Birthday Reflections

I’m pretty excited to write this blog post, for it’s a very special one. Today, the 23rd of September, is my birthday! This year I decided to compile a list of lessons I’ve learnt all these years. The day is 23 and so here’s presenting 23 lessons.

1. Failure doesn’t mean it’s all over. It’s another opportunity to improve and move ahead in your journey. I’m a CA student and I’ve failed my exams multiple times. And each failure has made me stronger and more capable of facing hurdles head on. [Related Post: Try. Fail. Learn.]

There have been multiple times where I fell down. But I stood up every single time, nursed my wounds and got back on track. 

Try. Fail. Learn. (@thesoulfulnib)

2. Compete with your own self and not with others. I do not think there is a stronger competitor for us than our younger selves. I’ve learnt to look back and see how far I’ve come as a person and my many roles, be it as a daughter, a sister, a friend and a student.

3. Never think it is impossible to achieve what you wish for. It all seems a bit too cliché and it sounds too good to be true. One can never rule out the idea of being what they wished to be. It is a matter of perseverance and belief in oneself. Which brings me to the next point..

4. Consistency, determination and patience is EVERYTHING. One can be, do and have all that they want, provided we work towards it. Having this blog made me more consistent in my writing and helped me improve the skill. And of course, things take time. Patience is a virtue. [Related Post: Go Ahead. Grow Ahead.]

5. A clean environment leads to a clear mind. I’ve been a clean freak for the longest time and like to keep my belongings in order and in their right places. The habit has taken such a profound effect on my lifestyle now. Not does it make things look tidy and put together, but it helps in eliminating the mental clutter too.

6. Hobbies and interests are essential. Keep 1-2 hobbies that you love to do. I recently got back in touch with my childhood hobby of drawing and painting, and it is one of the best decisions I’ve ever taken. We’ve got some time to spare every once in a while for ourselves, and making these hobbies a part of our lives helps in clearing our mind off things, and let’s us be a bit more creative and happier. [Related Post: Distress Or De-Stress?]

7. Relaxing isn’t pampering yourself, it is essential. I am reading this book called “101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think” by Brianna Wiest and this line is from the same book. For a long time I used to believe that relaxing and doing nothing productive at all is an indulgence. But now I’m acknowledging the fact that it is essential to relax more often that I think I should.

8. Quality over quantity. I am not much of a collector of things (except books) and I prefer having a few good quality possessions rather than a hoard of average quality ones. Not just in terms of possessions, quality of relationships and the quality of my work are extremely valuable to me.

9. Connect with your friends and family regularly. Nothing beats the happiness of talking to your dearest people. We all have a few close friends in our life. Identify them and make it a point to keep in touch with them. Not to mention, spending time with family is one of the most soul-satisfying things one could do!

10. Good habits have a compounding effect on your lifestyle. Stick to them. Being consistent in certain habits have made such a huge difference in my lifestyle. From being a girl who hated walking and exercise to being a fitness freak, from being an inconsistent writer to a regular blogger, it is only those tiny habits that made it possible. [Related Post: A Beginner’s Guide To Habit Tracking]

11. Health is always first priority before anything else. A highly overlooked aspect of everyone’s life is health. We learnt in school that “health is wealth” and rightly so. We all need to reshuffle our priorities and put our health first before anything or anyone else. I accept I’m still a work-in-progress with this one. But I’m determined.

12. Actions speak more than words. There is nothing that speaks volumes about our personalities than our actions and behaviours. 

13. But choose your words carefully. What you speak to others as well as to yourself. Actions speak more, but that does not mean we can speak without thinking. It is said that words once said can never be taken back. So while at it, be careful what you tell others AND also to yourself. [Related Post: #PowerOfWords]

14. Invest in your well-being, not just financial well-being, but also physical, mental and emotional well-being. Thanks to my father, I’ve learnt the importance of savings and investments for a better and secure life ahead. Well-being isn’t limited to our finances. It is important to invest in good lifestyle habits, good books and good friendships.

15. Self-respect matters the most. True that we should respect each and every living being, but before anyone else, respecting oneself is key. Learning to say no, standing up for when you’re right and speaking up for yourself matter the most.

16. It’s okay to make mistakes. This one is my favourite of all. There was a time I did not want to make a single mistake. But of course, I’m human and it’s human nature to falter and mess up at times. I’ve learnt a lot more from my mistakes as they gave me a chance to get better at what I do. [Related Post: Mistakes Are Proof You’re Trying]

17. Always keep learning and going ahead. Learning is never limited to schools and colleges and it is a life-long process. That’s the way to get ahead in life, upgrade our skills and become a well-rounded individual.

18. Organise practically everything in your life. It is a life-saver. Organisation is an essential life skill which we all need to know. From organising our clothes, books, documents and thoughts, it makes life simpler and well-structured. There will not be any need to stand clueless about where you put that important piece of paper if everything is in the right place. 

19. It’s the little joys that make life worth it. Watching the rain while reading your favourite book. Having a hearty conversation with a dear friend. Indulging in your favourite hobby. Listening to an old favourite song or watching a good movie. It all counts. They make life happier. [Related Post: Simple Joys]

20. Digitise your documents. They save paper, space and simplify your life. With technology, almost everything can be done from our phone screens. So while at it, start collating all your notes, ideas, thoughts, and important documents digitally. They help in saving paper (thus doing our bit for a greener Earth), they minimise the visual clutter and the best part, they make everything easier to access and share. 

21. Done is better than perfect. This is another work-in-progress for me. Perfectionism can be an enemy if it is taken too seriously. Speaking from experience. There have been instances where I’ve wasted a lot of time in perfecting something which wasn’t even important. But over the years, I’ve learnt that getting things done is much better than trying to make it perfect. Procrastination and perfectionism go hand-in-hand. 

22. Read read read! This had to make it to the list 😁. There are so many amazing books out there waiting to be read. Fiction and non-fiction, even comic books. Nothing is more relaxing than reading a good book from a genre you love. Not to mention, they help in building our vocabulary and we get to learn new things. [Related Post: Read. Experience. Learn. Repeat.]

23. Have the courage to take the first step ahead to being the best version of yourself. The right time is now and often it is the first step forward that is the hardest. But having the courage to take that leap of faith could just be the beginning of the life of your dreams.

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And that’s a wrap!

Until next time, stay blessed! 🙂

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