Reflecting on the year gone by — Learnings to carry with me into 2024.

As I sit back and write my year-end post, I cannot help but wonder how the year has gone by so fast. I don’t remember 365 mornings and yet they have passed me by. Gone — Slipped into history.

The canvas of my emotions and experiences is full of bittersweet moments. The one valuable life lesson I learned this year is -

The value of Acceptance.

Each time things did not go as I hoped they would, I spent a lot of energy protesting or trying to change things. The frustration and despondency it caused did not allow me to live life fully. It was only when I acknowledged the facts of the situation — the good, and the bad without trying to change or resist things that cannot be changed, that I created space for personal growth.

Acceptance is a game changer. It involves fully embracing life.

The sooner you begin to accept the challenges life throws at you, you begin to experience inner peace.

There will be situations you cannot change, situations that are not in your control, painful situations- the only way forward is to embrace them as they are, without judgment or resistance.

Resisting them or trying to change them to the way you would like them to be, leaves you feeling bitter, resentful, and helpless.

Acceptance alleviates stress and anxiety. While I wrestled with the curveballs life threw at me I kept trying to stay at the top of things. This kept getting difficult, so much so that I felt exhausted, sleep-deprived, and anxious.

It’s only when you hold the idea of opening yourself to life, accepting things the way they are, and giving away the need to have things your way, that you feel light, almost like the weight has been lifted off your shoulder.

Acceptance is different from resignation.

Resignation is passive, it feels like you have no choice, like being defeated which then makes you incapable of moving ahead or creating change.

Acceptance, on the other hand, is active. You acknowledge the fact that you have no control over the events and mindfully engage with the feelings that accompany the incident.

These feelings tell you what to do — Is there something you need to communicate clearly? Is there something you have overlooked? They tell you the way forward.

Whatever the challenge is, you still have agency over your life. It’s your choices, your attitude, and your behaviours that take you forward.

When you accept situations you are okay to connect with others and reach out for help, On the other hand, resignation makes you slink away, wallow in self-pity, and carry around oodles of resentment.

Acceptance includes understanding, having empathy, and compassion for yourself and other fellow humans.

Unconditionally allowing people to be who they are, and having their own opinions without wanting them to change into a version that you find comfortable, is the cornerstone of acceptance.

The year has also taught me the value of self-acceptance. You are the only person you have to be with always, hence being compassionate towards your shortcomings allows you to understand your weaknesses and strengths. Accepting them and using them wisely and intentionally helps lift the burden of self-criticism and opens avenues for self-improvement. This to me is one of the most rewarding experiences of life.

The philosophy — ‘I welcome life with an open heart’ has become my beacon of light in navigating through the unpredictability and impermanence of life.

What this gives me in return is — scaling down the suffering

With this, I am no longer trying to resist the unavoidable and my mind learns to calm down.

Me, my weaknesses, my hurdles; Others with their set of imperfections; and The difficult situations that I go through — all become unique strokes of the brush on the canvas of my life.

Through acceptance, I have begun to cope with painful emotions, uncover my strengths, and appreciate the present moment, all of which is inspiring and liberating.