On the eve of 2024

Ruchira Darda

I am on the slopes in Japan, learning how to ski. A challenge I was most scared of. Yet, here I am done with three days of skiing and eagerly waiting for my fourth day. Hope you got a chance to challenge yourself this year. If not, do that in the year that’s coming. For here we are signing off one more year. And this one has been quite a roller coaster. Oscillating between extreme highs and lows, some brilliant and horrific Bollywood movies, so many wars, some iconic moments, disturbing amounts of air pollution and more. But on personal level it also did bring with it several learnings I am going to cherish.

*Trust your body: Many times, we back out assuming we don’t have the strength to cope with task at hand. I learnt this year to trust my body. If we work on our body everyday, feed it the right things, build strength, treat it right, our body is the only tool we have. If that’s in good condition, you can honestly fight the biggest problem or ski down a mountain. For, when we feel strong and right, we are able to make the right decisions.

*Make friends you can keep: I am not the one to share my deepest with many. Most often, the only people I will go to are my closest three. But the end of 2023 made me see the world with a different lens. The last quarter has been my hardest but close friends helped me see that problems come with solutions and sometimes sharing with close confidants helps us gain perspectives. For, in isolation our problems look much bigger.

*Infuse confidence into another: We signed up for this ski trip in June and I spent my entire December fretting about it. I had all my excuses ready, I signed up for this holiday only for my boys. All three of them ski very well. But the group we are with infused loads of confidence into me. From finding me the right trainer to gentle words of encouragement. Friends back home did the same. Honestly, I felt I could do this, and I am skiing. That’s the power of words. I want to do this for someone too.

*Invest in the right places: Begin your financial investments early and diversify into various types of avenues. I should have done more by now, but I have a fair bit set aside for myself. It’s important as life progresses and age is catching up. Your investments are the resources you will be able to lean on. This year, I helped my kids start their own investments, such joy to see them both plan and save.

*Embrace change: Change is constant and that’s the only way forward hence what is the option. So much changes without a warning, simply embrace it and keep moving. The best way to cope with it is to stay capable, work hard and never take anything for granted.

*Choose happiness: I quit a relationship this year that was causing me unreasonable amounts of distress. I was constantly struggling which led to constant cribbing. I found peace in walking away, may be my work suffered a tiny bit, but my mental peace is back. My work gives me pure joy and I couldn’t let that be taken away from me.

*Find time for your parents: Much has happened in the last few months to make me fearful. As mothers, wives, entrepreneurs and more, we find time for it all, except stepping out of our lives and visiting our own parents. Time is limited, make the most of it. In fact, a male colleague shared with me that not visiting his parents enough is his biggest regret, and now it's too late.

Am simply holding onto these and stepping into the new year. With a bag full of resolutions that involve making sure I succeed at these takeaways and write more stories for my children. They are growing up so quickly and the New Year is an assurance that they are one step closer to being young adults. Well, you guys have a wonderful 2024. May January bring with it wonderful news and joyful events.