Nanditha's 2022 Wrap Up

As 2022 wraps up, I’m here once again to share my top 14 take-aways from this spectacular year! Check out last years wrap up here, and the years past here.

1. Action breeds more clarity than thought, so you can’t think your way into a new life, you have to act your way into one. One of the most fulfilling actions I have taken is to laugh a passion project called @the.hatless, that provides hats for the homeless, especially for the dreaded winter we are experiencing. This project combines three of my favourite things - creativity, community and caring. All started by a simple action of crocheting a hat and taking a few pictures with my friends - which has now grown into more than 60 orders?in 3 months !
2. You Don’t Always Get What You Want: We have all of these expectations; predetermined visions of what our “ideal” life will look like, but all too often, that’s not the reality of the life we end up with. Sometimes our dreams fail and sometimes we just change our minds mid-course. Sometimes we have to flop to find the right course and sometimes we just have to try a few things before we find the right direction.
3. Abundance Mentality In a world of?perceived scarcity. It’s a world of limited resources and fierce competition. Many might think that if your neighbour gets a big slice of a pie you might a smaller slice of the pie. With an Abundance Mindset, rather than slicing the pie into thinner and thinner pieces, we just bake more pies… millions of more pies. Sharing is caring (when you can) is truly a fulfilling mantra.
4. ?The only constant is change. “Is any man afraid of change? Why what can take place without change? What then is more pleasing or more suitable to the universal nature?”— Marcus Aurelius. From moving to another country for my first full time join in tech to launching a charity project crocheting hats, change has been my only constant companion. It teaches you to be agile, creative and perseverant, and embracing it will be stronger way out.
5. Love Is More Than a Feeling. It’s a Choice. That burst of initial exhilaration, pulse-quickening love, and passion does not last long. But that doesn’t mean long-lasting love is not possible. Love is not just a feeling; it’s a choice that you make every day. We have to choose to let annoyances pass, to forgive, to be kind, to respect, to support, to be faithful. Relationships take work. Sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it’s incredibly hard. It is up to us to choose how we want to act, think and speak in a relationship.
6. Freedom means being disliked by some. When we dislodge ourselves from the shackles of judgement we become more free and authentic to ourselves. We live a life filled with choices guided by our values and free thought. Sitting in peace with the idea that your values and well being is more important than being liked by some stranger is many times the biggest liberating force we need.
7. Criticism hurts only because you value praise. Flowing from the last point, these are two sides of the same coin. If accolades, approval, and admiration are important to you, then you’ll suffer with every cavil, niggle, and jab. Chasing the “good” will always bind you to the “bad.”
8. A life without boundaries is a life without peace. It might seem like setting boundaries is the last thing you’d want to do to foster relationships—as if boundaries mean you’re unwilling to let people in. But you can establish a boundary without erecting a fence. Knowing your boundaries will help you get a grasp on what you’re willing to accept, as well as what you need to reject, to live congruently.
9. Your happiness is moderated by your expectations. Absolutely nothing and no one can make you happy, but your expectations will certainly increase your misery.?So be intentional with what pressures you are putting on yourself, others and circumstances, and check in on wether they are worth it or not.?
10. Health is everything.Making sure you’re able bodied and do simple tasks like climbing the stairs or be mentally available for a conversation is the most important self care task. Everything else—possessions, status, riches, validation, adulation, even companionship—is window dressing.?Make sure you have the basics right to excel in the extra stuff !
11. You Are Stronger Than You Think. Regardless of what life throws at you, you are stronger than you think. You can stand up for yourself and take everything that life throws at you. You’ll always figure things out even if it seems like an impossible challenge. As time passes, you’ll learn that you are stronger than you think and you can face your challenges confidently.
12. It’s never too late to live a life that makes you proud. It goes along with the age old saying, “Keep doing what you’re doing, and you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.”?Only you have the power to change you, and you can do it at any given point and time in your life. As we grow older, the perception of time is completely different. Time holds a more precious role, so you’re less likely to waste it and go after what you want with ambition and passion!
13. Happiness doesn’t just come to you automatically. You make it with your thoughts and actions. Do I get to live in a sunny country? No, but I’m glad to see the beautiful green meadows the rain brings.?Do all my clients listen to what I have to say? No, but I'm happy to see the exponential growth in the client that do want to collaborate. Do I have a dog yet? No, but the shear excitement of asking a stranger to pet their dog and them saying yes at least once a day makes up for it ! Find the happiness in the small things, and see your life change !
14. Be unapologetically YOU?-This skill never changes for me. I call it a skill because it needs to be applied effectively to different areas of our life. We should make sacrifices in business, in relationships and in our families but when those sacrifices start bordering on sacrificing ourselves we lose 2 things: our identity and our joy. No gain in the world is worth sacrificing these two things. The only way to make sure this does happen is to consistently check in with yourself about your fulfilment and meaning.

Can’t wait to see what 2023 holds for everyone and looking forward to creating a whole new set of memories which will be cherished for years to come!

Happy Holidays!

Nanditha P. Menon