As the new year descends upon me, I look back on this past year wondering where it went and what happened; that’s how quickly it has come and gone. But you know what they say, when you are having fun, time flies. A fun year it has been; a year full of self-discovery and new adventures with a strong focus on my personal health and well-being. I started off my year with a commitment to being healthy. I went through a four-month detox to heal my gut and am happy to say that I am off all my allergy and eczema medications. I started meditating daily and yoga has finally become a weekly practice. Exercise, time in nature, reading and a continual commitment to learning and giving back has become part of my daily life. While I still enjoy my nights out and beautiful things, there has been a major shift from the outward to the inward, end result, I have never felt better.
From a spiritual level, this past year has been full of so much learning, growing and evolution. While there have been so many lessons, the one that has had the most impact on me this year is to BE YOU all the time. No matter where you are, who you are with, and what you are doing, I have learnt to make sure your intentions and actions reflect who you are and not what you think others want you to be like.
It is easy for us to get lost and lose ourselves in a society that tends to please and follow others and one that often looks to others for acceptance and love. However, every time we do what we are “supposed to” or what we think others want us to, we lose apart of who we are. For me, this has been particularly prevalent growing up in the Indian culture where we are often defined by the many roles we play; daughter, wife, mother, daughter-in-law, sister, employee etc. We often play these roles from defined expectations, because that is what we are taught and the only way we believe we will be accepted and loved. However, I have learned that there is only one way to BE in this world and this is to BE YOU. By being you, and having your intentions and actions reflect who you are (whether at work, at home, or out with friends), you can still fulfil the many roles that have been brought upon you in this life, only now those roles are expressed from a place of authenticity. When there is authenticity, there is love, and when there is love there is success. When you are YOU, things flow and come with ease. When you are YOU, you express the higher version of yourself and receive the greatest level of fulfillment.
Happy New Year’s Everyone! Cheers to Living and Being Higher!