avatarAsmita Karanje

Summarize

Stop. Breathe. Reflect. Continue.

You are wiser than you think you are

Photo by Motoki Tonn on Unsplash

Do you ever feel you are running without knowing the finish line or what you are running for?

I was just wondering if you ever stop for a second to think about how your last week was, how you are doing in your career and not just your current role or how your business is growing and not just performing, what have you mastered, and where you are still an apprentice?

Either we make choices or our choices make us

Have you made conscious decisions around what you eat or don’t eat, what stories you consume, or how much screen time you’d allocate in a day? Or perhaps have you wondered how to contribute to making this world a tad bit better, how you’d reduce your carbon footprint?

We read about it in blogs and news; we watch the David Attenborough documentary and follow tidiness tips from Marie Kondo. But we seldom give it a well-rounded thought.

We make thousands of decisions every day without giving it a conscious thought. You don’t choose between chicken and mushroom — you choose between two lifestyles. You don’t choose between glass or plastic — you make your stance on climate change.

I am no one to advocate what’s right or wrong. You choose what’s best for you — to do that; you need to make a more conscious decision.

More than 200 of these decisions pertain to the food itself. So let me tell you about my food choices and how I landed there. For a long time, almost thirty years of my life, I was conflicted in my mind if I should eat meat or not — I have been a non-vegetarian all my life, but somehow I wasn’t too convinced of killing animals. But I’d never really think about it too much. That was my way of dealing with things my brain couldn’t fully fathom. Like billion others, I’d go about my life as usual. Until one day, I was on vacation — I had plenty of time on hand. I started reading Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari — that book opened my eyes to the atrocities we commit towards animals. It gave me a perspective I didn’t have earlier despite watching many of those animal cruelty videos and exploring veganism.

But for me to reach this realization, you need an empty mind — it is important to unwind, ease, and have clarity that allows you to make well-informed decisions.

Self-exploration is the best gift you can give to yourself

We have all probably heard about the saying that sometimes two steps forward and one step forward is still one step forward in the right direction.

Most of us are so caught up in the whirlwind that we forget to take one step backward — we are afraid if we slow down we might miss out.

When was the last time you took some time off from whatever you have been doing to do what you have wanted to and ALONE? Yes, that’s the key here — ALONE.

Not with your spouse, not with your family or friends. Just spending time with yourself.

Now you might think it’s difficult, but it isn’t — you just need to plan a day in a month or fortnight when you want to go to some quiet place, take your arms and ammunition to amp up the fire inside you — your laptop, your diary, your headphones, your camera or your phone and some snacks and just go on a trip of self-discovery. Start in the morning and give yourself ample time to think about the big ideas, goals, relationships and

Read, write, run, jump, exercise, eat, do whatever you please but alone — so you have had the best company in the world you can ever get — yourself.

Now some might say this ain’t me — ‘I can’t go alone,’ or ‘I can’t eat alone,’ or ‘I can’t be alone’ — sorry to break your myth, it’s just in your mind; you are always on your own, always. Period!

We all have family and friends and colleagues and social circles but we need to live our own lives and the way we want to, so it is essential we spend time with ourselves asking ourselves those big questions — ‘What we want to do,’ ‘Where we want to go,’ ‘How things have been so far,’ and ‘If there is anything we can do to make it better.’

And if that doesn’t convince you, I just have one last question for you — If you can’t stay with yourself, how do you expect others to stay with you?

Another popular myth would be what do I do?

Oh, my God! There is no dearth of things you can do and trust me it can be done, in any part of the world — go to a park, beach, temple, cafe, trek wherever you can break the monotony of your routine and somewhere you won’t be distracted.

Now there are some do’s and don’ts for this to work

Do

Write your thoughts Pen a poem Shoot a movie Reflect on things (office, business, health, relationships, life-goals) Be creative Plan the entire day Have a positive attitude Wear comfy clothes

Don’t

Scroll mindlessly on social media Call, text, or converse (for long) Commute long distances Shop or Indulge Sleep Procrastinate Cut corners Explore (like a tourist)

If you work out or even if you don’t, you might have heard about the concept of ‘a recovery week’ — when you need to rest a little to be able to perform better. Consider this exercise as your recovery from life.

A day is not enough to break from the routine — but it is a start. If you can afford to go on a self-exploration trip for a week, be my guest. But that’s the luxury not a lot of us can afford. So a day on your own is more achievable.

Don’t overthink it — plan your next Saturday or Sunday. Take time off from your usual life, pack your bag with some essentials, choose a location (need not be just one location, can be multiple, just need to plan it better) where you can sit, relax, unwind, do some deep thinking and come back rejuvenated.

Hope it helps.

Wish to stay connected — Let me know your email here and I will send you an email worth your time once in a while. I respect your inbox. No spam, promise.

Mindfulness
Ideas
Inspiration
Advice
Self Improvement
Recommended from ReadMedium