About Fresh Starts..
My first distinct memory of a year ending with any sort of significance attached to it was the turn of the last century. Up until that point, I never really cared to think of it as an important milestone.
The year 2000 was different though. The new millennium brought with it a great sense of excitement and hope. It felt as if the whole world was celebrating and looking on to this historic event for a fresh start.
To a 90’s kid in South Asia at the time, what made the event more recognizable was the catchy song from Bollywood actor Amir Khan’s film “Mela” which goes by “Dekho, 2000 zamana agya”. English translation, “Look, the 2000 era is here”. I remember hearing this song being played countless times around that time. I’m sure there's an entire generation from the Indian subcontinent that would resonate with this. It’s really interesting that if we stick our necks out of our own little bubbles, we’d realize how similar we are despite all the divisive narrative out there. We are connected through art, through sports and through our aspirations and desires to turn a new page in life for the better with every turn of a year.
Speaking of fresh starts, somehow these new year’s resolutions become a thing as your grow older. After all, who needs new resolutions in their twenties when you’re already pretty damn invincible in your own head? It is only when you get a sense of perspective about this life that you realize that you were never the hero of the movie but just another character who needs to work harder to gain some sort of prominence in this story of life.
The thing about starting fresh is that we, often times, are too eager to march on without reconciling with our present selves. For sustainable progress, you need consistent execution. And consistent execution requires a stable mental though process that can focus on goals with calm and clarity.
To me it all boils down to three things: self-acceptance, gratitude and hope.
Self acceptance because there’s nothing you can do and achieve in life without being at peace with who you are. You can’t progress with unresolved conflicts. That’s got to be your base line. You may have had countless mess ups in life up until this point. But truth is that they make you the person you are today. And today is the very first day of the rest of your life. That’s the only way to look at it. What’s done is behind you. Now you have a choice. You can remain in the shackles of regret and misery. Or you can set yourself free to venture into new beginnings. And no beginning are complete without a sense of gratitude and hope.
Gratitude will give you the calm perspective you need to make better choices. This holiday season is the time to count our blessings and be grateful for where ever we are today. As cliched as it might sound, the truth is that if you need more achievements and possessions for internal peace, you'll never be at peace.
And about hope, what is to look forward in life without it? Hope is what drives forward the business of life. If you don't wake up every day with the hope to make it a better one, then you're really not setting that strong intention to change. If you wish to fly to higher altitudes, hope will give you the wings for that.
As this year comes to an end, I really hope that we can reflect on our lives and the lessons learnt with a sense of self compassion, gratitude and optimism to making better choices in the next year.
Happy Holidays and I wish you a great start of next year!
