In hindsight!
Dear Self,
In hindsight, We all do what is indispensable, and things that we have no choice- but to do. Like our education, our skillsets, our learning, our jobs, etc., things that are a must for us. Our universities and schools also teach what needs to be taught. What takes a lifetime to learn is the experience and wisdom to know life. Things that we wish we could have done or known earlier. These life lessons are sometimes easy to adapt to, sometimes they are subconscious and most of the time it takes a lot from us before we learn them.
Today I am writing to you about things, that if someone told you in your younger days, would have helped you have a better quality of life, or at least reduced your anxiety. Stories can succeed or they can fail, what we remember is the experience we were going through when such things happened.
The advice does not mean what not to do, it also means to keep doing what has worked for you well.
- There is no timeline for life’s choices
- If we run by timelines we almost block things that should have happened at a certain time, we also block the possibilities for things we could not achieve in the past. There is no wrong time to do anything right. We are not OPEN to possibilities because the timeline made it obsolete in our minds.
- Be a brand, don’t create one!
- We have heard this enough of creating a brand for oneself, creating a brand is more about building an image for the public, but being a brand is encompassing all the uniqueness, the obvious, and the beyond, and being that whole self that we are. Be a brand, don’t create it for someone else, just be it! No excellence will separate you from the crowd than being your authentic self!
- Good things take time:
- Started to learn a skill, late? Not sure if this will get anywhere? Think of yourself just 2 years back and think what could have been done better and you will find 2 years is enough to get you to a good place. In a world of 20/20, we forget the countless hours of practice. Trust the Journey and moreover enjoy it to the core!
- Growth comes in various forms
- We have always been thinking of growth either vertically or arithmetically. Growth should be logical not just numeric. Numbers are results for most of us, but what gets you to these results is the real growth. Think of the breadth of your experience, think about your level of influence, think of ways you are expressing yourself, think of your network/connections, see yourself now, and compare that with who you were 10 years back all of that is growth. Growth is organic and relative.
- Stay away from the big words!
- Passion, calling, and breaking the glass ceiling, are words that are alright but let these not create an illusive exterior around you. DO real things, be authentic, be honest, be apologetic, be vulnerable but just ensure that you put your head down and take those small steps. Just build those small atomic habits that will do just enough for you, that possibly just an inner calling won’t!
- Knowledge is your greatest and the most powerful weapon you always carry!
- Knowledge is not just what you know, it’s what you researched, outlined, challenged, read, applied, failed at, cried over, and most importantly that you were curious about. The biggest arguments, discussions, debates, and influences can be won only with knowledge! Try it in the next meeting. Knowledge comes from staying curious, challenging beliefs networking, and mostly trying!
- Break the comfort:
- The biggest barrier we all face is the mental barrier, most of the barriers are created by procrastinating and speculating unreal things. Break your routine, count the days where you did something different. Learn to do something different each day and do it better with each passing day. Challenge your beliefs, and gather fresh perspectives. The day you stop learning is the day you stop growing.
- Life does not change in a night!
- Getting opportunities is one thing, creating opportunities is another but above all is being prepared for any opportunity. We see people getting famous over a viral video getting a sudden break changing a country or getting a job. All of that is a result of years of effort, hard work, and preparation that is happening below the tip of the iceberg. Be ready for that opportunity always, you never know when a big shift may be in the offing!
- Life is whole:
- You are not just your surname, your LinkedIn, or your job. Life is about all the experiences that it throws at you. Make sure no department goes empty! Have a full life. Each phase matters and is designed to give us a much richer experience.
- Do not fret:
- Refrain from fretting over changes and mishaps, no one likes them. But no one can avoid them either. Running away from problems or praying not to have them will not make them better. Solving them will! Take adversities, challenges, and problems head-on. Don’t fight them, fight them. Every adversity comes with an opportunity. Adversity is the most underrated motivation theory.
- Find your comfort place:
- Reading, meditating, music, sunshine, wind traveling anything that you find serene and surreal, make time for it. That works like an incubation for the next leap. The mind has batteries too 🙂
- The real beauty of life is that it is unpredictable, had it been what we think it would be, there would be no proud smiles when we look back at our younger self. Sometimes there is no need to be strong, there also needs to be some..hang-in and stay-calm days.
- Life is a cricket match,
- No matter what is your score right now, It’s YOUR match, finish it well !!!
- I wish I was talking to a younger me right now with the same fire in her heart and passion in her eyes and I could time travel to just do all things right, just right!
Unapologetically your’s
Rupali Talwatkar