I say this not as a platitudinous phrase but as a balm on the wounds 2021 has left us with. From the surge of the global health pandemic and response of the global governments to the sheer swiftness with which the months passed under the veil of "work from home", this year was truly the year of challenges and choices.
Some were less fortunate than others to be able to make a positive choice based on their situation, while others forced their will upon the situations they were in in the hopes of a better tomorrow, a better version of themselves.
From fitness to musical prowess to crypto revolution to serious vows in solving climate change, this year saw it all and nowhere was it truer than Instagram.
Reels were used, not just as a tool for sharing humorous content, but also for breaking down the most tenacious issues like the idea of self, quantum computing, responses to climate change by various governments and such.
For the initiated, this year posed all the challenges they could muster the courage to overcome. For the uninitiated, this year forced them to look at the bright side of life, despite its tragic trajectory. In both cases, it was left on the individual to find mirth in their misery. This year forced us all to own up to our mistakes and afforded us the respect of being treated as individuals who are solely responsible for facing the consequences of their choices.
I too faced similar challenges, some that I could overcome while others, I wasn't ready to face. I got transferred from Audit to Due Diligence - a department I have wanted to work with since I started working with EY; I accepted the idea of marriage and started actively planning my future without fear and with nothing but love and willpower guiding me in the process; I picked up those books that I had shelved and completed them, extracting every bit of juice that I could and applying it in life. There were many more achievements like completing the Kheerganga trek, driving about 1000km in 2 days, driving on the tough road to Mt Abu from Jodhpur and tougher roads in the inner city of Jodhpur, learning to communicate with office seniors with reduced nervousness and fear and finally, actively planning not only my retirement and taxes but also my prospects of leaving the country.
However, there were times when gloom was all that I could see, and those times seem to be perennial. As they say, the more things change the more they remain the same, so is true about my mental health, it seems. No matter how much I break out of my limits, there are areas of my life where I've barely put in any effort. Results don't come without effort. There have been significant areas where I needed to work but I didn't put in as much effort as I should have - stock market, physical health, reading (could have done much better), discipline, writing, music and friendships.
When you constantly doubt yourself, it's very exhausting to manage your relationships with others - friends, relatives, acquaintances... It's all the same, it's all too damn tiring.
One of the greatest learnings of this year for me was that everyone needs to be an entertainer if they want to be great. You wanna be a brilliant CEO? Put on a show, you wanna be a star employee who is considered for cream work? Put on a show, you want people in your community to help you and consider you when they need help? Put on a show, you want to bring change - big or small - in your society, office, college, family, friend circle, city? Put on a show, you want your dreams to have value? PUT. ON. A. SHOW.
A life lived with one's ambitions and with zero consideration for larger problems of the world does not bring peace or satisfaction to me. I have still not zeroed in on my passion, but one thing is certain - my passion will not drive me if it is not aligned with solving a larger problem of people. You need to put on a show because you need someone - other than you to notice what you're doing. Whether what you're doing is worth something or not, isn't always dependent on validation from the world - but a proof of concept has to be presented to at least see if you're moving in the right direction. An enthusiastic crypto trader may not need approval from a government employee who prefers FD over everything else, but it would still be a much better idea to post his ideas on a relevant subreddit or speak to senior people operating in the crypto market to at least test whether his/her path will lead to the destination they are aiming for or what are the risks they need to consider while walking along that path.
The second great learning of this year was the power of discipline. Whether you're an Instagram influencer travelling from Rome to Romania, or an athlete aiming to represent their country in the Olympics, or perhaps an aspiring entrepreneur who is searching for that one idea that can change their entire life - discipline and the courage to stick to that discipline is one common thing among all of them. Drive to succeed and discipline go hand in hand, which is why optimism goes a long long way in encouraging one to achieve their goal. Just an initial push is needed, after which, the drive pushed discipline and discipline drives you to strive further, strengthening your resolve evermore.
Having seen the positive effects of these two so closely over 2021, I hope to apply them in my life and push my limits in the following fields:
1) Reading - Indian Philosophy, Science and Economics
2) Personal Finance
3) Employability
4) Writing - blogs, poems, prose
5) Maintaining relationships
6) Exercising and eating healthy
7) Meditation
Good Bye, 2021... Thank you for being tough with me, giving me such valuable lessons. I hope I can apply these learnings in 2022, the results of which should act as a balm to the wounds you've left behind.
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