The year gone by and the lessons it left

Journey from a hospitality professional to a therapist – Ms. Dipal Parikh
January 2, 2019
The Changemaker- Ms. Virali Modi
January 7, 2019

The year gone by and the lessons it left

Am thankful to my family and friends for making the year gone by a memorable one. Am grateful to each one of them for touching my life with their kindness , thoughtfulness, concern and for always being there for me and cheering me on! The year was truly incredible and so are the lessons it left.

Nothing is permanent 

Change is the only constant we have. I remember we used to hear of vision 2020…. that looked so distant but come to think of it it’s only a year away! Everything is as fast paced as the times today. ‘Time flies’ looks so real now and it can be felt by all.

Parents are the real treasure

We have many things in our lives- material, emotional or things in between. Realised that the biggest bonus that one can have is; parents being there for you. They are the real blessings and as we get older we realise even more the value of the biggest wealth that we possess. Listen to their stories, each one will be packed with lessons they learnt and take that as your heirloom. Learn their secret recipes – the food that you loved can always be with you. Rejoice every moment that you get with them and make it something to cherish.

Family time- is the only time well spent

No matter where you go and what you do, home is where the heart is. You reap great benefits of health, happiness and complete well being when you invest thoughtfully- invest your time in your relationships. There cannot be any other investment more eventful than that.

The spouse is your best friend

The sooner we realise the better! On a serious note, there’s a whole lot of truth in it. The bitter sweet tussles will remain; isn’t the food bland without the seasonings anyway? Friends, family, children will always have their own life and priorities, you may or may not feature in them but the spouse factor is your company forever.

For the New year’s eve, our housing society hosted many events and Mr. and Mrs contest was one of them. Not that we participated, we are self declared Mr. and Mrs. Todiwan other titles don’t really matter to us. It’s not sour grapes here! One of the question asked to the men was, ” Who would you take on a dinner date Ms. Kiran Bedi or Katrina Kaif?” Most of them said Ms. Bedi except for one; who I guess wasn’t making politically correct statements. My son asked hubby the same question and he replied that he’d take his mom that’s me. I was wondering why he chose an option that wasn’t even there. Hubby made his point loud and clear that he wouldn’t waste his time over something that didn’t look possible; instead he’d concentrate on the heroine he had in his life. My smile could easily measure the distance between the earth and it’s satellite!

Never give up

The road ahead may be sometimes smooth but other times hard and ugly. One must just move ahead or move on as far as he can and as much as he can. The attitude that stands the sands of time is the one that is too stubborn to give up. That has all the courage to look towards the light ahead; for every end is  the start of a new beginning. It is rightly said that if you can’t find the brighter side of life then polish the darker side; make adjustments but never give up.

Have louder dreams

We have heard from time immemorial, the magic of dreaming big. I’d say make your dreams louder, give them a voice and let that voice keep ringing in your head. Constant reminders are a secret to achieving what we desire. It’s good to expresses your goals and  dreams to make them SMART; once you do that start working on them a little at a time. You won’t even realise and you’ll be there at the threshold of those very dreams waiting to unfold.

Make a difference

The beauty is not achieving self- goals alone but making a difference in your circle and the society. No contribution is small in this regard. Happiness is seeing your action or deed bringing joys to others; we must experience the joys of giving. There’s nothing more fulfilling than realising the fact that you CAN make a difference!

Wishing you and your family a very happy and blessed 2019. May the new year bring you joy and a lot to cheer about. Stay healthy, happy and blessed.

PS: Picture taken from Google with due credits

 

Dr. Laxmi Todiwan
Dr. Laxmi Todiwan
Founder Indian Women in Hospitality. She is a Professor, Corporate Trainer, Motivational Speaker and a Blogger. A multiple award winning hospitality professional with a career spanning over two decades; people engagement, training and development are close to her heart. She writes for hospitality journals, online platforms and columns in the local newspapers. Married to a Master Mariner she loves to write on the maritime industry as well as the lives and relationships of the fraternity. She expresses her thoughts on her blog and website, www.theiwh.com

Leave a Reply