The year 2021 has been a great teacher in my life and there are so many things I learned in 2021 which will not only help me to grow but will also help me to become a better human being.
This year ‘2021’ changed my thinking entirely and gave my life a new direction and new meaning. It has taught me some lessons that can only be learned once you face them.
10 POWERFUL THINGS I LEARNED IN 2021!
Table of Contents
1-THERE IS NO TOMORROW
There is no tomorrow. I have used these words many times in my earlier posts but the actual meaning and realization of these words happened to me recently.
I have lost one of the most precious people of my life this year and the painful part of this is that I can never get it back. My father was my strength, my motivation and I loved him. He loved me unconditionally and guided me whenever I was lost.
He was all fine in the morning hospitalized in the evening and left this world the very next day. I wanted to spend a lot of time with him but because of covid-19 and because my son was very young and because of work pressure I thought I would go when things were fine.
When he was hospitalized, we rushed to Lucknow immediately and I thought this time I was going to stay a little longer there and take care of him.
But that tomorrow never came. I wish I wouldn’t have waited for tomorrow and would have visited him sooner. He would have been very happy playing with Rayan (my son). But now it can never happen. So live in the moment because you just have this moment.
2-LIFE IS UNPREDICTABLE, SO BE KIND
Another life lesson I learned in 2021 is, you are only aware of the moment that you are living right now. Anything thing can happen at any time. So be kind be gentle with your words. You might not know how your words affect someone.
You might not get the opportunity to repair the damage you have created from your harsh words.
Today you are at the top but your position can change anytime. This is the beauty of life. Don’t forget to be humble because whatever you have right now is God’s gift and he can take it away anytime.
This year ‘2021’, I have witnessed people losing everything in just a single day. It was horrifying because I witnessed it very closely. I just pray to God, have mercy, and fill everybody’s life with a lot of happiness, prosperity, and good health.
3-HEALTH IS WEALTH
Your health is wealth. We read this many times but still, we don’t value it. Having good eyesight is a blessing. If you are able to listen properly if your digestion is good if you don’t face regular headaches you are blessed…
Because if your body is functioning properly you don’t have to go to the doctor regularly to get these things fixed and waste your money and time on it. Visiting hospitals and eating medicines add mental stress too.
Everybody knows this thing but most people still ignore it. They eat junk food don’t exercise, disturb their sleep cycle, etc., etc.
When my husband was hospitalized and was bedridden he was dependent on other people for even small things. It was really painful for our entire family to see him in that condition and it must have been traumatizing for him too. It took him months to recover.
So another life lesson is- if you have health you have everything and if you don’t have your health you will lose everything.
4-SLOW DOWN
I was someone who was always working all the time. I made sure I devoted 10-12 hours of my everyday life working. But when my son entered my life there was a priority shift. Now I couldn’t put that much of my time into my work. And I must admit here, the change came as a blow for me in the beginning.
Things are not the same as it was earlier. When I was not a mother I could work anytime I wanted, I could leave for a site visit anytime work demanded. Now, I even have to leave some good designing work because of the distance and time issues.
Making a balance between work, motherhood, and family is difficult for a working woman. Motherhood is a full-time job and I want to do justice here as well. I was not happy earlier because I couldn’t work but later on, I made peace with the change and things started working fine.
The year 2021 taught me another life lesson to slow down and live in the moment and have gratitude for what I have. I don’t compare my career growth with my contemporaries because my journey is different and today demand to look after my son because he is growing every day and I will never be able to enjoy this moment with him again. It’s worth it. 🙂
5-THE MORE YOU TRY TO HOLD, THE MORE YOU LOOSE CONTROL
I won’t say I am a control freak but I want to take charge of my surroundings. I wanted things according to me most of the time. And that affected my personal life and my professional life.
Everybody is different and every situation is different. This is another life lesson that I learned, you cannot impose things on other people just because you feel it is right. It helped me to have a good relationship with my clients and with my family.
Everybody is free to have their own opinion and it’s not important that it resonates with you. For a healthy relationship, you should agree to disagree.
Also, in the beginning, when I didn’t get time to work like I used to get earlier, I became a whiner and a cry baby and I must tell you nobody wants to be surrounded by that kind of person. The more I tried to have control over my professional and personal life I lost control and my losing my mind.
And it was really disheartening for me to see myself like that and so I sat and pondered to find out where I was lacking. It saved a lot of my energy and time. This is one of the most important things I learned in the year 2021.
6-STAND FOR YOURSELF
Nobody will understand your worth if you consider yourself lesser. Even your people will try to crush your esteem if you allow them to do that.
Nobody has the right to demean you, disrespect you, or rupture your pride, elder or younger. And if you allow it once, it’s going to happen again and again. Be it your friends, your relatives, or your clients, nobody has the right to yell at you or disrespect you.
You are worthy of everything that you desire and you should keep on working on it if you want to work on it. It takes time to build something. Be true to yourself and keep pushing your limits. You should never let anybody take charge of your life if you don’t want to. It’s your life.
If you are younger that doesn’t mean your elder has got the right to disrespect you. There is a fine line between anger and disrespect. Understand that. And if you are standing up for yourself, that doesn’t mean you are disrespecting them, it’s just that you are protecting your self-worth.
Stand for yourself, stand for your dreams, stand for your dignity for your peace of mind. This is one of the very crucial things I learned in 2021 as a life lesson.
7-WORK ON YOUR EMOTIONAL HEALTH
Your emotional health is as important as your physical health. If you are emotionally drained, you will never be able to focus or concentrate. You won’t be able to live your life or maintain any relationship healthily.
The sudden demise of my father made me hollow from the inside. When I saw my career diminishing after motherhood, I was disheartened in the beginning.
Observe yourself. If you are sad, accept it. If you want to cry, just cry. If you are feeling vulnerable admit it. Running away from reality will not help you but facing it and embracing it will.
You have to be emotionally strong if you want to survive the hardship and grow. If you are not emotionally strong you will surrender easily.
8-NEVER TRUST OTHERS WHEN ITS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
This is another life lesson that I learned in the year 2021. If something is your responsibility and it’s very crucial, just don’t trust others for that work. Be present there physically and see through your own eyes if things are being followed according to you or not.
An Architect should never compromise with the structural integrity of the building and he/she should visit at the relevant stage to check if the drawings have been followed or not. When my son was very young and I rarely visited the site, I trusted one person whom I considered my friend.
But my trust was broken and I was devastated at that time. I had to leave the work in between but it gave me a huge life lesson, never trust others but yourself for all the significant events in life.
9-SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY
You are nothing alone. No matter what you have today, or where you are today, you are nothing if you don’t have someone with whom you can share your joy or happiness. And your problems become half if your dear ones are around.
Work is really important. It’s a ladder towards your dreams. But if that work is taking away from your family, take a pause and think, do you really want your life like that?
This year 2021 showed how unpredictable life is. Today you are and tomorrow you might not. Don’t wait for tomorrow to spend some good times with your family. This year I am going to make some conscious and deliberate efforts to spend some quality time with my family.
Your family is going to make you strong and will give you the strength to face any situation that life will offer. You can’t win any battle alone. You need your loved ones around to fill your life with positivity, to lift you, and to give you support if you feel like falling.
Also, Read
BETRAYAL IN FRIENDSHIP! 16 MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO FEEL BETTER
THE POWER OF POSITIVE WORDS AND HOW IT AFFECTS YOUR LIFE
10-YOU ARE YOUR ONLY HELP
You are responsible for your life. You can’t change the situation around you but you can change your actions and your thought process. If you think you are strong, you are going to make it and if you think you are weak you will surrender.
When I became a mother, many people around me suggested taking a break from work and focusing on my son. At that time as well my father supported my dreams and suggested me not to quit. He knew I wouldn’t be happy if I left my work behind.
Many ladies quit their jobs after marriage and many surrender after becoming mothers. I never wanted to be one of those so I decided to work late at night and work on weekends too. I kept my office running. It’s easy to quit and it’s easy to cry about the hardship. What’s difficult part is to live, to survive, and to sustain.
So believing in yourself is your only help and don’t hold back because of any obstacle is another life lesson that the year 2021 has taught me.
11-STOP TAKING THINGS FOR GRANTED
It’s a human tendency, whatever comes easily, you take it for granted. It can be your relationship with your family, your siblings, your friends, your work your health……………….
You don’t acknowledge its value until it’s too late. Have gratitude for what you have right now. People get so busy chasing materialistic things that they ignore the real things. They cry for things that they don’t have. If you have a family, all the basic needs of life, and your health, you are blessed.
Don’t take it for granted. There are many people around you who crave these things but can’t get them. Maintain a good relationship with your family and friends. Take good care of yourself. Be considerate with your words and with your actions. These are the real things that come for free and can’t be replaced if you lose them.
12-PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE
When my husband was hospitalized because of dengue and there was a need for platelet transfusion I realized how severe the small things can become. Be it dengue or any other disease in life, if something can be avoided by taking any precautionary measure and by doing proper checkups in the beginning, you should do that.
Don’t wait for things to get severe to take any step. A small mosquito can bring huge turbulence to your life. So don’t take them lightly.
CONCLUSION
One more thing that I learned in 2021 as a life lesson is maintaining a good relationship with the people around you. Help others in need because you can be in their places anytime in this life game. Work is very important in life, but still, it’s just a part. Life has more things to offer.
Regular practice of gratitude and acknowledgment of how privileged you are. Every day is a learning process. Embrace what life has to offer and don’t give up, you have a long way to go.
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Very heart touching and practical which people rarely think about and learn lesson as why it has happened or happening.
It’s very good blog which everyone should learn from their past to make a better future.
Thankyou Suman. I am glad you like it. 🙂