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Covid-19 wiped off most of 2020 from my life and 2021 feels to me like an opportunity to reboot, relive, revive the hypothetical year past. So here’s my 19-21 “TLDR” survival guide (depending on how you read the list) embracing the new normal and some old, established quirks and customs quite dear to me. Hope the list has some wit and wisdom in there that resonates with you. Happy, crisp reading!
- Get sunshine every day. I agree with Baz Luhrmann’s important to wear sunscreen but 2020 with all its variants of being cooped up in a safe haven might have triggered vitamin D deficiency amongst many. Please get yourself to face the sun every day
- Have a daily routine plus any additional routines at recurring intervals that help shape your life and passions
- Have SMART goals not just at work but in relationships and in life as well
- Consciously reduce your carbon footprint and leave a better world for the generations to come – devise SMART goals for doing so
- Learn to forgive others if they hurt you at some point in life; between humanity and egocentrism, choose the former. Let them know how you felt, let go of that burden and forge long, strong relationships
- Teach someone something that you are good at or you know about in your lifetime. Knowledge sharing is unselfish, rewarding and altruistic
- Keep a gratitude journal and jot down a few things you feel grateful for every day
- Remember to change your toothbrush and try a new toothpaste too – it might add a spark of fresh energy to your life and jumpstart your day
- Look at market trends and jobs made for 2030-40, pick an area that interests you and build your retirement skillset accordingly. What would you love to do when you’re 64?
- Surround yourself with positive people who embrace you for being you, build you up, encourage you and love you unconditionally
- Read a book from your least explored genre this week
- Don’t run away from anything in life. Don’t look away from the screen when watching horror movies. Face your fears. Bravery is a muscle so build it
- If you have a left-handed friend, please gift them a pair of left-handed scissors when you get a chance (hint hint) – it is transformational I hear
- Happiness is an inside job – do things that make you happy. It doesn’t matter if there’s the commercial success behind what makes you happy – find your Ikigai
- Manage your home/house/family with an Agile mindset and get yourself a Kanban board (hopefully, you are curious if unawares and will look into Agile & Kanban)
- Adopt or foster a pet or volunteer at an animal shelter. Caring for abandoned, stray animals will add oodles to making you a better person and it’s a hefty contribution to your savings account at the Bank of Karma
- Skincare is important. You cannot ignore the largest organ of your body. Not only will it help you keep looking your best, but it will also make you feel good about taking care of yourself
- Whilst you are at forgiving others for their shortcomings or how they hurt you, also learn to truly say sorry, repair and rekindle old relations and build strong bonds; you do not want to lose your amigo para siempre over some silly misunderstanding that is way smaller than what you share with them
- As you soak up that sun, make a list of 3 actions you would take today to be a better version of yourself and incorporate it into your routine
- Whilst you work on creating your positive bubble of people, lift up those who may need some of your positivity, energy and optimism – leave no one behind
- Don’t you ever ever ever give up. I am 99% certain no one has ever learnt to ride a bike on their first attempt. Life is a long loop of many tunes, so if you fall whilst trying to accomplish something then pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again
Author: Sussan De, is an Investment Banker and Tech Professional. She studied Computer Engineering at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore with a full scholarship under SIA-NOL Scholarship for undergraduate education in Singapore, Singapore Airlines Youth Scholarship and has a Masters in Technology Management from the National University of Singapore (NUS). Born in Cameroon, West Africa to parents with multiple talents, Sussan De’s childhood was spent moving across different Indian cities. By the time she was fifteen, she had scored an All-India rank of 7, learnt Odissi, Kathak, and Bharatanatyam dance forms, and recorded her first song for a Hindi movie. She is a dance professional, a TV host, a singer and a vocalist. Off-beat and pro-fusion, and refuses to have her creativity slotted in a box. She volunteers to collect foreign currency coins left over post travel from colleagues, friends and peers to donate for animal welfare. She is also the CEO of Canary Digital Solutions PTE LTD – a digital transformation enterprise she co-founded with other like minded individuals.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the article belong solely to the author.
