What is your New Year resolution? How was 2015? What did you not like about the year and what are you looking forward to in 2016?
Such questions and resolutions make it to the year-end wrap up each year mainly because people can’t devise newer ones. Maybe, some people do not want to look beyond the sphere of resolutions and talk about what life lessons you learnt in 2015 that could benefit other people. Now read this: How do you plan to manage yourself differently from 2015? Isn’t this question different and serves as a potential good guide for the year to come.
The year ending phase always holds charm in a bitter sweet way. You see a lot of exciting events lined up from weddings to private parties and social events to vacation trips. However, at the same time you also want to pause and reflect back into how the year has been.
Most people either take leaves to enjoy a long weekend or plan a month long vacation with family and friends. Doing this allows you some space to enjoy the cold winds, the silence that accompanies, and all the joy that comes with the merry season. You have plenty of time for yourself to recreate and do whatever you want to utilize that short vacation well. Many families preplan their vacation and resort to some cool, fancy spots while others rejoice in the comforts of their homes by indulging in fun activities like going out to the beach maybe.
This year has been a voyage of discovery and experiences both good and not-so-good ones. By the end of the year, we all end up learning some quintessential lessons that don’t come easy otherwise. However, when push comes to shove, you learn them yourself. Here are a few:
What you want the most in life, you don’t get it
If you are lucky enough to get what you want, then you need to put your blood and sweat to retain it and allow it to flourish. The simpler version of this is that you struggle hard to achieve your goal but the real struggle begins once you have achieved your goal. That struggle is what shapes you and at the end of the day makes you wonder “if all this was worth it?” and if life is all about it alone. It makes you question yourself at many occasions in life. This is why they say life is a rollercoaster of ups and downs and nobody truly has until they have seen it all.
Learn to accept change
Some people might have been at their best all through their life, becoming epitomes of good morals and etiquettes, but when they want certain things to happen their way, they change their outlook on things. You need to take this situation as a lesson because you cannot take all decisions on your own especially when there are other people involved. Learn to handle such situations with a fair opinion that will benefit all.
Wear your own shoes at all times
Most of us look at lives of other people with rose-tinted glasses and wish themselves in their place. The real picture comes into focus when you get to see other people’s lives in close proximity. Only then we realize their ordeals and their blessings on a fair scale. This year I admired someone for the apparent ease and comfort in their life, their smart physical outlook, and how they had the world’s most caring friends, etc. All this until l I found out how they lost their mother and brother one unfortunate day in a car accident. I realized I was truly blessed in comparison with countless blessings including a fulfilling family life, an education, and a future that I dream of.
Take out time for those who admire you
Very few people have the sense to vent out their feelings at the right time, for example, telling someone how much they admire them. I repeat, very few. Then there are people who admire and despise you at the same time. They wish they were like you but the only sword they wear is haste which they use to put you down in every way. Jealous people are confused admirers and these people can’t leave you but will always point out the sore you got on your clean flesh when it really doesn’t exist. So take out time for the ones who like you and constantly remind you of your goodness. It helps staying positive and boosting up self-esteem so why not spend time with nice people when they are already a few left around.
Forgive yourself
I am a medical doctor and we have a lot of expectations from ourselves right from the time we get into a medical school. These expectations are mostly unattainable and by saying that I don’t mean we can’t achieve our goals. The fact is we strive hard to get through all that comes our way but we too have our low days when things are beyond control. We follow the rules most of the times, but like everyone else, we tend to fail as well. The problem is that as humans we judge ourselves too harshly to a point where we ought to leave everything and start trusting our own abilities. Things go wrong and bad days come to everyone. It is better to forgive yourself and move on. Do better the next day. It is important to forgive yourself everyday for the incomplete tasks. This could be everything, from not being able to do a particular task or may be passing a test with your desired grade.
Communicate to connect
Some say education is the best weapon which indeed it is however an essential factor that help us put education to good use is effective communication. It is good to meet and interact with new people, and enhance networking as much as you can because it really helps building a great network. Talk to people from all walks of life; you will be amazed at what you passively learn from each one of them. You will get polished at some point. If it doesn’t help you get somewhere in life then I can assure you it will help you lift up when you fall down bad.
Pray
‘Practice the pause. When in doubt, pause. When angry, pause. When tired, pause. When stressed, pause. And when you pause, pray!’ If you don’t get what you have been striving for you will survive the emotional trauma of not being able to achieve your goals at least “.
Find your own Happiness
You take yourself wherever you go so it is essential to be happy at heart. While reading a survey online I came across an interesting research that explained that most people who check their Facebook account 14-17 times a day are the most dissatisfied people. Also the ones who don’t indulge in this are way more content and positive. This happens because when people start comparing their lives to the rest of the people through a superficial platform they tend to feel miserable naturally. People have to realize that what they see on social media is a misleading perception of “all is good in life” because nobody really wants to share the miseries in their life. I also had a similar experience in this regard. I went off Facebook for five months this year and to my surprise, I felt amazing, more confident in my own skin, and most importantly I was communicating more physically than virtually. Living in the real arena revived my hidden communication talent that had somewhat disappeared due to lesser communication in person. Ensure that you reach out to your peers through e-communication only when you are unable to reach them in person.
Invest in an Adventure
Not everyone can afford to pay for travel expenses for far flung places. However, if you can, it is always a good idea to experience spending quality time at a new place because exploration brings great contentment. According to a research, and self accounts of many avid travelers invest in adventures instead of objects brings positivity to your attitude and increases your happiness quotient. Consider the hefty amounts of cash on you use for shopping high-end brands, and then analyze how much happiness it brings to you and how does it stay. Does it have any positive outcomes on the whole? If not then you are striving to get superficial things only that do not last longer and need to be replaced soon. Instead, try spending your hard earned money on valuable experiences that will help you grow and get closer to the new horizons.
Natasha MD 