My Lifelong Resolutions

As the year comes to an end, you will probably see people posting about their ‘new year’s resolutions’. I never understood that. I never understood how a nearly completed orbit around the sun made people suddenly decide to bring in new changes and goals into their lives. Now I get it, we all want to be a better version of who we were a year ago, yesterday or even since the last 5 minutes.

So, I decided to have a self-analysis and bring up my own resolutions which I will try to stick by as from now until I have a change in perspective. I am going to name this ‘My Lifelong Resolutions’. Huge lack of creativity when it concerns the title, I know.

To start with, I decide to be kinder. I realize now better than before, that we are all dealing with our own issues. In the midst of our own chaos, our behaviour changes and we end up acting or saying things that give off a wrong perception of who we really are. I may have made wrongful presumptions on some people based on how they were acting in general without taking into account that they may have been going through an inner turmoil. In a world where these people will be judged or even rejected, I decide to be kinder and be the one who will try to understand them.

I decide to forgive anyone who hurt me, in the past, present or future. Forgiveness, for me, used to be something that should be earned but as I grow older, I see that keeping grudges or internalizing feelings of anger or regret, are self-destructive. They only end up making you bitter as the days go by. Albeit, I will not forget but I will forgive, with hope that you forgive me as well for any wrongdoing I might have done to you. Let us both hold up our white flags, learn the lessons and move on.

I also decide to distance myself emotionally from people who are toxic for my being. In my view, this is not selfish, but rather a step to self-preservation. You see, there are people in your life who, through their actions or words, bring out the worst of you. Though they may not have the same impact on everyone, it may happen that at some point, you lose yourself and become someone you are not. I will always be grateful for their presence in my life and for everything they might have done for me, but I will not let myself be tainted.

I decide to listen more and talk less. In most of the conversations I have ever had with hundreds of people, one common factor is that we love talking about ourselves so much that we pay no heed to the one who was speaking before us, cut in the middle of their speech and start voicing out what was on our mind. This is not only a lack of respect to that person but also a very bad habit of ours. I am a good listener but I will be more conscious and try to listen more and be less about the concept of ‘me, myself and I’.

I decide to be a little more conscious about the environment. I had a very eye-opening experience recently that we are truly destroying the nature around us. The funny thing is that we know it but we still do nothing much about it. I could go into the specifics but I will save that for another article. I will hence try to reduce my plastic intake, get more involved in activities which aim to restore and preserve the environment and eventually try to reduce my carbon footprint.

As the days go by and I reflect more on life, I will probably come up with more resolutions. So, I will leave these ones here and encourage you to come up with your own ‘Lifelong Resolutions’ as well (I still cannot find a better title) which you will hopefully try to keep up with.

I wish you all a fruitful Happy New Year filled with peace, love and understanding. From my family to yours. Cheers!

Sending buckets full of love your way,

Kavya H Saikia 🌸