Moving forward: A new year of transformation, awakening & reflection
Not to mention mindfulness practices, surgical face masks, social distancing and binge-watching Selling Sunset
Text: Pamela Kirpalani
2020 is the year that forever transformed our lives. Many of us began it blissfully unaware of what was to come. We would have strategically curated our yearly resolutions, planned our holidays with families, confirmed our attendance for cross-border conferences, or even organised venues for forthcoming events entirely unaware that our little world would turn topsy within a month. But little did we also know that it would be one of the greatest years of transformation, awakening and reflection, too. So, what have the life lessons of 2020 gifted us that we can take with us moving forward into 2021?
Slowing down is the new pivot
No longer is a fast-paced life displayed as a badge of honour. Instead, the ‘new cool kids’ have learned the art of deliberately slowing down; learning to say no when life gets overwhelming; keeping things streamlined and simple. Being a stay-at-home working mother there are times where I’m juggling home schooling, attending Zoom conferences, answering late night emails, working out, responding to Instagram messages, publishing my book Whole: 11 Universal Truths For An Inspired Life and trying to be a nice human being all at once (wink).
When life started providing an awakening sometime mid-year I learned to stop: to listen to my body, intuition and my inspiration levels. Inspiration is everything I have learned this year. Nothing should be done without a certain level of drive and juice. And the only way inspiration levels rise is when we slow down and take a step back.
Change is always constant and nothing stays still
Most of us have a love-hate relationship with surprises or disruptions to our routines, but by far the biggest awakening for 2020 was that the ‘unknown’ is always around the corner. As human beings, we are blessed with the faculty to innately adjust and adapt to change. When something new happens in our lives, research shows that our brains change physiologically as well. This is known as neuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity is the very reason you and I have managed to withstand the pain of anything new or disruptive in our lives. It’s the brain’s ability to change and adapt. With this in mind, practicing mindfulness and meditation allows us to further build on new neural pathways to create a more active presence, and hence acceptance to new situations. So, a consistent routine of daily mindfulness practices and guided meditations are super beneficial to our brains and wellbeing.
We are much more resilient than we think
If you think about it, every time you were convinced you could not go on, on reflection you actually did. Humans have a unique ability to remain resilient as part of our survival mechanism to withstand disasters and life-threatening situations. But a key component in resilience requires cognitive flexibility and creativity. Our minds and bodies have now become accustomed to the fact that there might be more changes in the coming year, and hence our ‘resilience muscle’ and capacity for transformation is now much more primed to cope with more changes if need be. Moving forward, 2021 should be a year of recognising and acknowledging your strength and power to withstand adversity, no matter what. This is a big feather in your cap, especially for those who are fearful of change.
Humans are more united in times of crisis
One of the most beautiful lessons of 2020 is that pain brings us together as a human species. We’ve always had compassion in our bones. We know this intrinsically, especially in times of crisis and social unrest, however, this time the level of compassion is unique, because for one of the first times in history we all face the same threat. Because of this, we feel equal and empathetic in more ways than we have in the past, almost like a global adhesive that binds us together in times of adversity. If anything, Covid-19 has taught us that we are all connected, and none of us are spared. This is humbling in many ways, and has brought people a lot more down to earth, less susceptible to material influences and has significantly increased our gratitude quotient.
So, with all these factors in mind make 2021 your year to shine. Remember to reflect on your inner strength, your resources, and your internal capacity for change and resilience. Just take it all in!
Wishing you a wonderful beginning to the new year.
About the author
Pamela ‘Puja’ Kirpalani, the Founder of Inner High Living and Author of ‘WHOLE: 11 Universal Truths for An Inspired Life’ is a distinguished thought leader in the world of behavioural psychology and neuro-behaviour. She is certified by ABNlp (Australian Board of Neuro-Linguistic Programming), IEMT (Integrated Eye Movement Technique) Practitioner, member of the APSS Singapore and the NLP Association of Singapore.
