8 Life Skills To Thrive In 2021
Given a chance, what would you say to your younger self? What life lessons have you learned through experience? What would you have done differently?
It’s funny how we all rush to get onboard the next big adventure (anything ranging from a vacation to a party to next Friday night!), but what of mindful contemplation about your life choices- everything from what time you choose to start your day, what micro-habits you cannot seem to break out of, where you spend your money & who you choose to build a life with?
Now, the past year and the COVID-19 lockdown have been an uninvited catalyst for this particular train of thought of mine. And I’m sure, I’m not the only one who has had to sit down with their thoughts, make sense of the changing world and their place in it. It goes without saying that the pandemic and all its consequences have been easiest on people like you and me, who more or less, have the privilege of access to good healthcare, connectivity and the flexibility to work from anywhere. I’m sure you will agree with me that health (physical as well as mental) & family life, something that we have quite often taken for granted, are now our top priority.
I hope and pray that you and your dear ones are keeping healthy, happy, safe and dare I say it- living intentionally.
Here’s presenting a carefully curated list of 8 life skills to thrive in 2021:
1. The Art of Self Parenting
Who do you spend your every single waking moment with? Yourself :)
It’s important that we begin paying attention to our inner dialogue. More often than not, the conversations we have with ourselves are key to understanding the relationships we form with others. Be attentive and tend to your inner child- this could take on different forms based on what you need. Perhaps, you deserve a pat on the back for a job well done, you may need reaffirmation or validation of a choice you’ve made. Self-parenting is all about being patient with yourself, allowing yourself to make mistakes and growing from them. Regret and excuses have no place here. Give yourself the time you need to grow and help those around you to grow, you don’t need to have it all figured out. After all, a year from now, you will no longer be worried about the problems of today! This article on self parenting is a good place to start, if you are interested to learn more on the concept.
2. Realizing Your Dharma
We spend an average of 40–50 hours per week at our job. Consider that we have three weeks’ worth of leaves per year, which equals to 49 working weeks p.a on average. A few deductions later, we arrive at 80,000- 90,000 working hours in a lifetime.
On average, humans spend one-third of their lifetime at work. (Gettysburg.edu)
It stands to reason that these 90,000 hours should ideally be consumed with meaningful and impactful work. At some point, all of us complain or blame others, when it comes to our work life. What can we do to improve things? Access online resources to upskill yourself, speak up and ask for help when needed. Make small changes to improve your work-life balance. Ask yourself what impact the work you do has on yourself, your organization and society as a whole. Let’s find reasons to make our work meaningful.
3. Health, Wellness & Accessing Divinity in Daily Life
A couple of years ago, I remember taking a class on Eco Literature & Mysticism. Till date, these are some of the most deep and meaningful insights I have had on the human condition.
As I understand, everyone is a seeker; some seek sensory pleasures, others desire money, power, fame, validation, love, peace… There is an overwhelming hunger to be part of something bigger than oneself and this journey takes us all on different paths.
I began practicing Yoga seriously since August 2020. It was a chaotic, transitionary period in my life and Yoga was the one constant. Simply put, I became a student of an ancient Indian discipline and I was curious to learn more.
We inhabit a tumultuous world that is beyond our control, but we can learn how to respond to it differently.
The book Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar was a helpful start for me to learn about the history of Yoga, its different practices and mind-body benefits. The YouTube channel Yoga with Adriene is a great place for beginners to get started with daily practices ranging anywhere from 5–50 minutes.
Around this time, I also began practicing meditation. Meditation has been proven to improve your neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to realign its neural networks through conscious, repeated practices such as mindfulness and intentional breathing. Make an appointment with yourself, find a quiet space and empty your mind. Easier said than done, right? I used these YouTube channels for some really good, calming tracks- Yellow Brick Cinema & Soundings of the Planet. I hope they are useful to you at the end of a long day!
The Divine is not a remote, unattainable concept, but a living, breathing entity within ourselves, which can be accessed minute to minute and day to day, if we learn how to seek it.
4. Giving Back
Now, this one is a no-brainer. Share your knowledge, donate to those who are in need, lend a listening ear, spend a weekend cleaning up your local beach ..
There is no right time to start. Just start early, and you are bound to meet and learn from like-minded individuals.
As an online volunteer with the UN, I teach English LSRW skills to girls in the 11th & 12th grades from Kerala, India. This is a great platform where you will find a volunteering opportunity that matches your skillset. The best part is, you can be of help remotely, check them out here.
5. Practicing Minimalism
How much value do we derive from our possessions? How attached are we to these inanimate objects? What real purpose do they serve in our daily functioning? Could you do without them for a day, weeks, months?
I am an ‘accidental minimalist’. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown and a series of (nothing less than) unsavory events, I lost access to all my original certificates (Birth Certificate, School & College Graduation etc.) and most other possessions of any worth.
Sounds like a train wreck, right? (Well yes, but I do have copies of these certificates, so that’s something!)
In time, I discovered that I am not just my certificates, or the clothes that I wear, or the books that I read. My identity is not something to be derived from simple external paraphernalia… Let’s stop identifying ourselves with the degrees we’ve earned or the things we can afford.
Instead, look around and inspect what we have held on to, what is no longer serving its purpose. As for me, I didn’t choose Minimalism, it chose me; I see it as a way of life, a means to declutter my mind of unwanted thoughts, my personal space of unnecessary things and my heart, of people who no longer ‘spark joy’, Marie Kondo style!
6. Habit Tracking
Ever heard of the term, ‘keystone habit’? In his book, The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg explains it as “small changes or habits that people introduce into their routines that unintentionally carry over into other aspects of their lives.”
Take for example, working out for an hour, five times a week. When you consciously turn this into a habit, you also start paying attention to what you consume. Why burn calories just to consume them mindlessly at your next meal? Or consider waking up at 7 AM daily. You develop this into a habit that you cannot do without. This habit positively impacts your mood, productivity levels, focus, discipline and general physical wellbeing, thereby improving your personal and work life. Now, if you want to learn deeply about the science behind habit formation, I highly suggest Duhigg’s book.
Habits do not need to be unattainable goals that may ultimately stress you further. Habits can be little choices that you make each day, all of which add up to a greater whole!
I have developed the habit of maintaining a journal- I picked it up to brush up on my writing skills, but it has also turned out to be a good record for major events, thought processes and breakthroughs! I also have a physical habit tracker at my desk, with simple daily activities such as ‘No sugar’, ‘Reading’ and ‘Yoga’ marked for my reference.
7. Work with what you have- Productive Hobbies & Developing Life Skills
With the second wave of COVID-19 on the rise in India, now’s as good a time as any to develop crucial life skills such as driving a car, or learning to cook!
And what’s more fun & productive than creating something with your hands? I personally enjoy dabbling in glass painting, acrylic art and other such DIY projects you can do around the house. None of these projects make the cut for public viewing though!
I have also begun reading more since the start of 2021; below you will see my completed reading list so far:
I am also no stranger to experimenting with food. I love browsing through recipes online, then improvising and building a dish of my own. I especially enjoy experiencing food from different regions and sharing it with family and friends. Here are some of my most recent culinary experiments-
8. Healing from Past Relationships
Before finding fault with others, identify your own toxic or self-sabotaging traits that need to be addressed.
Learn to walk away from toxic / abusive behavior patterns that are beyond correction. Burn those bridges, baby.
Learn from mistakes made and work through them, so you don’t carry the emotional baggage into your other relationships.
But most of all, don’t lose sight of love. A healthy relationship takes two individuals committed to respecting, trusting and being understanding of each others’ needs through good times & bad.
Concluding Remarks
This list is in no way intended to be an all-in-one comprehensive guide to thriving in 2021. They are a few personal goals I have set following recent life experiences. I will also share an updated version of this list towards the latter half of 2021.
For everyone going through a challenging phase or setback in life, it is important that we start somewhere. I hope that these tips may be of some use to you and I would love to hear back from you!
In my following posts, I plan to write more on travel, spirituality, food, literature, movies, psychology, self-help and just about anything that’s on my mind! Happy reading :)
