I could write so much from what made my last decade on this giant Earth so memorable, meaningful, and most importantly packed with amazing adventures!
However, of all the things, what makes me extremely happy to share is about my internal journey through all the below!!
To begin with, let me summarise my last 10 years for you …
It was all about from the smallest thing like getting a tattoo (which I never planned in the first place) to sky diving to getting my business degree from Cardiff (I always wanted to study business for as long I can remember) …to moving to two different cities and then to leave my corporate job to move my complete life to a new country ‘UAE- Dubai’ (with no idea what will follow)… to getting married to the love of my life (I fought my heart out for close to 8 months with everyone given that my parents had a pretty conservative take on ‘love marriage’ concept to them now embracing us so beautifully) …to experiencing that longing through our long-distance relationship for almost 2 years post our marriage.
To enjoying financial investments and making profits out of it (that’s how I invented my love for finance) and buying our first home in mid-’20s (always had a thing for real tangible, grounding things in life)…to working with an NGO which gave me perspective …to working with children in rural areas and understanding how privileged I am to get all the opportunities I have received so far…to finally get my driving license (got it in the 11th attempt. Try to clear driving tests in Dubai to get a real feel about it. No kidding! ) …
To interacting with political world leaders, entrepreneurs, and CEO’s at the global level from every continent (this was an eye-opener to a real-world, to the world I never knew existed) …to now being in ‘Sales and Marketing’ and to do business with new territories within the Middle East to financing my own higher studies and to travel across the globe (something I felt good about and made me feel super independent ) …to connecting with parents and spending time with them (which required deep dive within myself )… to exploring: blogging, public speaking, dancing, fashion, numerology….to making friends from different cultures…to finding a mentor (this I will always consider as my turning point in life)…. to go on endless dates with myself (I had to learn to enjoy my own company)…And the list goes on…
And yet what makes my course very similar to everyone is ….’Adolescent’.. it is indeed a difficult and joyful at the same time by default … we go through this journey of finding clarity on questions which seemed alien till a certain point….about who we are? What connects us? About our relationships? Our work? Our purpose in life? What makes us excited and get up in the morning? Dealing with insecurity, own worth, independence…
I realized, for all of us there is no other option but to go through these crazy, confusing, hard times…only to come on the other side with a better understanding of ourselves.
Part I enjoyed the most was to work brick by brick on finding my center.. finding myself.. finding where I feel at home…looking at life in a more peaceful, harmonious way rather than 24*7 high-intensity mode.
The real issue with being ambitious is that when life demands you to wait, to observe, and to listen and not ‘Do’ things… it is a real frustration! Yet there are times when not doing anything is the best course of action in life.
I learned it hard way to play along with time…
It’s like if the wind is not flowing with you irrespective of how much effort you are going to apply….sailing boat against the tide will consume effort as twice but progress will be hardly visible.. so rather wait for the right time..be patient and work on yourself, build good habits, work on existing relationships, invest for future…because guess what?
One day, the wind will move with you.. or time so to speak will be on your side…Yes, one day! And all these things you worked on until then will form a rock solid foundation of life to build on..… that’s when real results will come.
Tools you learn in that process to navigate through it… to come out of it on the other side will help you far more than you ever taught of… Sometimes you have to hit a rock bottom to see things from a new perspective!!!
From not feeling connected and defeated with everything around me, I do feel a sense of contentment, joy, and meaning today in every area!! Which, at one point felt impossible… yet, here I am happily proving myself wrong!!
Everybody … everyone comes on the other side it’s just a matter of time …. Life is structured in such a way that we all humans are skilled to survive..to thrive.. we just need to do our part…
They say “Failures in 20’s is a blessing”…I can’t stress this more. Now, I am not trying to romanticize the idea of failure cause it’s not that pretty and it hurts, yes it does!
Finding oneself probably takes eons…. And let’s not pressurize ourselves to figure it out. as we humans are on this one-lifetime journey and probably why hurry? We got an entire life!!!
However, I can tell you the majority of the foundation is formed by your late 20’s. Most critical decisions – either good or bad you might take will be in your 20’s.
If you are on this journey, just remember:
- Things won’t go as per your plan and that’s fine …just trust higher energy and do your part
- Finding oneself will be a highlight throughout your 20’s
- Being bold and getting into uncomfortable situations will reward you multifold
- We will have to choose between – Growing better or bitter with every unpleasant situation we might face
- Hurt will make you more human. It will help you to relate to people you will encounter in your life…
As I step into a new decade, I have promised myself to keep working on my emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual well-being…and to make most of every opportunity life brings in my basket. To live my truth unapologetically!!
With that promise- Happy 30 to me!!!!
