Of Self-Love & Growth: 8 Life Lessons I Learned From 2024

I wonder in the lost precipice of existence, what is it to live,
Is it brawling on the accomplishments that one slides under their endeavour,
Or are they the moments that make us live in the beauty of now or never?
Being in its humanness, being in its truest form, 
The brink of adversity belies to be in chasing the norm.
Oh, how wondrous it is to cry, to wallow, to dust the pain, to love and to dance with felicity.
To be alive in every moment, to fall in love with the wings that one holds in their serenity.

In complete honesty and vulnerability, 2024 was a whirlwind of adversities and admiration, the year where I thought I met my most resilient yet most restless self, the year that stirred in the duality of the many anomalies that can metamorphose the trajectory of life, ones that changed my mindset and how I view the world beyond the shades of monochromatic schemes of morals. The truth that I accepted with a whole heart, the lessons that I learnt and the journey that outpoured into the person I forged to breathe as today.

It takes years to change completely and miles to tread upon before we finally reach our destination, but as I begin to wonder what if we are already the ones we need right at the moment and while we may not have reached where we are meant to go, but where we are, right here and right now is already beautiful. How often do we forget how gracious our existence already is? 

Well as a matter of fact I did forget about it! In the dreariness of darkness and the brevity of pain, one often overlooks the sun and yearns for it to rain! 2024 in its mirth was the year that challenged me to its core, where I laughed in the highest of highs and cried in the lowest of lows till my eyes turned sore. But isn't that the joy of breathing existence, to know that at any nook of the pivoting time, the tide can turn against the expected fallacy of human perception and you may never know when the night changes!

Though it sounds terrifying, just fathoming the magnificence of life and how one conversation, one chance encounter, one trip, one person, one thought or one decision can alter the entire course of your life. True authenticity in one envelops itself in radical acceptance of every ounce of our being. It is impossible to be perfect, successful, happy and victorious all the time, the cascades of life oscillate between the radiance of living and depths of darkness and sadness. 

This year has taught me a lot of lessons, which encompassed my wins and losses, my smiles and my tears, my joys and my fears.

Here are the life lessons I learnt in 2024

1) When I didn't clear my entrance exam: Earlier this year, I got to know my results and I didn't clear my entrance exam as I applied to universities for my masters. I want to say I got over it quickly, it is no big deal, failures are a part and parcel of life and I am a fighter! While it is true, that I am resilient, the truth is no I did not bounce back from it quickly. True resilience lies in feeling every emotion whether sadness or joy to its fullest and giving yourself the time and space you need to heal and move forward.

2) The moment when I gained national and international recognition for my work: This year I won national and international writing competitions and my work was recognised on international platforms I gained great exposure as I wrote on various topics ranging from psychology, feminism, mental health, marketing, finance, poetry, self-help and everything in between. I worked with national and international clients and learnt a lot from them, this made me realise the power of self-belief and the prowess of being consistent with your work.

3) The importance of exercising for your mental health: 2024 has set itself in stone in the vitality of consistently taking care of my health and working out.

4) Being kind to myself: I used to suffer from negative self-talk and being self-critical of myself in every error that I made, but this year has taught me to be kind and loving of myself. It is so important that we give ourselves the love and kindness we so freely give to others.

5) You are exactly where you need to be: There is no right or wrong answer in how you choose to live life, your strides should hold meaning that fits into your desired perceptionand not anybody else’s.

6) Live a little more in your body and a little less in your head: I embraced the things that I could control and let go of the things that are beyond my access.

7) Comparison is a choice - Rather than being bogged down by the success of others and how far they have come, I chose to shift my focus to the things I have done and hold pride in how far I have come, only comparing myself to who I was yesterday.

8) Heal in loudness: Whether it is talking about the things I love, dancing in public or on the stage, talking to strangers, saying silly things or letting myself be vulnerable, I learned to let myself heal in the truest abundance of my emotional stance. Because I much rather live a life where I feel the merriment in its zenith and the melancholy in its deepest bit, rather than put out the fire of passion with a nonchalant skit.

I wrote this as a reminder to whoever comes across this post, that if you feel 2024 was not your year or you did not achieve a lot, I want to remind you that you compete with no one and if all you did this year was take care of your well being and survived the tumultuous hardships that came your way, I am proud of you! Just remember that you are not running out of time and life has so many more sunsets and icecreams left for you to relish, so many more rooms full of accomplishment and recognition left for you to enter, so many people and cafes yet for you to love and so many more smiles yet to encapsulate in the brink of forever.

This is my journey throughout 2024, and there are so many lessons that I learnt, but the most essential one was you don't need to owe anyone any explanation of how you chose to lead your life, whether it is your looks, your personality, your job, your income, your accomplishments, your joy, your mindset, your choices- the only one who gets to decide whether you have to lead a meaningful life is you.

It always has been you and it will always be you.

Views expressed by the author are their own.