As 2010 comes to an end, I look back and reflect on the year that’s gone by. There’s been so much joy, a few sorrows…so much hard work…a lot of partying…and so many things that I have learnt.
The top 10 things I’ve learnt….
- To laugh out loud – Life’s too short to be constantly worried. Take every opportunity to catch life by the horns and L-I-V-E!
- To stay calm – Shit happens, but how we deal with it is what matters most.
- To prioritize – Family and friends and health come first. Work’s important, but it isn’t the be all and end all of life.
- To constantly adapt – The only constant in life is change. We can’t stay in our comfort zone forever. To live fully (see point 1), we have to break out of our comfort zone…sure it’s hard at first, but like Nike says, Just do it!
- To make time for me – My day for myself is Saturday – I have the weekends off, but the husband has only Sundays off. Instead of moaning and groaning about it, I use that one day to have fun…go out with girlfriends or even alone (see the next point), clean up the house (if I feel like it), do some bloggy work…
- To be comfortable in my own skin – Next time you’re out in the market or mall, really notice people around you — they are almost always with their families or friends. Even the movies would have you believe that one is a lonely number. But you know what, it isn’t! It takes great confidence and oodles of self love to be out there in the crowd alone, doing your own thing, even *gasp!* eating at a restaurant alone. This may be an Indian thing, but it’s one of the most important lessons I learnt this year.
- To try and try again – If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have started working out again. I’ve lost count of the number of crash diets I’ve gone on, of how many times I joined the gym and gave up. But this year, I was determined I would do it, and stick to it. And I’ve succeeded. The weight hasn’t come off as fast as I had hoped, and there are days when I stumble, but I get up and get back on!
- To draw the line, work-wise – Sure work’s important – it’s what helps us put food on the table and clothes on our back. But if work overtakes the rest of your life what purpose is it serving? If you have no time for family, for friends, to enjoy your hard earned money, is it really worth it? There’s only that much stress I can take over work, beyond a point, I refuse to compromise on my personal time.
- To speak out – The husband’s not a mind reader. Unless I tell him what’s bothering me, he ain’t gonna know. So instead of stewing or going silent, I realized it’s best to let it rip from time to time. Keeps him on his best behavior too 😉
- To take a break – I used to take time off from work only if I was sick or traveling. But there are days when you just want to laze around, and I realized that if I just took the day off, I went to work the next day feeling like a million bucks!
Life is always teaching us lessons, either by experience or by sharing. I’ve shared what I’ve learnt this year, won’t you share your lessons with me in the comments section?
Linking up with Jade:
Thanks for taking part, I really agree with number 6 – be comfortable in your own skin. I think this is something I have achieved in the past couple of years.
Before I started my current job I never really had any time spend in my own company. These days with travelling so much and often on my own I’ve become comfortable with it. I can go out for dinner when I’m away by myself and I’m quite comfortable. I love people watching and sitting in a restaurant observing everyone else and listening into their conversations – I’m so nosey!
I really love the way you have taken the day you are on your own and really claimed it as your own day. There’s a positive side to everything we just need to look for it sometimes.
Have a lovely day,
Jade
I think traveling is one of the best ways to broaden one’s horizons. There’s so much that you learn and experience that you’re bound to come back slightly changed and a little more mature from every trip! Especially when you travel alone 😉
These are great realizations and I agree with every one of them! I’ve always been comfortable with myself – so spending time on my own is something that I love to do and that doesn’t make me feel awkward or out of place. I have no problem eating out or going to a movie by myself. I think I tend to prefer my alone time more then my time with friends LOL – is that bad?
As for work – I could not agree more. My perspective is that I work to live, not live to work – but sometimes you work for people who think your entire life revolves around work, and who think it’s OK to expect you to give up your personal time in favor of your job. Might be doable if one was shown appreciation or recognition once in a while, or if it was a give & take situation – but I’m even less likely to work like a slave when that doesn’t happen! (I’ve got issues right now, can you tell? :-o). But, even if I were paid more to do more, I would not do it. My personal time is important and everyone needs to disconnect in order to ‘reboot.’ Time for a change!
Nice post!
See, I’ve always comfortable with myself alone at home. I used to be very uncomfortable going out to the mall or for a coffee alone. I guess it’s partly because it’s extremely rare to see people out alone at malls in India – they’re almost always with friends or family. You sorta feel like the odd one out!
Work-life balance is slowly becoming important in India. I was forced to work like a slave at my previous organization, but the place I’m currently working at has excellent work-life balance. I’m going to be changing organizations next year, though, and I really hope I’ll be able to maintain this hard won balance. But, beyond a point, I refuse to compromise!
Learning to be adaptable was hard for me. I’m a controlling person and i have a hard time when things don’t go the way I want them to. I’m working on it….
Great list!
I’m quite a control freak at work. I did manage to let go….a bit…but I know how hard it can be. At home, though, I’m just the opposite – happy go lucky! 😉
I couldn’t agree more with you on that list. We are moving away from our comfort zone. Yes it is a little scary, but to stay here because it is easy would be foolish for us.
Also, when I love to be alone and go out alone! I started doing that in my 20’s. I would eat at a restaurant with a counter and it was so delightful. Sometimes I would just sit and think and sometimes I would bring a book. It was always fun.
Wow, it’s great that you could just sit and think at a restaurant alone too! I generally take a book along – gives me a little more confidence to be alone 😉
Hurray for other people who like to go out alone. I remember in my 20’s going to a restaurant alone and feeling very self conscious. Now I love it. When I was young, I remember friends who would only do something if they had someone to do it with. I found that limiting because I couldn’t always find someone who wanted to do what I wanted or at least not the way I wanted to do it.
I love the statement about speaking out. It seems like the clearer one can be about what they have to say the more beautiful it is even when it is not what others want to hear. Truth has beauty.
It’s difficult to find like-minded people to do things with sometimes – that’s why it really helps if you have enough confidence to do your own thing! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂