I am truly happy to be writing about this topic purely because we all seem to be concentrating on the negative and the good hasn’t been given any focus yet. Would like to thank BOTT for this opportunity to pen down my thoughts. A lot of good has actually come out for me this year and I shall try to summarise it to the best of my ability.
The most important thing that came out this year is the realisation of self-love and investment of time in self before anything else. Be it a health / fitness regime, reading habits, self-grooming, or simply putting my thoughts together – I was able to pay more attention to all these issues. Rediscovering the singer in myself, finding time to sing some amazing melodies, which I thought I had long forgotten was truly an enriching experience. Becoming a part of certain forums with friends wherein I could share positive thoughts / ideas and encourage some other friends who have been feeling low gave me utmost satisfaction. These months also gave me time to improve my writing skills and I tried my hand at writing on various subjects, however, my first love continues to remain travel, a subject that I am most passionate about.
As the months progressed, one got to unravel some innovative and creative aspects of one’s personality by celebrating milestones in a very different manner. I tried various new recipes, made all kinds of eggless cakes, pancakes and lots more to delight the taste buds of my kids and loved ones. I got to spend quality time with my parents and learned a variety of things from my mother too.
On the professional front, I was extremely humbled and honoured to be featured in the Series of “Super Women of Travel” by the Dope News. I shared my journey with everyone, spoke about all the ups and downs that I have experienced through my career, the successes and failures and how I have been enjoying this journey and the learnings that I have acquired form this. This not only gave me a high but also inspired me further as I received a lot of inspiring and encouraging messages from industry friends and colleagues who had seen my interview. It truly motivated me to strive further and achieve a lot more in life.
Other than the above, I think the one more really good thing that came out this year is that I connected on a totally different level with industry friends, colleagues and clients. The main reason behind this was because our conversations were centred on wellbeing, counting our blessings more than ever plus above all, gratitude to the almighty for giving us the strength to go through this phase of life. Conversations moved beyond work, deadlines and targets. The sense of being surrounded by family, friends and well-wishers and having food on the table in these troubled times was a blessing that everyone acknowledged.
Though I have always been a strong person, because of my Armed Forces background, I feel I have become a lot stronger, resilient, patient as well as grateful during this year. It’s not that I did not face any negative thoughts – many times it felt as if life has come to a standstill; sometimes it brought with it the feeling that one is just getting pushed back with the current situation, but my willpower, positivity, resilience and the love of family and friends kept me going. Truly, what more can one really ask for?
I’d like to conclude by sharing a beautiful quote: “Sometimes in life, you have to take a step back to move forward”.
