23 Lessons from 2023 💁🏻♀️
Because it's that time of the year. 🙃
Keeping my annual ritual alive with some lessons and reflections from the year that was. What a strange and meandering year it’s been. Phew. ✨
23 Lessons from 2023
Stay vigilant but vulnerable. Always.
Comparison is where creativity dies. Don’t give in to impostor syndrome.
Cats make for the loveliest company in the world (particularly Haiku!). It’s crazy how they work their way into your hearts, find a soft little corner to purr and teach you unconditional love. Learn from your cat.
Motherhood is a pretty unreal experience. As a new pet parent, the act of nurturing and being nurtured is the only thing that makes sense now.
Consistency is a hard thing to achieve. But showing up for the small things even when you don’t want to add up (invisibly).
Not drinking enough water daily is the most difficult task of the day.
Money comes and goes much too fast. Don’t take it for granted. Save more and be mindful about where your hard work’s earning is going.
Add to cart need not translate to Shop. It’s yet another thing in your life that you just want on a whim but may never look at again. Practise restraint.
Treat everyday as a practice run and enjoy the small wins.
It is crucial to cultivate your inner artist, to flow through life with wonder and a sense of cautious delight.
The game of life is long. Keep taking breaks to rest and re-energise.
Learning to love another being doesn’t mean overlooking their flaws. It means showing up for oneself and each other as complete beings, and going down the difficult path to come out stronger.
When your heart tells you to leave the party, just book your cab home.
Journaling and reflecting on one’s shifting state of mind helps the muddiness settle and allows clarity to emerge.
To breathe is a gift. Never forget that.
It’s perfectly okay to tell your loved ones when you don’t have the energy to engage/speak. Don’t guilt trip yourself into living on anyone else’s terms.
Don’t wear shoes that don’t fit you right. Knee pain and injuries get harder to recover from as you grow older.
The constant stream of too much time-consuming content will keep flowing your way unless you switch it off consciously.
All OTT platforms, Instagram, X and Emails are designed to distract you from living a wholesome, engaged life. Don’t forget to spend time offline, by the window, or even better, out in the real world.
Bookstores are magical places to spend time in and practise self-care, even if you’ve not finished a single book this year. Browsing and ‘shelf shopping’ can be just as pleasurable as reading (sometimes/for some).
Living inauthentically will get tiring eventually. Spend time discovering who you really are, and own your truth with pride.
It is better to experience a series of low days and keep it real than try to live in a fairy tale that doesn’t exist.
You are growing out of your old skin and into your new shell every moment you are alive. Get better at letting go.
Thank you for reading!
Rohini
P.S. If any of you make your own 23 Lessons from 2023 list, I’d love to read it!
#20 gets bonus points
On it 💖