New beginnings are divine gifts from God to introspect and keep us honest! Every minute is a new beginning but a New Beginning in the New Year is a great opportunity thrust on us by the society at large and it will be shame to just let it pass by.
I have worked in 5 countries over my 20 year career - made my share of mistakes. Some of them turned out to be the best mistakes, which made me realize how the forces of nature disposes every plan that I ever made. After having endured over 7 cross-country moves, 17 house-moves, 3-house purchases (3 different countries), 11 schools for my children, one thing that struck me was that I was not afraid of making mistakes. Was I smart or wise to move around like this? No. But, the life lessons that we have learnt as a family is simply priceless.
After this incredible journey, the other side of the grass is no longer green. I found out who I really am. To some extend, I could sense the purpose of my existence. Finally, I reached the dreaded finish line - conquering the fear of death. When I tell this to my friends, I get this ‘you are a crazy fool’ look. Yeah, overcoming fear through every single minute of your life can only be experienced. And this, to me, gives a great sense of accomplishment as I had the rare opportunity to make peace with myself. I believe, the credit goes to the constant-change-and-adaptation and Yoga.
I bumped into Yoga in Oman (http://yogatherapy4all.blogspot.com) and was mesmerized by its awesome power to build mental strength to face anything in life. Yoga provided the platform to find closure to many of my life’s pursuits.
I have always wondered about the turn of life events and I could connect 100% with the quote by Steve Jobs: “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.”
Finally, my “connect the dots” moment (in my small world) was the realization that all the turn-of-events in my life was to steer me closer towards my Christian Faith!
The pivotal points that helped me connect the dots - “cross-country moves” were to awaken the dying spirit; “Yoga” as a tool to find calmness, peace and clarity in mind in order to parse through my thoughts, frame by frame and find closure; and “Faith”, to conquer fear, even to the extent of overcoming the fear of death.
As I was reflecting on my life with Kavi (my Career Coach and best friend), I was hard on myself for not having accomplished as much as I should have. Kavi would encourage me to pat myself on the back for certain significant accomplishments (in his view) and focus on the steps to be taken for a brighter tomorrow.
New Beginnings! In the New 2017!
Live Well. Laugh Often. Love Much.