My Takeaways from 2022
Updated: Jan 19

We are nearly one week into 2023 - Time flies! I can't help but feel that as we get older, we transition from the state of 'Doing' to more 'Being'. (Thanks Alice Ho Tan for sharing this) And 'Being' means taking the time to reflect and do better, moment by moment :) Thank you to everyone who has come into my life and inspired me.
๐๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ
This sounds clichรฉ but I'm using it anyway - "We can only control what we can control". We can't avoid downturns, pain, change and detours but we can be positive and turn each crisis into an opportunity. And no hell lasts forever, because 'this too shall pass'.
We use Happiness and Joy interchangeably but I learnt that they are not the same. It's not possible to be happy all the time and it can be tough to constantly seek happiness (you will be disappointed). Instead of Happiness, seek Joy and take things as they come.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐
I'm so guilty of it myself, to seek the low hanging fruits and hacks to success for every goal I set myself. But the right things to do are worth our time and effort. I'm learning to be patient and choose to do the Right things, instead of many easy things :)
It's super hard to keep doing the right things and impossible to be perfect, but I will keep trying.
๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ต
I believe that there are no coincidences (Thanks Kristav (Kris) Childress) whenever I meet someone. With that, I always ask myself, what is the reason for our encounter, what can I learn from the person, regardless of their age or seniority. When I find that I can't sit still and listen (my cup is full), I'm reminded that I need to empty my cup and be present.
There is always something to learn from anyone I meet, thank you to my interns and volunteers who taught me so many things! Joshua Sng Zhong Hao Asmita Mitra Richard Shim Jo Teen Fong Seng Ang Jing Zhe Milton Ng Jia Yi Teo Danesh Dabu Everard Ong ๐
๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐๐
It's easy to adopt a self-centred approach, asking what's in it for me everytime. But I realise that in reality is that it is not so simple. All our actions create a butterfly effect and set forth a chain of events, for better or for worse. I always remember this quote from the movie Cloud Atlas (2012) Sonmi-451: Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb, we are bound to others. Past and present. And by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.
It is true. Believing that we are all connected changes how I make each decision. Obviously there are times that I get consumed by emotions or are blinded by other things, but the consequences would always point me back to - "We are all connected".
๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ - ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ
It is hard to not give feedback and hope for someone important to change for the better, especially my loved ones and close friends. But despite my good intentions, I have a flair to upset people by being too straightforward.
Instead of asking people to change (which is quite judgmental, because I have my own flaws too), I realise that the best way is to be a role model. Subconsciously we imitate our friends and pick up their habits, for better or for worse :) Having a young child helps too, she would almost immediately copy what I do and that is the best reminder that I need to be the best version of myself, as much as I can.
๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐
"We can't give what we don't have", shares my favorite motivational coach Wayne Dyer and this stuck with me - what do you get when you squeeze an orange - orange juice of course. If I'm full of anger and unhappiness, then what I exude will only be those. If I don't fill myself with love, then I can't give love to anyone. As a mother, it is even harder to rememeber this. In fact, 2022 has been a year of sickness for me, so much so that I was sick at least once a month. For 2023, I strive to pace myself and say "no" more often.
๐'๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐ข๐ง ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ - would love to hear your comments and takeaways from 2022 too!