Self-Reflections for the year that really didn’t go by - 2020

The year 2020 has come to an end finally. Though not sure what changes with that because it is just another day. It is probably only our hopeful minds that once the dawn of year 2021 comes our lives will become better. I think it is actually a good sign that despite all the uncertainty and anxiety we continue to be hopeful 😊.

 

Not to forget 2020 did give us a fair share of learnings through its challenges it threw at us....As they say anything that doesn’t kill you makes your stronger. Generally, it is said that everyone’s journeys are different but year 2020 made it a combined journey of humanity which all of us lived, survived, and scratched through.

For me, I can say is I have grown as a person (well literally in size :D) and realized the real things that matter. So, here’s my reflections or learnings in my own unique way …..Afterall 2020 was unique in every way and hope it remains so ;P:

  

Reflection 1 - Let’s be selfish

 If you are one who is still breathing, your loved ones are safe and sound, and you have money and food on the table – You are nothing but blessed. But even if you have scars, be proud of them because they make you – You! Moral of the story – be selfish to get the maximum out of your life because what happens the very next moment is a big mystery. Also being selfish helps you realize how blessed you are.

 

Reflection 2 – Let’s not fall for the illusion of success

 Some of the biggest nations of the world succumbed to an invisible microscopic enemy. The enemy attacked the rich, the poor, the cities, the villages, the old and the young. What did this enemy teach us? – that success is clearly not an attribute of your size, wealth, status, power…let alone whether you have a roof on your head or not. Moral of the story – Don’t fall for the illusion of success that society shows to you. Your success is like your fingerprint ….it is as unique as you are. Don’t let anyway dictate that for you.  Just do what makes you have happy and let that happiness define your success.

Reflection 3 – Let’s see the bigger picture

Often in times of calamities we awake up and show gratitude to our fellow beings but what happens the rest of year ……well we get busy. This year of 2020 was the year full of gratitude though we would probably never have enough thank yous to say. From the milkman, to our corner kinara wala, to sanitation workers, to our medical professionals and our forever soldiers – all of them risked their own lives to make us feel safer. Moral of the story – Your strength comes from giving strength to others so see the bigger picture of the puzzle and recognize how trivial we are. The best thing life can give you is to make you capable to give.      

Reflection 4 – Let’s solve the unsolved solution

 Year 2020 was challenging emotionally, physically and mentally for all of us. It just took away all the comforts which we unknowingly had become addicted to – traveling, hiring househelp, shopping, eating out, ordering food etc. As I said 2020 was unique and so were the problems of 2020. But there is nothing like a problem…there are just unsolved solutions. We learnt the hard way and probably lives’ most difficult lessons. Moral of the story – Light at the end of tunnel maybe your own torchlight! You are the solution to your problems.

 

Reflection 5 – Let’s just live

 Living became the most paramount need for humanity in 2020. Every other need and want lost its relevance. In our greed to achieve more and more in our lives we killed the nature. During Covid the nature taught us that they are the ones who truly understood the meaning of living. With our greed to keep everything for ourselves we ended up keeping Covid selectively limited for humanity only.  The birds didn’t stop flying, animals didn’t stop wandering in the forests, rivers didn’t stop flowing but humanity came to a full stop. Moral of the story – Live and let live because greed makes you choose but living comes with no choices.

 

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year 2021 and hoping we use of selfishness to define our success stories which defines the bigger picture for humanity so that we have solutions before problems to happily co-exist.