My Five Takeaways from 2017

Usually the prompts of Blogadda bring out the spontaneous writer in me but this time I had to think and rethink; reflect on the entire year to come up with the lessons I learnt and then to shortlist the important ones for this blog.

So then here are my top 5 takeaways from 2017:

1.       If you can do it, then do it. Do not depend on anyone else:

While we do need help now and then from our siblings; partner; children; friends, colleagues it is always better to first explore the possibilities of doing it yourself. Very often you realize that we can do it by ourselves.

This is what I realized it might be a little difficult, it might take more efforts and more time but eventually I could most of my tasks myself. And it is so much better than waiting for the help, the favour and the ‘I owe you’ feeling you are left with after someone does your work for you.

Most importantly you are saved of the frustration when the person you are counting on does not turn up. And your helplessness makes you feel vulnerable. So while looking at ways of doing my own stuff I came up with more resources of my own. And ended up feeling good about myself. Therefore, Never depend on others what you can do yourself.

2.      Set up a deadline:

I am the kind who hates to be pushed around or threatened with deadlines. So I complete the work in office at my pace. (Fortunately within the deadline). But come to my own personal tasks I get distracted and leave so many half finished projects. And I am easy on myself for not meeting the deadline. The result is I have more ‘To dos’ in my list than the songs in my play list.

But now if I have to finish all those half finished projects I have to set a deadline and be strict about it. Take a step back and look at them if they really need to be given a conclusion or can be done away with. No sense in having so many things and some that I may even have lost interest in.

Setting a deadline for the stuff I am keen on completing is a must. This blog would not be done it there wasn’t any deadline. Lol.

Maybe I can indulge myself in one of those things I have been denying myself after completing the task by the deadline.    

3.      Take regular breaks:

This one is from my workplace. I tend to get engrossed in work so much that I forget to stretch my legs or straighten my spine.And I learnt the hard waythrough the doctor that I need to compulsorily take breaks every hour. Walk around, stretch my legs, rotate my neck and shoulders. Relax for a few minutes before getting back to work.

Sure work is important; but Health is more important if you want to continue to work.

4.      Give online shopping a long break:

I have been buying even groceries online along with the regular online shopping of clothes, cosmetics, books, gifts and underclothes. Yes, even undies. And more from the tempting pop-ups that seem to offer more for less.

Seriously, it has been ages I seem to have forgotten what a regular grocery store looks like because of the malls where you get everything under one roof.

Now I am going to give all the online shopping sites a long break and the malls a miss. Go to the grocery store for groceries; clothes shops for clothes; the weekly vegetable market for vegetables; and such other shops for specific use.

Time to switch to REAL shopping.

5.      Love myself. More:

It is not as if I have not been loving myself or loving myself less; I realized I need to love myself more than before but still not too much.

To love myself more I will stop doing all those things that are a waste of time and instead do things that add value to my live and bring me close to my loved ones.

Like using the  phone for its basic purpose – to talk. So I will be calling up friends and family more. Read books that will both inspire me and enrich my mind. In short do all the things that fall in ‘Feel good; Feel happy’ category without guilt trips. 

No more denials – only love and self care.

There, this sums up the takeaways of the year and I intend to earnestly practice the lessons learnt from these takeaways to make 2018 better than all the previous years.  

‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’