So, we are reaching towards the fag end of the year. It is December of 2023. The closing month is the time to take stock of the year for me. I try to look at what I did and assess my time through the year.
And I have been practising the ritual since 2018. The year 2018 is a watershed year for me. I got the new lease of life. I started to live life in a modified format. The new format saw revising some values, shedding some and incorporating a lot of new ones. And one of those new values that I added to my life journey has been – fitness.
What led to this discovery
So, what was it that I was missing in my life till the age 38? What was it?
Till then, I think I was in deep slumber. I was sleepwalking through life that most people do. It was only when I fell in the pit after the person on whose shoulders I was mounting left the world. My dad. The journey might have taken some more time to arrive at the new lease had my dad been around.
It was after such irreparable losses that I started to take stock of my life’s heritage. We start to look for the legacy we are going to be leaving behind. It gave me a feeling of emptiness when I came to know that I had not done anything in life.
Getting educated, finding a job, marrying and raising a family does not complete life. That’s why the mid-life crisis and the search to fill the void rises by the time you are in your late 30s or 40s.
The Inner Voice
It was only when I saw him laid to rest that I started to question my own life and its meaning. At that stage, when I started to take stock of the situation, I found myself in a very troubled state. I wasn’t prepared to face myself. This inner voice started to grow louder but clearer as I initiated my inward journey.
We keep ignoring that inner (feeble) voice as long as the noise of the outer world has not subsided. And it can not subside as long as life is not running into any eventful phase. It is only when we are faced with dilemmas arising out of self doubt that we begin to dwell on that inner voice that starts to grow louder in the times of distress and trauma.
And when you have heard that inner voice of yours, you stop sailing in the direction of the wind. You sense that your route may be different and that would be more peaceful and joyful. The path that you want to walk on and not what others have told you.
The Year so far
2 years ago we were grappling with Corona. The whole world was shut down and we were made to work from home. It was that slow phase of living that threw up some time for me to stretch my legs on the ground and look at the sky and enjoy the lovely view of the sky with clouds but no smoke.
Since then I have made a conscious effort to not hurry up and be in the fast lane. I live my life at my own pace just the way I run my marathon at my own comfortable pace. I have removed those unnecessary goals from life that weren’t mine in the first place. I recognise that life revolves around just 3 things – Health, Relationships and Wealth. So, my annual review is about these 3 parameters. That’s it.
The Three Pillars
Here are some of the questions that I cover in my annual assessment. I divide my assessment into three columns and try to figure out what I achieved in each of these boxes.
| HEALTH | RELATIONSHIPS | WEALTH |
This blog more or less speaks about my health throughout the year. Running keeps me on coupled with few calisthenics and mental exercises. I had set the target of 1500 KMs for 2023. Then, I try to participate and run at some virtual and some on ground events. It keeps me in the challenging mindset.
I realise that our social and non-social relationships are the bedrock of our survival. They play a big part in how we are placed among the social groups. I am telling what kind of relationships I have – Honest and committed or am I living with untrustworthy and selfish people. So an important amendment that I have made: I don’t need to impress anyone else and I must accept myself and fall in love with that self. These 2 ideals have become the biggest peace givers and given me a lot of mental strength.
Keep Learning and Keep growing
Learning is the biggest game changer in life. So keep learning. So, at the fag end of the year, I make a list of lessons that I have learned in this year passing by. I am listing them from all walks of life.
“Did I read any book that gave me a new idea?
Was there an event that served a lesson or two?
Any person who tried to teach me something? “
Our real wealth is not what’s stored in our bank accounts. It is the building of a gigantic palace in our mind. So, I have been wondering what I do in all those years at school and college? Maybe I was learning to learn from life.
This is true. The real education begins after college. The sad part is not a major chunk of humanity is aware of this hard hitting but the truthful fact of life.
The Next Few Days
The next few days will be about reflection and introspection. I have now made one more amendment: I don’t plan and act at the same time. I take my time to think and plan. Once that’s done, I put all my energy into action.
My blogging had been lying low and became active only in the second half of the year. So, the blogging and it’s expansion is very much on the cards. It takes time to build a vision.
What is your year end plan? Are you planning to go to Goa or give yourself a new lease of life?
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