WOTY: GROW

In 2022, my word of the year (WOTY) was HEAL. I had a lot of emotional baggage that I wanted to get rid of. I wanted to heal my past trauma with self-love and self care. However, healing is not so simple. It doesn’t happen overnight. Healing is not a destination but a journey. Healing takes time and patience. Healing is not easy. When we start the process of healing, it actually causes more pain. I am proud that my healing journey has started and I have progressed. Healing should be followed by growth and therefore, my WOTY for 2023 is GROW. In 2023, I want to grow as a human being, grow in love, grow a small garden, learn new skills, grow my knowledge base, grow spiritually, and grow some positive habits.

“The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.”

Carolyn Myss

We often think that growth means success, material success. For some people growth means skyrocketing bank balance, a bigger house, a bigger car, branded clothes, foreign trips, and other luxuries. However, to me growth means just the opposite. To me growth means healing, growth means peace, growth means more stillness, and more calm. There is too much of chaos around. I just want to find a calm spot amidst this cacophony. To me growth means the courage to give up everything that is hindering my journey forward. Give up everything that is causing stress and restlessness. Buddhist Monks even give up their hair as it serves no purpose and that is growth. I may not go to that extreme, nevertheless, I want to give up everything that is stalling my emotional growth. I want to unburden myself before I go. Grow with gratitude and peace.

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Grow Healthy: In 2020, I started my health journey when I started taking care of my mental and physical health. I want to continue that journey. I want to continue my daily yoga practice, keep walking 10k steps, eat healthy, sleep for 8-9 hours, drink 4L water, and practice mindfulness and meditation. I have started meditation. However, let me confess meditation is difficult. I thought that meditation is just closing my eyes and sitting. When I started guided meditation, I realized it is extremely tough to practice. Keeping my mind calm for even one minute seems challenging. Most days, I cannot focus beyond 5 minutes. However, there are also days when I can focus. There have also been days when I have cried profusely or smiled blissfully during meditation. Most of the days, I feel immensely grateful after my meditation practice. I can feel unconditional love and light around me. As if I am engulfed in love and blessings from the universe. If you are new to meditation, then do read Thich Nhat Hanh’s books on meditation and mindfulness practice. They will really guide you.

Growing Healthy Relationships: We are social beings. We need healthy relationships to survive. We cannot live a solitary life with nobody to love and care for us. I mean, some people can perhaps live all alone in a deserted island. I honestly cannot. I need people around me. I don’t like a mob but I also don’t like deserted places. I need a proper balance. However, the main criteria to grow healthy relationship is not only love and care but also we should be able to draw healthy boundaries. Our basic relationship is with ourselves. We should not let others take us for granted. Loving others doesn’t mean getting so carried away that you lose your dignity and sense of self. Love and respect your friends and family and ask them to do the same. Healthy relationships develop on giving and taking. Remove all those who are only takers, make space for those who are givers. Listen to others, stop judging, stop blaming, stop neglecting, and stop reacting. We should love ourselves first. If we do not love and respect ourselves, nobody else is going to do it. This may seem cliché but this is the truth. One gyan to my younger readers- romantic relationship is not the only kind of relationship that we should obsess about. Often we neglect other people in our lives for our romantic interest. However, we are all souls and our soulmate who will give us unconditional love can come in any form. So do not neglect your parents, siblings, friends, co-workers or even strangers in pursuit of a “romantic love”. There is love everywhere, just learn to accept it. Be kind and compassionate and learn to GROW IN LOVE.

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Grow a Garden: I love plants. My dream is to grow a small garden that will provide me food and flowers. Living in Mumbai, it seems difficult. One day, in the future, I would like to build a tiny house and grow a small organic garden. However, till then, I would like to keep tending and growing my small balcony garden. My dream retired life is that of living in a tiny house with pets and a small organic garden where I grow my food. I may also run a small garden cafeteria adjacent to my house where I will serve tourists organic food. Wow!!! getting goosebumps dreaming about it.

Learn New Skills: There are some skills that I want to learn in 2023. I want to learn advanced yoga and meditation. I have a wish to go to a yoga retreat in Dharamshala. I may join a nirvana course in Pondicherry. However, given the condition of my engagements, these seem difficult but I will keep my hopes high. I want to learn how to grow herbs in pots. Learn basic carpentry and pottery. Learn how to paint and swim. I also never learnt how to ride a bike as a child. I want to learn that also.

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With all these resolutions, I eagerly wait to welcome 2023. Please tell me what are your resolutions? Do they align with your real self? Do they help your soul progress in its journey?

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