#52 | Thoughts, ideas, and quotes that inspired me along the way in 2021
Hello friend -
Here it comes. The last newsletter of 2021. What a year! I am sure that for many of you, it was eventful (in one way or another). When you look back, I hope that you remember events and experiences that helped you grow and evolve.
I would like to share a few thoughts, ideas, and quotes that inspired me along the way in 2021. Have a read; save the ones which will resonate with you.
Let's start :)
1. These words by Isaac Newton made me stop for a moment and appreciate the vastness of life we happen to be part of.
"I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself, I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me."
May curiosity be your fuel in 2022.
2. You know, for a long time words like compassion and kindness sounded foreign to me for quite a while.
I considered these concepts too fluffy, let alone the idea of practicing them. Below is a beautiful quote by Tara Brach and a link to a podcast, which may help you explore the topic from a scientific angle.
"Compassion can be described as letting ourselves be touched by the vulnerability and suffering that is within ourselves and all beings. The full flowering of compassion also includes action: not only do we attune to the presence of suffering, we respond to it."
Here is a podcast. Check it out if you want to learn more about the science behind the concept of compassion.
3. The slogan of 2021 for me has been:
"What we practice grows stronger."
It perfectly summarises the concept of neuroplasticity. It means that we can sculpt and strengthen our brain synaptic connections based on repeated practice.
During our daily lives, we can choose to practice judgment, impatience, frustration or gratitude, generosity, and calmness. Whatever you practice – will grow stronger.
4."Speak when you are angry, and you l make the best speech you'll ever regret."
Sadly I don't know who said these words. I definitely made a few "speeches" in 2021, which I regret… Emotions can blind us. Anger is the biggest one. Usually we are conditioned to act on it. Speak up. Stand up. Immediately react.
I have learned that mindfulness teaches us to respond to a situation in a wise way. Sometimes (not always), responding means letting go. As Young Pueblo said:
"Letting go doesn't mean forgetting. It just means we stop carrying the energy of the past into the present ".
5. This year, I was working on the topic of burnout. These words help me see burnout from a new angle.
"Burn out is like a fever when you have an infection."
Whenever you start experiencing conditions like fatigue, lack of motivation, mood swings, anxiety, lack of confidence – time to search for the "infection," the more we are aware of body and mind – the better we can protect ourselves from burning out.
6. As we enter the period of setting New Year resolutions, we also enter the period of dealing with our wants and desires. I often see people hate their cravings, suppress their desires, and rely solely on willpower.
"The goal is not to have no desires. But to cultivate an understanding of them. Have a wise relationship with them".
These words help me remember that it's not about who wins, but how good can you be at seeing your cravings and outsmarting them.
As you set your intentions, resolutions, and goals for 2022, remember this quote:
"Live with a bias toward action. Ironically, this will teach you patience. When you take action each day, you learn the value of accumulating small improvements over time. You understand how daily habits compound. Be impatient with your actions. Be patient with your results".
7. As many of us may be still going through the ambiguity of pandemic, remote work, and other changes in this world, we are overwhelmed with questions: when, why me, what next?
Rainer Maria Rilke wrote,
"I beg you to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live with them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer".
Sometimes we don't know. And this is fine too.
8. To build upon the previous message, let me also share this quote by Corrie Ten Boom:
"Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles. It empties today of its strength."
9. And finally, this piece of advice by George Washington Carver may resonate with you as you move along your careers and lives.
"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong, because someday in life, you will have been all of these"
Enjoy your New Year Eve. Enjoy being.
Happy New Year!