&#8217;t loved her husband for years.</p><p>A man confessed he had been emotionally absent from his children.</p><p>Someone else admitted they hated their mother but had never said it out loud.</p><p>Another said she had been lying to herself for decades.</p><p>Nobody had planned to say these things.</p><p><strong>But Meghna had gone first.</strong></p><p>That&#8217;s something I&#8217;ve witnessed over and over again.</p><p><strong>Truth is contagious.</strong></p><p>Not because honesty is easy.</p><p>Because honesty gives other people permission to breathe.</p><p>By the end of the session...</p><p>we weren&#8217;t talking about an affair anymore.</p><p><strong>We were talking about loneliness.</strong></p><p><strong>About shame.</strong></p><p>About the parts of ourselves we hide because we&#8217;re terrified someone will see them and walk away.</p><p>Ironically...</p><p>those hidden parts are usually the ones waiting to be loved the most.</p><p>People often ask me,</p><p><em><strong>&#8220;How do complete strangers share things they&#8217;ve never told anyone?&#8221;</strong></em></p><p>I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s because I&#8217;m a coach.</p><p>I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s because of the process.</p><p>I think it&#8217;s because...</p><p>I go first.</p><p>I&#8217;ve shared my failures.</p><p>My addictions.</p><p>My marriage.</p><p>My relationship with my parents.</p><p>The mistakes I&#8217;ve made with my daughter.</p><p>Not because I&#8217;m proud of them.</p><p>But because every time one person says,</p><p><strong>&#8220;Me too...&#8221;</strong></p><p>Shame loses a little of its power.</p><p><strong>If you&#8217;re carrying something you&#8217;ve never told anyone...</strong></p><p><strong>I hope you know this.</strong></p><p><strong>Secrets become heavier in silence.</strong></p><p><strong>Healing begins the moment they are seen.</strong></p><p>Every weekday morning at <strong>8:00 AM IST</strong>, we gather inside <strong>The Conscious Creation Space</strong>. <a href="https://wa.link/qlpttc">Click here, to join. </a></p><p>Not because we&#8217;re perfect.</p><p>But because we&#8217;re tired of pretending we are.</p><p>If you&#8217;re ready...</p><p>Come exactly as you are.</p><p>With love,</p><p><strong>Hitesh Bhatia</strong></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Anxiety...... It Wasn’t Hers.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes the life we&#8217;re trying to fix isn&#8217;t entirely our own.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/the-anxiety-it-wasnt-hers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/the-anxiety-it-wasnt-hers</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jul 2026 01:31:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ph-I!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b158988-15b5-4a0a-8d14-14245f973a51_1536x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last month, a woman walked into one of our morning sessions.</p><p>Let&#8217;s call her <strong>Anita</strong>.</p><p>She wasn&#8217;t looking for enlightenment.</p><p>She wasn&#8217;t interested in spirituality.</p><p>She simply wanted one thing.</p><p><strong>&#8220;I just want this anxiety to stop.&#8221;</strong></p><p>She told me she&#8217;d tried everything.</p><p>Meditation.</p><p>Medication.</p><p>Positive thinking.</p><p>Books.</p><p>Courses.</p><p>Affirmations.</p><p>For a while, each one helped.</p><p>Then the anxiety returned.</p><p>Almost like it had been waiting for her.</p><p>As we began the process, nothing unusual happened.</p><p>She closed her eyes.</p><p>She breathed.</p><p>She allowed herself to feel.</p><p>Then something shifted.</p><p>Her shoulders became heavy.</p><p>Her breathing changed.</p><p>Tears appeared before words did.</p><p>After a long silence she whispered,</p><p><strong>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think this belongs to me.&#8221;</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ph-I!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b158988-15b5-4a0a-8d14-14245f973a51_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ph-I!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b158988-15b5-4a0a-8d14-14245f973a51_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ph-I!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b158988-15b5-4a0a-8d14-14245f973a51_1536x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ph-I!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b158988-15b5-4a0a-8d14-14245f973a51_1536x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ph-I!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b158988-15b5-4a0a-8d14-14245f973a51_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ph-I!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b158988-15b5-4a0a-8d14-14245f973a51_1536x1024.png" width="1456" height="971" 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b158988-15b5-4a0a-8d14-14245f973a51_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ph-I!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b158988-15b5-4a0a-8d14-14245f973a51_1536x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ph-I!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b158988-15b5-4a0a-8d14-14245f973a51_1536x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ph-I!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b158988-15b5-4a0a-8d14-14245f973a51_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I didn&#8217;t answer.</p><p>Sometimes healing doesn&#8217;t need another voice.</p><p>It only needs space.</p><p>Later she told us something she had never connected before.</p><p>Her mother had lived most of her life worrying.</p><p>Her grandmother too.</p><p>Every conversation in the family began with,</p><p>&#8220;What if something goes wrong?&#8221;</p><p>Nobody called it anxiety.</p><p>They called it being responsible.</p><p>Being practical.</p><p>Being careful.</p><p>Fear had quietly become the family&#8217;s way of loving.</p><p>That morning...</p><p>Anita wasn&#8217;t trying to become fearless.</p><p>She was simply seeing something clearly for the first time.</p><p>Maybe she wasn&#8217;t broken.</p><p>Maybe she had become loyal to a story that began long before she was born.</p><p>And once she could see it...</p><p>She no longer had to carry it.</p><p>A few weeks later she sent me a message.</p><p>&#8220;I slept through the night.&#8221;</p><p>Seven simple words.</p><p>Most people would read them and move on.</p><p>But anyone who&#8217;s lived with anxiety knows...</p><p>Sometimes one peaceful night feels like winning your life back.</p><p>This is why I continue doing these morning sessions.</p><p>Not because I have all the answers.</p><p>But because every week I watch someone discover that what they thought was their identity...</p><p>...was often just an inherited pattern.</p><p>And when that happens,</p><p>hope quietly returns.</p><p>If you&#8217;ve ever wondered,</p><p>&#8220;Why do I react this way?&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Why do I always feel this?&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Why can&#8217;t I change?&#8221;</p><p>Maybe the question isn&#8217;t,</p><p><strong>&#8220;What&#8217;s wrong with me?&#8221;</strong></p><p>Maybe it&#8217;s,</p><p><strong>&#8220;What have I been carrying?&#8221;</strong></p><p>Sometimes that&#8217;s where healing begins.</p><p>Every weekday morning at <strong>8:00 AM IST</strong>, we gather inside <strong>The Conscious Creation Space</strong>.</p><p>Not to become different people.</p><p>But to gently put down what was never ours to carry.</p><p>If your heart says yes...</p><p>I&#8217;d love to welcome you.</p><p><strong><a href="https://wa.link/qlpttc">Join the Conscious Creation Space.</a></strong></p><p>With love,</p><p><strong>Hitesh Bhatia</strong></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Thought Success Would Finally Make Me Enough]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why I spent most of my life trying to become someone else.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/i-thought-success-would-finally-make</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/i-thought-success-would-finally-make</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 21 Jul 2026 01:30:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2COL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F115739e5-0b09-4fdc-ad73-627af176b8a0_1536x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey,</p><p>I wasn&#8217;t always the person you see today.</p><p>The man guiding healing sessions every morning.</p><p>The one talking about awareness, Ho&#8217;oponopono, Family Constellations and Inner Child work.</p><p>For most of my life...</p><p>I was just a little boy trying desperately to be chosen.</p><p>I was bullied in school.</p><p>Always picked last for sports.</p><p>I wasn&#8217;t the funniest.</p><p>I wasn&#8217;t the smartest.</p><p>I wasn&#8217;t the most popular.</p><p>Every time teams were selected...</p><p>I knew exactly where I&#8217;d be standing.</p><p>At the end.</p><p>Waiting.</p><p>Hoping.</p><p>Praying someone would finally say,</p><p>&#8220;Hitesh... you&#8217;re with us.&#8221;</p><p>That moment never leaves you.</p><p>It doesn&#8217;t stay in the playground.</p><p><strong>It follows you into adulthood.</strong></p><p><strong>So I decided something.</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2COL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F115739e5-0b09-4fdc-ad73-627af176b8a0_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2COL!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F115739e5-0b09-4fdc-ad73-627af176b8a0_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2COL!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F115739e5-0b09-4fdc-ad73-627af176b8a0_1536x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2COL!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F115739e5-0b09-4fdc-ad73-627af176b8a0_1536x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2COL!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F115739e5-0b09-4fdc-ad73-627af176b8a0_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2COL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F115739e5-0b09-4fdc-ad73-627af176b8a0_1536x1024.png" width="1456" height="971" 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/__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F115739e5-0b09-4fdc-ad73-627af176b8a0_1536x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2COL!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_848, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F115739e5-0b09-4fdc-ad73-627af176b8a0_1536x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2COL!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F115739e5-0b09-4fdc-ad73-627af176b8a0_1536x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2COL!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F115739e5-0b09-4fdc-ad73-627af176b8a0_1536x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>If nobody was going to choose me...</p><p>I&#8217;d become impossible to ignore.</p><p>I worked harder.</p><p>Earned more.</p><p>Bought nicer clothes.</p><p>Better watches.</p><p>Better cars.</p><p>Started businesses.</p><p>Collected achievements.</p><p>Every success gave me the same feeling...</p><p>for about five minutes.</p><p>Then the emptiness returned.</p><p>Because achievements can impress people.</p><p><strong>But they can never heal a wound.</strong></p><p><strong>When my businesses eventually collapsed...</strong></p><p>I thought my life had ended.</p><p>Looking back...</p><p>it was probably the first honest day of my life.</p><p>Because for the first time...</p><p>there was nowhere left to hide.</p><p>No business card.</p><p>No title.</p><p>No expensive watch.</p><p>No success story.</p><p>Just me.</p><p>And I realised something terrifying.</p><p>I had spent decades building a man everyone would admire...</p><p><strong>without ever getting to know the little boy underneath.</strong></p><p><strong>That&#8217;s when healing entered my life.</strong></p><p>Not as a profession.</p><p>As survival.</p><p>I didn&#8217;t begin learning Family Constellations because I wanted to teach.</p><p>I began because I was drowning.</p><p>I didn&#8217;t learn Ho&#8217;oponopono because it sounded spiritual.</p><p>I learned it because I wanted peace.</p><p>Every modality I studied...</p><p>I first used on myself.</p><p>Sometimes it worked immediately.</p><p>Sometimes it took months.</p><p>Sometimes years.</p><p>Little by little...</p><p>the masks started falling away.</p><p>I stopped trying to become someone worthy of love.</p><p><strong>I started discovering I already was.</strong></p><p><strong>People often ask me,</strong></p><p>&#8220;What made you become a healer?&#8221;</p><p>The honest answer?</p><p>Pain.</p><p>Not inspiration.</p><p>Pain.</p><p>Pain became curiosity.</p><p>Curiosity became awareness.</p><p>Awareness became healing.</p><p>Healing became purpose.</p><p><strong>And purpose became service.</strong></p><p><strong>Even today...</strong></p><p>I still meet that little boy sometimes.</p><p>He still wants everyone to like him.</p><p>He still worries about saying the wrong thing.</p><p>He still wonders whether he&#8217;s enough.</p><p>The difference is...</p><p>I don&#8217;t ask him to disappear anymore.</p><p>I simply sit beside him.</p><p>Sometimes I even thank him.</p><p>Without him...</p><p>I may never have searched for healing.</p><p>Without him...</p><p>I would never have met thousands of people who are walking the same journey.</p><p>Without him...</p><p><strong>these letters would never exist.</strong></p><p><strong>If you&#8217;ve been reading me for a while...</strong></p><p>thank you.</p><p>If you&#8217;re new here...</p><p>welcome.</p><p><strong>Every weekday morning at 8 AM, our community gathers online.</strong></p><p>Not because we have life figured out.</p><p>But because we&#8217;re learning, one day at a time, how to stop running from ourselves.</p><p>If you&#8217;d like to experience it, I&#8217;d love to welcome you.</p><p><strong><a href="https://wa.link/qlpttc">Click here</a> to join the Conscious Creation Membership.</strong></p><p>Maybe we&#8217;ll meet there.</p><p>With love,</p><p><strong>Hitesh Bhatia</strong></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What If You Could Choose How Your Story Ends?]]></title><description><![CDATA[She thought life had already written her ending. She didn&#8217;t realise she was still holding the pen.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/what-if-you-could-choose-how-your</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/what-if-you-could-choose-how-your</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2026 01:30:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5d_h!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6134f3ee-94a8-4b84-8adc-2fd9b57dc7bc_1536x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A few mornings ago, someone asked me a question that stayed with me long after the session ended.</p><p>She smiled and said,</p><p><em>&#8220;Hitesh... maybe this is just who I am.&#8221;</em></p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve always been anxious.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve always been scared.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve always felt rejected.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I think this is simply my personality.&#8221;</p><p>Have you ever thought something similar?</p><p><em>&#8220;I&#8217;m just an angry person.&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;I&#8217;m not confident.&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;Relationships never work for me.&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;Money doesn&#8217;t stay with me.&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;I&#8217;m always unlucky.&#8221;</em></p><p>We say these things so often...</p><p>that they stop feeling like beliefs.</p><p>They start feeling like facts.</p><p>I asked her one simple question.</p><blockquote><p><strong>&#8220;Who told you this was the ending?&#8221;</strong></p></blockquote><p>She looked confused.</p><p>So I asked her to close her eyes.</p><p>&#8220;Go back to the first time you remember feeling this.&#8221;</p><p>She didn&#8217;t go back to last year.</p><p>Or five years ago.</p><p>She went back to being a little girl.</p><p>Standing outside her classroom.</p><p>Watching everyone else play.</p><p>Feeling invisible.</p><p>That little girl quietly decided something.</p><p><em>&#8220;Maybe I&#8217;ll always be left out.&#8221;</em></p><p>Years passed.</p><p>The classroom disappeared.</p><p>But the story remained.</p><p>Every friendship.</p><p>Every relationship.</p><p>Every disappointment...</p><p>became another chapter proving the story was true.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5d_h!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6134f3ee-94a8-4b84-8adc-2fd9b57dc7bc_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5d_h!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, 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4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>As we continued the process, I asked her something I&#8217;d never asked before.</p><p><em>&#8220;If that little girl knew how your story ends...&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;What would she want to hear?&#8221;</em></p><p>She became emotional.</p><p>Then, through her tears, she whispered,</p><p><em>&#8220;It gets better.&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;You don&#8217;t stay alone forever.&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;One day... you&#8217;ll realise there was never anything wrong with you.&#8221;</em></p><p>She placed her hand on her heart.</p><p>Took a deep breath.</p><p>And smiled.</p><p>Not because her past had changed.</p><p>But because, for the first time...</p><p>her future had.</p><p>&#10084;&#65039;</p><p>I&#8217;ve realised something after years of doing this work.</p><p>Most of us don&#8217;t suffer because of what happened.</p><p>We suffer because we&#8217;ve unknowingly accepted a story about what our future has to become.</p><p>Maybe healing isn&#8217;t about rewriting your past.</p><p>Maybe...</p><p>it&#8217;s about refusing to let your past write your ending.</p><p>Because the beautiful truth is...</p><p><strong>you are still holding the pen.</strong></p><h2>&#10084;&#65039; Continue the Journey</h2><p>Every weekday morning at <strong>8:00 AM IST</strong>, I open <strong>The Conscious Creation Space</strong>.</p><p>Together, we explore the unconscious stories that quietly shape our lives&#8212;and discover that they don&#8217;t have to shape our future.</p><p>If this spoke to your heart...</p><p><a href="https://wa.link/qlpttc">&#128073; </a><strong><a href="https://wa.link/qlpttc">Join us here.</a></strong></p><p>With love,</p><p><strong>Hitesh Bhatia</strong></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What If There’s Nothing Wrong With You?]]></title><description><![CDATA[For years, she tried to fix herself. Then she discovered she had never been broken.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/what-if-theres-nothing-wrong-with</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/what-if-theres-nothing-wrong-with</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 19 Jul 2026 01:30:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ujhO!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c7c2509-357f-4ad7-a992-60da65636598_1536x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There are some questions I hear almost every morning.</p><p><em>&#8220;How do I become more confident?&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;How do I stop overthinking?&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;How do I stop being emotional?&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;How do I become enough?&#8221;</em></p><p>Different questions.</p><p>The same feeling.</p><p><em>&#8220;Something is wrong with me.&#8221;</em></p><p>A few mornings ago, a woman joined <strong>The Conscious Creation Space</strong> carrying exactly that feeling.</p><p>She smiled as she introduced herself.</p><p>But then she quietly said...</p><p><em>&#8220;Hitesh... I&#8217;ve been working on myself for years.&#8221;</em></p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve read the books.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve done the courses.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve healed.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve forgiven.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I meditate.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;But every morning...&#8221;</p><p>She paused.</p><p><em>&#8220;I still wake up feeling I&#8217;m not enough.&#8221;</em></p><p>The room became silent.</p><p>Not because we had an answer.</p><p>Because I think many of us have asked the same question.</p><p>I didn&#8217;t ask her why she felt that way.</p><p>Instead, I asked...</p><p><em>&#8220;When was the first time you remember feeling... not enough?&#8221;</em></p><p>She closed her eyes.</p><p>For a while...</p><p>nothing happened.</p><p>Then she smiled.</p><p>Not because she was happy.</p><p>Because she had found something.</p><p><em>&#8220;I&#8217;m six years old.&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;I&#8217;m standing in my classroom.&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;The teacher is praising another child.&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;I remember thinking...&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;Why not me?&#8221;</em></p><p>That was it.</p><p>No abuse.</p><p>No trauma.</p><p>No dramatic story.</p><p>Just...</p><p>one innocent moment.</p><p>One little girl quietly deciding...</p><p><em>&#8220;Maybe I&#8217;m not enough.&#8221;</em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ujhO!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c7c2509-357f-4ad7-a992-60da65636598_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ujhO!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, 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4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Isn&#8217;t it fascinating?</p><p>A teacher forgot about that moment before the day ended.</p><p>A little girl carried it for thirty years.</p><p>As we continued the process...</p><p>I invited her to walk towards that little girl.</p><p>She didn&#8217;t tell her to be stronger.</p><p>She didn&#8217;t tell her to stop crying.</p><p>She simply knelt beside her.</p><p>Placed her hand on her shoulder.</p><p>And whispered...</p><p><em>&#8220;There was never anything wrong with you.&#8221;</em></p><p>The little girl looked up.</p><p>And smiled.</p><p>When we finished...</p><p>she opened her eyes and laughed.</p><p>Then she said something that stayed with me.</p><blockquote><p><strong>&#8220;I&#8217;ve spent my whole life trying to become someone who was already enough.&#8221;</strong></p></blockquote><p>I&#8217;ve thought about that sentence many times.</p><p>Because maybe...</p><p>the goal of healing isn&#8217;t to become a better version of yourself.</p><p>Maybe...</p><p>it&#8217;s to stop believing you were ever broken.</p><h2>&#10084;&#65039; Continue the Journey</h2><p>Every weekday morning at <strong>8:00 AM IST</strong>, I hold <strong>The Conscious Creation Space</strong>.</p><p>Every morning, we gently uncover the unconscious stories that quietly shape our lives.</p><p>Sometimes...</p><p>all it takes is one forgotten memory...</p><p>to completely change the way you see yourself.</p><p>If this resonated with you...</p><p><a href="https://wa.link/qlpttc">&#128073; </a><strong><a href="https://wa.link/qlpttc">Join us here.</a></strong></p><p>With love,</p><p><strong>Hitesh Bhatia</strong></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Don’t Believe Ho’oponopono Works.]]></title><description><![CDATA[At least... not the way most people think it does.]]></description><link>https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/i-dont-believe-hooponopono-works</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/p/i-dont-believe-hooponopono-works</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hitesh Bhatia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 18 Jul 2026 01:31:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qIPV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7651eb94-6e59-4f92-91cf-39ed787f55d4_1536x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Almost every week someone asks me the same question.</p><p><em><strong>&#8220;Hitesh... does Ho&#8217;oponopono really heal other people?&#8221;</strong></em></p><p>They&#8217;re expecting me to tell them the famous story.</p><p>The psychologist.</p><p>The hospital.</p><p>The criminally insane patients.</p><p>The four phrases.</p><p>It&#8217;s a beautiful story.</p><p>But that&#8217;s not why I practice Ho&#8217;oponopono.</p><p>Because somewhere along the way...</p><p>we turned it into magic.</p><p>Almost like a spell.</p><p>Repeat four sentences...</p><p>and life changes.</p><p>That isn&#8217;t how I understand it anymore.</p><p>Not after thousands of mornings.</p><p>Not after watching hundreds of people cry.</p><p>Not after doing this work on myself.</p><p>For me...</p><p>Ho&#8217;oponopono begins much earlier.</p><p>Before...</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m sorry.&#8221;</p><p>Before...</p><p>&#8220;Please forgive me.&#8221;</p><p>Before...</p><p>&#8220;Thank you.&#8221;</p><p>Before...</p><p>&#8220;I love you.&#8221;</p><p>It begins with one question.</p><p><strong>What am I actually feeling?</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qIPV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7651eb94-6e59-4f92-91cf-39ed787f55d4_1536x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qIPV!, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/w_424, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/hiteshbhatia1.substack.com/f_webp, 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4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>Most of us never stop long enough to ask.</p><p>We&#8217;re angry.</p><p>But underneath the anger...</p><p>is hurt.</p><p>Underneath the hurt...</p><p>is fear.</p><p>Underneath the fear...</p><p>is a little child...</p><p>who simply wanted to be loved.</p><p>How can I say...</p><p><em>&#8220;I&#8217;m sorry...&#8221;</em></p><p>if I don&#8217;t even know which part of me I&#8217;m apologizing to?</p><p>How can I say...</p><p><em>&#8220;Please forgive me...&#8221;</em></p><p>if I&#8217;ve never acknowledged what I&#8217;ve been carrying?</p><p>That&#8217;s why every morning inside <strong>The Conscious Creation Space</strong>...</p><p>we don&#8217;t begin with Ho&#8217;oponopono.</p><p><strong>We begin with awareness.</strong></p><p>Because awareness opens the door.</p><p>Acknowledgement softens the heart.</p><p>Responsibility gives us back our power.</p><p>Only then...</p><p>does Ho&#8217;oponopono become more than four beautiful sentences.</p><p>It becomes a conversation.</p><p>Not with someone else.</p><p>With yourself.</p><p>And that&#8217;s where I&#8217;ve witnessed the real miracles.</p><p>Not because someone repeated four phrases a hundred times.</p><p>But because...</p><p>for the very first time...</p><p>they finally saw the child inside them who had been waiting to be seen.</p><p>&#10084;&#65039;</p><p>Maybe Ho&#8217;oponopono isn&#8217;t about changing another person.</p><p>Maybe...</p><p>it&#8217;s about coming home to the parts of ourselves we abandoned long ago.</p><p>And I&#8217;ve never seen that fail.</p><h2>&#10084;&#65039; Continue the Journey</h2><p>Every weekday morning at <strong>8:00 AM IST</strong>, I hold <strong>The Conscious Creation Space</strong>.</p><p>Not to teach Ho&#8217;oponopono.</p><p>But to help people experience it.</p><p>If this resonated with you...</p><p>I&#8217;d love to welcome you.</p><p><a href="https://wa.link/qlpttc">&#128073; </a><strong><a href="https://wa.link/qlpttc">Join us here.</a></strong></p><p>With love,</p><p><strong>Hitesh Bhatia</strong><br><em>Success Coach &#8211; Helping people achieve impossible success.</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>