I am so happy to bid adieu to 2021. It was a difficult and unmemorable year. I wrote a whole blog post at the start of the year on how I was optimistic that this year would be filled with joy and light. Turns out, I was going to experience the true meaning of joy, albeit not in the way I was expecting.
Spring brought with it a terrible wave of Covid which affected my entire family and lasted all the way up till summer. Accidents and illnesses followed our recovery into fall, and winter was particularly harsh as I lost two of my grandparents.
But despite all the painful circumstances, I did exit the year with a renewed sense of gratitude and an even better understanding of why we need to look for silver linings in dark times. There were so many things I was thankful for during each of these low moments. And it is easier to preserve and get through tough times when you stick together as a family and stay optimistic.
I started the year by reading “The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World” by His Holiness The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The learnings from this book were a guiding light throughout this past year. The biggest realization I had was that true joy does not come from having the best of circumstances at all times, but when you make the most of whatever life has thrown at you. It comes not from the absence of challenges in a life, but from the attitude with which you meet and endure those challenges. It comes not from having everything, but making the most of whatever you have!
Here is what I have learnt about true joy, both from this book and my experience of the past year:
- Challenges in life are inevitable. It is the ups and downs which make a life, and neither is permanent. So accept the situation and make the most of whatever moment you are living through right now.
- Your attitude in the face of adversity will define how you get through it. Choose to “respond” to the situation vs “reacting” in the moment and it will be easier to endure something that is difficult.
- Anchor yourself in gratitude. Counting your blessings does indeed multiply them!
- Put on your rose colored glasses and look for the good in every situation, every thing, and every being. Invest greatly in building this positivity muscle as it will help you in all walks of life.
- Have courage and be kind. The key to a calmer, balanced and happier presence is compassion, humility and generosity of spirit.
- Find support and strength from your family, friends (given, chosen or made) and let your faith be bigger than your fear.
- And finally, when you can’t beat it, laugh it off! It can be hard to find humor in some of life’s darker moments, but when you can, try to unburden yourself by making light of your load.
Of course, the above aren’t easy to incorporate (especially during difficult times), but the more you practice, the better you become at developing them as habits and behaviors.
I will end this post with a wonderful quote from the book, “We have hardship without becoming hard. We have heartbreak without being broken”.
I wish my readers the very best for 2022. There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind…
PS – I end each blog post with promises to write more frequently, but then life takes over and I end up not sticking to my promises. This year, I will let life take its own course. So the plan for 2022, is no plan! Let’s see where this takes us. 🙂
Image Credits: VSCO
Image Use Policy & Disclaimer here.
No Comments