New year, Better me

I am one of those people who rarely go out to celebrate New Year’s eve. Most of my life, I’ve fallen asleep even before the clock struck midnight. But after entering the somewhat grown up phase of life, I began to see it is for what it is – a reason to celebrate the start of something new. It is also a great way to assess what you did last year, look for growth opportunities, let go of the bad habits or cutback on them and have a rough draft of how you want the upcoming year to look like. The beginning of a new year gives you an opportunity to have something to look forward to for the rest of the year. Well, I may be late to the party, but here I am!

Ditching the new year clichés like ‘New year, new me’, I now look forward to ‘New year, better me’. This entails that with the start of a new year, I don’t need to change into a completely different version of myself. A lot of us don’t really want to turn into a whole different person. I would rather do things that would turn me into a better version of myself and even if you like where you are at right now, there’s always an opportunity to learn, to grow.

Previously, a new year meant creating multiple resolutions that I generally lost track of in the first two weeks itself. Most of the times, I didn’t even bother to get back to them fearing it was already too late to begin. As I had mentioned in one of my previous posts, this blog itself had lost track because I had failed to follow-through on my yearly resolutions to write more. However, a few years later, I realized that all I needed was a start. Even if it wasn’t on the first day of the year, what mattered was to write, to finish an article and post it. Once I got into the rhythm of it, the next step was consistency.

Even today, procrastination gets the better of me on a lot of days. But let me tell you a secret, sometimes, all that matters is showing up. Build little by little. Because at the end of the day, even a small step means you’re improving, going ahead rather than being stagnant. I still dream of posting at least one blog every day. Even though I haven’t gotten there, I have also realized it’s okay to take small breaks or even long ones. What matters is, not letting go of the things that you really want in life. Which is why, here I am again, hoping to write more this year!

Here’s to looking forward to a healthier (COVID-free), happier (inside-out) and flourishing year ahead!

Perks of being a Wildflower!

That’s the thing about these wildflowers. Nobody planted their seeds here. Some were carried by the ferocious winds and some by the torrential rains. I wonder how far they had to travel and through how many storms and hurricanes before they found this spot, right here, by the beach! But once they found an empty home, they blossomed through all the empty spaces where once was just dirt and dust. Without being cultivated with caring sets of hands or even fertilizers that could supplement their growth, they just grew.

You too, don’t need everything that you think you do before you can start. While you’ve got this innate ability to grow where you are, you will grow in the high-maintained gardens and in the wild parks by the sea. And that’s the beauty of it all, while you sit here pondering over where to begin, you’ve already commenced this journey. All you need to do is sow the seeds and watch yourself grow. These wildflowers, they find their own water and light along the way, simply thriving through all rubble and rain.

You don’t have to wait for someone to plant you or until you find that perfect place or time. Just remember, wildflowers grow from NOTHING and yet, Mother Earth brings them all the water and nourishment that they would need to flourish. Don’t forget, you too, are her child. So, this is what makes these wildflowers so special. They are born with the only purpose to bloom, that’s all they know and that’s all they ever seek to do. 🌸