A little series of 20 things I have realised this year. these have been an accumulation of the past few years too. can definitely serve as advice. I hope you read it, and I hope it helps. in one way or another. ♡
Part 1 is about people, part 2 is about life and part 3 is about things in general.
20 things I realised this year:
(Part 1: people)
1. don't ever let someone be so important in your life that they can ruin your life merely by leaving it. don't make someone your entire world. keep your heart safe.
2. always give a second chance. and never again.
3. don't let yourself be an option to someone. it's demeaning waiting for someone to decide that you're worth loving. be a necessity for someone, or choose not to exist for them at all.
4. respect yourself enough to walk away from something or someone who brings you down. If you want to change the way people respond to you, change the way you respond to people. —Timothy Leary.
5. have a home team. these people are the people you can call at 3 am just to have a pointless conversation to get you out of your panic attack. people you can call if your tyre gets punctured in the middle of the road. people you run first to when you did or saw something exciting. people who make you stronger. people who lift you up, just by being in your life. hold them tight, make these rare species home.
(part 2: life)
6. love the little things. things like the balloons rising in the air and looking at them till they are dots in the sky. dancing and dabbing to a song in your room at 4 am when you can't sleep. someone remembering a little thing about you. taking a picture of your best friend sleeping. waiting for a song to end before you get out of the car. smelling that petrichor and breathing it in with your eyes closed. fast blowing winds. finding something lost. watching the sky change colours. these things are not little.
7. mental health over every. damn. thing. cut out people from your life that are low-vibrational. toxic. people that ruin your vibe. LEARN TO SAY NO. take a day off from work or college for yourself. pamper yourself instead. take a bubble bath shower with lavender essential oil fragrances. take a long breath. exercise. do yoga. even for 5 minutes. get out of home for a long drive and eat those damn donuts on takeaway. get out of the monotonous routine once in awhile. give a rest to your brain.
8. find new hobbies. whether it is doodling or taking pictures or just editing them. collecting coins or stamps or patches. reading new books. and let these hobbies be creative. do new things everyday. bring some sort of originality to them. draw or sketch or bring some colour to your paintings if you don't before. make and try new filters if you edit. read another genre of books if you have stuck to just 2 or 3 in the past. let these hobbies be important to you because they make you, you.
9. once you step out of your comfort zone, you make it. stop making excuses. get something done. give it time. give it your days and nights. this generation is the laziest of all time, I swear. you have so many capabilities that just fade away before you even realise it. doesn't this make you sad?
10. practise your faith. pray. and give time to your family. your cousins. your uncles and aunts. ask them how their day was. make breakfast for your mom one day. look at the smile on her face. tell your father you're thankful for him. these smiles should be your priority.
(part 3: things in general)
11. keep a planner. it's a literal savior. you remember things and your life — believe me — gets a little bit organized. because if you're someone like me who forgets things a lot, you're going to need this.
12. buy that dress you're been meaning to for a long time. buy that book, or that dslr. buy that thing that you've been putting at the back burner for so long. purchase it and be happy with that purchase.
13. ‘No’ is a full sentence. learn to say it. you cannot — I repeat — you CANNOT make everyone happy. you don’t need to qualify it or explain yourself. just say no and leave it at that. you're under no obligation to make sense to someone.
14. watch TED talks and documentaries often. they bring out something new to you to think and ponder on about. learn about climate change, because that shit is getting real. learn about history, the second great world war. the crusades. learn about the universe, how scientists and NASA does something remarkable regarding the outer space everyday.
15. minimise. I cannot stress more on this. detox your phone. delete apps. unfollow. untangle. throw away unwanted clothes and bags or give them to someone. keep only the very necessary items in your bag. make room for new and better things. and take care of your consumption. stop buying things like a fool when you know you don't need it so much. it is destroying the economy. the more carelessly you consume, the more fur of foxes is hunted, more chemicals and gases run to the ozone layer from factories everyday. be responsible to the world. it's yours.
16. the best way to appreciate something is to be without it for a while. distance does makes the heart grow fonder, it's true.
17. if nothing is going your way, sleep. just sleep.
18. it's okay if you take the easier option out of difficult ones. it does not make you weak, or someone who just runs away from dealing with problems. make life easier for yourself. give value to your opinions.
19. there is no shame in showing vulnerability, in any form. cry if you need to. cry and let it cleanse you. vent out. open up to people you trust. be genuine. this is what makes you human.
20. I have always said this, and I will keep on saying it. stay low key. stay private. stay humble. not everyone needs to know your business. let people assume. you do you, remain your own mystery. it will literally solve half your problems. I hate to say this but… people ruin beautiful things. even the people you love.
— e.m
