How Do I Plan to Slowdown

 "Slowing down" is the mindset when I just feel like hitting the restart button and restart. And after reading alot about the ways one can do this, I think I will be resorting to these:

1. Declutter

I think, cleaning up a space in less than 5 minutes, no amount of time management required, neither the need for pricey organization systems in place is something I always advocate for. And this can always be a way to slow down. All we need is to just start with decluttering to reach the desired target of slowing down.

2. Communicate

When the signs of depression/ frustration or stagnation in the form of regularly desiring for shopping, staying permanently busy or not getting enough sleep shows up; that is the time to Slow Down. And during that time, one sure way to slow down would be to Communicate. Just opening up would give us a way to slow down mentally I think.

3. Walking

I think it is a way to leave us free to be wholly lost in our thoughts. Mind slows down when we decide to slow down and that is when we get a unique internal balance.

4. Try less item wardrobe

Choosing from less, keeping less, organizing less and taking care of the less is the way forward towards slowing down. Less but close to heart and precious for us makes it important and cared. Slowing down will automatically be a result of such choice.

5. Giving myself Financial Peace

Having 1 debit card and no debt is my target this year. There is nothing more stressful than having money problems or money fights. Hence one of the best ways to slow down is to find financial peace because that can be the most noisy thing one can have around. 

6. Simplified Meals

There is something nice about just getting ahead and doing a little bit of meal planning and meal prepping. Instead of ordering out, getting take aways or spending huge amount on heavy prepared meals at the costly places, one way to find slow pace in life is to prepare slowly but yourself and enjoy every moment in life without making it burdensome in any way.

7. Go to bed early

Having a good night sleep is so much understated. Sleep is the first thing to have for everyone, but we somehow don't prioritize rest. So the best way to slow down is to go to bed early and with REST as the only thing in mind.

8. Dumb Down your Smartphone

Ofcourse not forever but for some time, some hours in a day. Making a conscious choice rather than just basically submitting to the fact that these things are engineered to steal our time and attention. Screens without forethought and boundaries so cause chaos and noise in our life, so moving away from them or deciding to intentionally quit it for some time in a day.

9. Brain Dump

Picking up a paper and dividing it into 2, (i) Work & (ii) Personal and dropping just everything into it, that floats in my mind is the one way that I'll be resorting to for cleaning my mind. Making bullet points & giving everything a spot on the paper makes everything looks so doable and hence a best way to slow down to accomplish everything that one desires.

How I plan to Romanticize my Ordinary Life in 2024

Life is beautiful, but sometimes all it takes a little change in perspective to really see it. That's exactly what it means to romanticize our lives. Its all about putting a spin to how we approach our day to day, meaning be grateful for everything that we have and to acknowledge the smallest little details that often get unnoticed. It not just to seek all that is beautiful but to embrace everything life has to offer. The Good! The Bad! and the turbulent rollercoaster in between that makes life such an intriguing journey.

1. Live, Don't just Exist

Oscar Wild once said that to live is the rarest thing one does but most people just exist. That is it.

So I decided to be living by consciously being present for the experience. One may take a lifetime to be able to do this but atleast we may try and start by bringing a purpose into our stories rather than being just surviving/ existing.

2. Find Simple Pleasures

By loving the things that are part of my daily routine like brewing the Tea as the first thing in the morning, cutting the fruits to be part of the dry lunch boxes I prepare etc. These may not sound the most exiciting things but these gives me a reason to wake up each morning and these can be the moments that offer extraordinary experiences. they are commonly those moments which we take it for granted but forgets that these are the only moments that makes our life beautiful.

3. Making the difficult task into Challenges

Some things are hard to enjoy, no matter how hard I try, but still need to get it done. I think making it a challenge and rewarding my own self for getting it done, will make it much more motivating and also help me to take things not too seriously. Because life is not just a long list of things to do but much more than that. 

4. Being the main character

Prioritizing my own self over many things is one of the things I am going to follow for sure because to romanticize with anyone/ anything, you have to make it as your priority. I will not only survive to please everyone around me doing things out of obligations but being the main character I think I will be creating my life according to my own terms without feeling to keep up with anyone else because everyone's story is unique.

5. Everyday matters, so make it count

Instead of holding off until the special occasion to do something special, I think it is important to make every single day count. Also since I have seen from so close that how unpredictable the life is, one should not miss any chance to enjoy it whenever you can. With this mindset we create more opportunities to do things that makes us happy. Know that the only moment that matters is the present moment so make it count.

How i learnt my way of "Man Proposes, God Disposes"

Yes!!!I made a list of things I got done in 2024! I said to wisdom

"You still don't get it, do you Tanu?"

"Don't get what?"

"That there is a whole universe at play between what you do and what gets done"

Recently we planned a "girl's only" trip. And the start was awesome as the pictures below reflect.

But the evening, we reached, I fell sick when accompanying my two little daughters (of 6 & 4.5) and my mother in law (Senior Citizen). 

The next day was planned for the next destination (MAN'S PLANNINGGGGG....) and with a medicine in, we decided to move to our next destination.

My health deteriorated even more, but I think that was how the God had planned it for us!

The third day, as planned (our plan) we had to go and attend a kid's outing... And guess what! I was burning with fever and everyone around were even more scared than me. But my Mom in Law (as the iron lady she is) stood strong, got the kids ready and took the kids out, while I rested on the bed almost immobile.

Final day, we got the booking done for back home and with the support of two dozes of medicines (1 while starting and another during the journey) we somehow reached back home.

HOME where everything seems perfect, fine and all your worries flies away because you are surrounded with your loved ones, your environment and your four walls.

This trip taught me few things:

1. How unpredictable life is!

2. How important it is to value our family!

3. Who are our well wishers!

4. And various other meanings and interpretations of life!

5. Pictures do create memories (on a lighter note)!

No matter how hard the time was, or will be, I know I am Blessed with the Best people around and I am and will always be grateful and thankful for that FOREVER :)

So, My answer to "What does it mean to say, Man proposes, God Disposes"

would be

Probably, NO MATTER WHAT YOU PLAN, NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY TO EXECUTE YOUR PLAN, THE END RESULT WILL NOT BE IN YOUR HANDS!

Well Everything is in God's hands, we give our best but God wasn't willing to make it work! Because God always have a better plan/ lesson for you.

The year didn't go as planned

We often get disappointed to see that in 2023, things didn't work out the way we had wanted. 

But I do think that it's good to set intentions and expectations because it can guide our choices and be our North Star but I think holding on to them too tightly it can actually get in the way of us experiencing life as it's really happening when reality doesn't meet our expectations which is most of the time, I think that is when we become unhappy and dissatisfied.

If things would go the way you plan, how scripted the life would be. Hence it is the unpredictability that keeps us going and the moment we embrace the unexpected wholeheartedly, that's what lead to the most memorable moments and valuable lessons.

These will give you lessons that are much bigger like how you handle yourself in specific situations.

'AS YOU START TO WALK ON THE WAY, THE WAY APPEARS." RUMI

"LIFE IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE BUSY MAKING PLANS" JOHN LENNON

So if life throws another curveball, embrace it wholeheartedly and just enjoy the ride.

Whatever happened or didn't happen, it's already passed you but you have the power to define what this year meant for you. 

Trust the magic of New Beginning

 We hope you don’t just have a happy new year but we hope that you have an abundant one.

We hope you embrace the twist  and  turns and you don’t forget the simple joys in between.

Because that is what add colours to our lives and resemble the true beauty of life.

#HappyNewYear