There are three secrets I learnt this year.
Here they are!
Writing is as natural as breathing to me.
Wait, I disagree.
Writing is more natural to me than even breathing.
Writing to all of you feels like I am speaking to friends over coffee.
I enjoy it and it relaxes me.
This year has been a phenomenal one – and has changed me in ways I could never have imagined. I am sure 2020 will not draw a neutral or blank expression from anyone – but for me, it has been a year of phenomenal breakthroughs, realizations and insights that have changed everything.
Here is an honest attempt to share with you how the past 350 odd days have been for me.
The first thing this year taught me is to slow down. Slow down not just in the physical sense – where all of our movement was in any case restricted. It taught me to find more gaps within my thoughts. It showed me the value of chewing what I am biting. Enjoy the nuances of daily life. Of dwelling into the colours of every sunset. Of feeling love even more deeply – in the most ordinary instances (the simple gestures of my husband saying I will get the groceries, I dont want you to be exposed to so many people) to feeling the yearning of not being able to hug dear friends. Though I have worked harder this year, than any other – I still feel it slowed me down. And I wish to hold onto these gaps. These pauses. These spaces between two breaths, a little longer.
I dont want life to rush me past.
I want to experience every bit of that cheese fondue.
Of that moonlit evening.
And the moment at hand.
The second incredible thing I learnt was through my book, The Breakthrough and being with the eleven trailblazers. I am so grateful to them as they have had a profound impact on me. It’s one thing to have written the book on them – and lived with them to get their stories out of the hiding… but what fascinated me further is knowing them as people, as teammates, as friends over the last six months. Discussing ideas, seeing how they execute things, observing how unconditional they are in so many aspects, just the fun we have in reaching out together has given me a taste of being with a dream team. I also learnt a lot from two wonderful evangelists who joined our cause. If I have to put one word to the entire experience, I would call it unconditional. This year has made me meet many more lovers, dreamers, believers like me – and it has re-iterated my faith that the only way to be in life is unconditional.
Whether you achieve your goals or not, keep moving.
Whether someone responds or not, keep loving.
Whether things go right or wrong, keep dreaming.
I am moving, loving, dreaming a lot more than before.
The third was about relationships. I am so grateful to my seeker friend, with whom I go for many a coffees and pizzas, drives and strolls and learn more about myself and about life. And currently our favorite topic for discussion is relationships. I am so grateful to her for revealing a beautiful Truth that has liberated me. She said, “Your problem is, you try to find an answer to everything. You try to understand everything. Not everything about life is supposed to be understood!” I realize how true this is for me and maybe for many of us. We feel we have to solve relationship problems like we do our job ones. It doesn’t work that way. It takes time for relationships to build, to blossom, to grow. To deepen. To strengthen. There is a huge time factor involved in relationships that really matter and no quick fixes are possible. Unknowingly I was trying to get it all right and putting immense pressure on myself and the other. I am learning to loosen up. Let go. Not go crazy about blemishes and imperfections – but enjoy them like that little acne that has found its way on my chin.
All in all – 2020 has had a profound impact on me.
As a person.
An author.
And as a relationship.
I end this note with a smile. A thank you. And a sense of, “I don’t think I have even begun…”
What was your biggest learning from 2020? Would love to know!