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Books

A Birthday Note: Announcing My New Book—Boundless

It’s my birthday today—I’ve completed 46 laps around the sun. And as I start my 47th year, here’s a fun fact I discovered: 47 is the atomic number of silver. So, I guess this will be my “Silver Year.” Not sure if that makes me more valuable—though at 46, I was a “Palladium”, which is more precious than silver and gold—or just a little tarnished, but it doesn’t matter!

But enough about silver (and aging). Today, I’m celebrating something much bigger than a birthday.

I’m excited to announce my new book, Boundless: Timeless Wisdom for a Life Without Limits (464-page hardcover book, illustrated, and written in English).


What Boundless Means to Me

This book started as a deeply personal project—just a collection of notes and thoughts I wanted to leave for my children, Kavya and Chaitanya. I wanted them to have something to hold onto as they walk on their own journeys of life, something that shares what I’ve learned (and unlearned) along the way.

But as I wrote, somewhere these notes took on a life of their own. They became lessons for anyone who has ever felt stuck, limited, or unsure of what comes next. They were for anyone looking to reconnect with the vast possibilities within themselves.

That’s why I called it Boundless.

This book is my attempt to explore what it means to live without limits—not in the sense of chasing endless ambition but in embracing curiosity, courage, and the freedom to be your truest self.


A Glimpse into Boundless

The book is organised into five sections:

  1. Self-Discovery: Finding who you are and the path you’re meant to walk.
  2. Overcoming Adversity: How to navigate life’s storms with grace (or at least try to).
  3. Mindful Living: Slowing down and noticing the small, beautiful things in life.
  4. Personal Growth: Growing not for the sake of achievement but for the joy of learning.
  5. Societal Virtues: How we can contribute to something bigger than ourselves.

These sections are made up of 52 chapters—as the number of weeks in a year—where I’ve drawn from thinkers who’ve deeply influenced me—Steve Jobs, Kahlil Gibran, Ramana Maharshi, Leo Tolstoy, Viktor Frankl, Lao Tzu, and many others—and added stories from my own life and other such reflections. Each chapter also has questions to guide your own thinking.

Boundless isn’t just about the words. It’s filled with illustrations I’ve drawn myself. Simple and imperfect as they may be, they are my way of bringing the ideas in the book to life, adding a little extra warmth and meaning to the pages. I hope these sketches make the journey through the book feel a bit more personal, like a conversation between us.

Overall, creating this book has been a labour of love. Like my first book—The Sketchbook of Wisdom—I chose to self-publish because it allows me to pour my heart into every detail. All I had as company along the way was the quiet satisfaction of crafting something meaningful.

My hope is that Boundless will be more than a book to you. I hope it feels like a friend—someone who’s there for you when things get tough and a reminder of why you keep going.


How Boundless is Different from The Sketchbook of Wisdom

Many of you have read my first book, The Sketchbook of Wisdom, and have shared how its timeless lessons resonated with you. It’s deeply humbling to know that it’s found a place in so many of your lives. As I now introduce Boundless, I want to quickly share how this new book is both a continuation of that journey and a departure into something deeper.

When I wrote The Sketchbook of Wisdom, I wanted to create something timeless—a collection of timeless ideas that anyone could pick up, flip through, and feel inspired.

Boundless, though, is a very different kind of book. It’s more personal, more reflective. It’s not just about what others have said but about what I’ve learned—through my own experiences, failures, and moments of clarity.

If The Sketchbook of Wisdom was a map of timeless truths, Boundless is the journey itself. It’s deeply personal, but I’ve written it for anyone who’s looking to embrace their unique path and live a life that feels limitless.

It’s not a replacement for The Sketchbook of Wisdom—it’s a companion, and I hope it finds a place in your life, too.


Early Praise for Boundless

I sent a reviewer’s copy of the book to a few people I admire, and here are some nice things they had to say:

Vishal blends philosophy, personal stories, and practical insights to help you transcend limitations and discover the extraordinary within yourself.

—Manish Chokhani, Director, Enam Holdings

A philosophical journey into our lives, our choices and their consequences.

—Monika Halan, Author, Let’s Talk Money

Boundless is a thought-provoking exploration that reshapes how we see the life we live. Prepare to be inspired, challenged, and utterly transformed by this literary masterpiece.

—Bogumil Baranowski, Founder, Blue Infinitas Capital

Joy to read, thought-provoking, and full of worldly wisdom.

—Barry Ritholtz, Chairman & CIO, Ritholtz Wealth Mgt.

Vishal distils timeless wisdom into a profound guide for living a meaningful life.

—Sankaran Naren, CIO, ICICI Prudential AMC

Boundless is a wonderful guide on how to live a more intentional life. If you want to make tangible changes and go on a journey of self-discovery, then Boundless is the book for you.

—Nick Maggiulli, Author, Just Keep Buying

Boundless is a call to break self-imposed limits and embrace life as an unfolding story.

—Radhika Gupta, MD & CEO, Edelweiss Mutual Fund


A Birthday Gift

Since it’s my birthday, I’d like to turn the tradition around and give you a gift—an invitation to pre-order Boundless. By pre-ordering, you’ll be among the first to receive the book when it starts shipping in January 2025.

Click here to pre-order Boundless now!

And because I want to make this special for those of you who’ve supported me all along, I’m offering a pre-order price of ₹1799 (base price: ₹1999). Pricing for international orders is $51 (base price: $55)

Also, as a token of my gratitude, all pre-orders will include a couple of special bonuses:

  • Free Workbook: A companion guide with reflection prompts and additional insights to help you live the ideas in Boundless.
  • Author Q&A: An invite to an online session where I’ll share behind-the-scenes stories and answer your questions (sometime in early January 2025).

Click here to pre-order Boundless now!

The pre-order bonuses are my way of saying thank you—because honestly, I wouldn’t be here without you.


Final Thoughts

Completing 46 has been humbling. There’s a lot I still don’t know. But one thing I’ve learned is this: Life isn’t about perfection or having all the answers, but is about finding the courage to keep growing—even when the silver starts showing.

Thank you for letting me share this journey with you. Whether you’ve read my words, shared your thoughts, or simply followed along, you’ve been an important part of my story.

Here’s to another year of learning, reflecting, and (hopefully) shining just a little brighter.

With gratitude,
—Vishal

P.S. They say silver tarnishes if you don’t take care of it. So here’s to polishing the best parts of ourselves and letting the rest fade with grace. Let’s live boundlessly together.

Click here to pre-order Boundless now!

10 Questions on Money and Investing that Changed My Life (E-Book)

The Sketchbook of Wisdom: A Hand-Crafted Manual on the Pursuit of Wealth and Good Life

Buy your copy of the book Morgan Housel calls “a masterpiece.” It contains 50 timeless ideas – from Lord Krishna to Charlie Munger, Socrates to Warren Buffett, and Steve Jobs to Naval Ravikant – as they apply to our lives today. Click here to buy now.


As investors, we are constantly bombarded with a deluge of information, tips, and strategies, all promising to be the key to financial success. Yet, I believe that, amidst this noise, the true essence of understanding how to walk on this path lies not in the answers we seek or are thrown at us, but in the questions we ask.

[Read more…] about 10 Questions on Money and Investing that Changed My Life (E-Book)

[New Book] The Worldly Wisdom of Charlie Munger

As the first dawn of 2024 breaks, we stand at a poignant milestone.

Today, Charlie Munger would have completed 100 revolutions around the sun. A century that was almost reached, yet remained just beyond grasp, as he left us on November 28, 2023.

[Read more…] about [New Book] The Worldly Wisdom of Charlie Munger

The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make

The Sketchbook of Wisdom: A Hand-Crafted Manual on the Pursuit of Wealth and Good Life

Buy your copy of the book Morgan Housel calls “a masterpiece.” It contains 50 timeless ideas – from Lord Krishna to Charlie Munger, Socrates to Warren Buffett, and Steve Jobs to Naval Ravikant – as they apply to our lives today. Click here to buy now.


After I had decided to quit my job in late 2010, we got to know that our second child was on the way. There was a momentary dilemma whether to go ahead with the decision to quit the job or not.

A new family member meant added responsibilities, that too in a period of high financial uncertainty. I had exhausted a large part of my savings to pay off my home loan to be able to quit that job, and now there would be an extra mouth to feed, apart from other expenses of a newborn.

“Quit your job!” was my wife Vidhi’s call. “We will see what happens only after we take this step. Worst, if nothing works out, we will sell our house and move back to a small town.”

[Read more…] about The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make

The Sketchbook of Wisdom: Buy Now

My new book – The Sketchbook of Wisdom: A Hand-Crafted Manual on the Pursuit of Wealth and Good Life – is flying off the shelves (despite its 800-gram weight). 🙂

I have already despatched 1150+ copies of the book across India, plus in process of sending off another 200+ copies internationally.

Here are just a few reviews the book has received –

The book is now also available on Amazon India, so if you want fast delivery, please order from there.

But if you want an autographed copy and are fine with delivery in 5-7 days within India, and 25-30 days internationally, click here to order straight from my website.

And why do I take extra time to deliver the book when ordered through my site? Here’s why –

Packed with 50 timeless ideas from Lord Krishna to Charlie Munger, Socrates to Warren Buffett, Lao Tzu to Nassim Taleb, and Steve Jobs to Naval Ravikant – as it applies to our lives today, The Sketchbook of Wisdom is a manual on virtue, happiness, and the pursuit of wealth and good life.

Please email me at vishal@safalniveshak.com if you have any questions about the book.

With respect,
Vishal

Seven Big Ideas from Fooled by Randomness

I have been re-reading Nassim Taleb’s Fooled by Randomness. The book is about “luck disguised and perceived as non-luck (that is, skills) and, more generally, randomness disguised and perceived as non-randomness (that is, determinism).”

It’s an enlightening read in its entirety, but here are seven key ideas I have picked up from the book.

[Read more…] about Seven Big Ideas from Fooled by Randomness

The Books That Made Me – Part 3

This is the third part of the series on books that have inspired me the most. Read Part 1 and Part 2. Here are the books I have profiled so far –

1. Life and Living

  • The Bhagavad Gita (~ 200 BC)
  • Autobiography of A Yogi (1946)
  • Man’s Search for Meaning (1946)
  • Who Moved My Cheese (1998)
  • Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1970)
  • Meditations (~ 180 AD)
  • One Small Step Can Change Your Life (2004)
  • How to Stop Worrying and Start Living (1948)
  • As a Man Thinketh (1903)
  • The Alchemist (1988)
  • Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl (1947)

2. Learning, Thinking, Decision Making

[Read more…] about The Books That Made Me – Part 3

The Books That Made Me – Part 2

In the first part of this series, I profiled books on life and living that have inspired me the most. In this second part, I cover books on learning, thinking, and decision making (more coming in the third part).

Before I begin, here’s something worth reiterating. You should not read good books for the sake of talking about them. Mentioning them by name may give you the appearance of literacy, but you do not have to read them to outshine someone else at a dinner party. Reading is a means toward living a good human life. It’s a means toward living the life of a free man/woman.

Anyways, what follows below is not an exhaustive list but is made up of books I go back to time and again, and return wiser.

The Books That Made Me – Part 2 - Safal Niveshak

Let’s start right away with my favourite books on learning, thinking, and decision making.

[Read more…] about The Books That Made Me – Part 2

5 Lessons on Life & Investing from Guy Spier’s Education of a Value Investor

Once upon a time, there was a young man who got his dream job in the financial services industry, thought he could make it big one day and worked hard at it, then got disillusioned and disgusted by what he saw around, and finally quit to live a life of greater peace and fulfillment, while pursuing his passion in value investing.

If I had not read Guy Spier’s The Education of a Value Investor, and someone told me this story, I would have believed it was mine.

This is truly my story, but Guy has captured this beautifully in his wonderful book, which I completed reading recently.

Of course, Guy gas written about his personal story, but it resonated so much with me that I have kept this book in my must-read book advisory list for any budding value investor.

Of course, there are great differences between me and Guy –

  • He studied at Oxford and Harvard while I studied at obscure colleges;
  • He won a lunch date with Warren Buffett (jointly with Mohnish Pabrai, at a cost of US$ 650,000), while I continue to dream of a visit to Omaha to meet the Oracle some day;
  • He started and ended his career at an investment bank, and I did it with an independent research house.
  • He now manages multi-million dollars, while I barely manage to manage my own little savings. 🙂

Anyways, coming back to Guy’s story and his book, as I mentioned, I could relate to a lot of his experiences, thoughts, and lessons. I have pulled out just five of them that have guided me well.

These thoughts not only hold importance in investing but in life as well. In fact, I find Guy’s book amazing because it talks less about value investing rules and more on a value investor’s character development.

In Guy’s own words…

…this book is also about the inner game of investing, and by extension, the inner game of life. As I’ve come to discover, investing is about much more than money. So as your wealth grows, I hope you will also come to realize that the money is largely irrelevant. And what you will want to do with the bulk of your wealth is give it back to society.

So, here are those five meaningful thoughts that Guy writes about in his book, which I believe serve a great learning for most people aspiring to find a greater meaning in life and become better as value investors.

[Read more…] about 5 Lessons on Life & Investing from Guy Spier’s Education of a Value Investor

The Wisdom of Intelligent Investors (Special E-Book)

The Wisdom of Intelligent Investors (Special E-Book)If the history of stock market is anything to go by, investors often make decisions that can undermine their ability to build long-term wealth. As such, it is often very valuable to look back in history and study closely the principles that have guided the investment decisions of some of the best minds and practitioners in this field through both good and bad markets.

By studying these experienced investors, we can learn many important lessons about the mindset required to build long-term wealth.

With this goal in mind, here is a special e-book that aims to offer the wisdom of some of the best investment minds of current times from India and abroad.

[Read more…] about The Wisdom of Intelligent Investors (Special E-Book)

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