How to close out a year?

We all heard the idiomatic phrase that one should end the year on a high. But what does ending on a high really mean?

Does it symbolize wrapping up the year with a brilliant accomplishment?
Does it relate to closing the door on something which has been bothering you for a very long time?
Does it involve managing your health and finances extremely well?
Does it point to a family milestone? Or
Does it involve finding that sweet space in your life where doing less is more?

Well, the short answer is 'Yes' and 'No' to all of the above.

<Courtesy: Kateryna Hliznitsova>

If you have answered 'Yes' to any of the questions above then congratulations on completing a worthy year. You have every reason to celebrate.

If you have answered 'No' to all of the questions above then fret not. Welcome to the majority! We are all in the same boat. In this marathon called life, not every year bears the fruit we desire or deserve. But the real question to answer is whether the year has sown the seeds for something worthwhile?

Just as it takes a well streamlined process to produce a result, so also it takes several transitional years to produce that one phenomenal year where everything comes together. Ploughing through these transitional years is not straightforward. The lows most often trump the highs. Even the few highs that are obtained during the course of this time might not do enough for our spirits. But try as much as possible to take those small steps towards whatever you are aiming for. Most often than not those little steps give us the courage to believe in our pursuit and are also the perfect reply for the negativity that's brewing inside of us.

If you have made your year compelling through your efforts Or
Dedicated yourself to figuring out what works Or
Dove into clearing out obstacles in your path Or
Just Said 'No' to pessimism while keeping the spark alive

Then congratulations on completing a worthy year. You don't have the fruits of your labor just yet but no peak is unscalable for a lifelong climber. As you make your way slowly to the top, remember to take in the sights while you stop for a rest at various vantage points. It's these sights that will stay with you as memories when you finally reach the summit. Similarly, these transitional years make for a fulfilling life story.

Ultimately every life story involves challenging the mundane to churn out something exceptional. If you are wresting the reins of writing your life story then congratulations on completing a worth year. You have something to look forward to next year.

Until next time,

Your life analyst.

Comments

KBR National Park

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the fifth largest city in India - Hyderabad lies KBR (Kasu Brahmananda Reddy) National Park . It's difficult to imagine a natural habitat in the center of a concrete jungle but that's exactly what KBR park is - an oasis in middle of an urban desert . One of Hyderabad's prized tourist attractions which in my opinion doesn't get the attention it deserves. The Entrance <Courtesy: Andhra Aroma > I don't remember when I first noticed the park but it soon became a sight which I couldn't miss during the course of my everyday commute to work. I always wondered what lay beyond the entrance but never found the time to check it out for myself until last year. But let me back up a bit, there's a back story to my first visit to the park. In my ' Count Your Blessings ' post, I talked about how a walk around my office building started a positive change in my life. That incident made ' walking ' ...

Zamarrud Theatre Hyderabad

More than two decades ago a 5 year old boy (yours truly) found himself in Abids which was certainly then the microcosm of Hyderabad. Abids in the 80s <Courtesy: OkaTeluguAbbayi > The occasion was a family outing to Zamarrud Cinema. And we are stepping out for not just any movie my friends, my parents decided that nothing less than the Raj Kapoor blockbuster Chori Chori was good enough for us. To be honest I wasn't exactly enthused about watching a black and white film of a bygone era even though the movie had all the credentials of a classic. But that was before I saw Zamarrud, the theatre where the movie was being played. Nested in the heart of Abids, Zamarrud was the perfect amalgamation of Hyderabad's old world charm and new fangled ways. Zamarrud was not just any theatre, it was one of the first air conditioned halls in Hyderabad, a premiere cinema hall which used to host the best of what the film industry had to offer and the place to go for Hyderabad...

Hyderabad a Biography by Narendra Luther

My 60th post had to bring me back to Hyderabad, the place where it all began. There are books which allow you to pass time and there are books which transport you into another time. ' Hyderabad a Biography ' by Mr. Narendra Luther belongs to the second category. I picked up this book a few years ago amidst intense work schedules and instantly fell in love with it for it's wit and charm. I've read books which either narrated history with gravity or recollected facts with solemnity but Mr. Luther's book was the first I read where history was recounted with generous sprinklings of humor. Plus how can I not love a book about Hyderabad, my hometown and one of the most vibrant cities on the face of earth. A city with a rich history of more than 1000 years and for centuries a melting point of cultures from all over the world . Here was a region which remained a country within a country long after India gained independence, braved it's period of turmoil and instabil...

Most Painful Performances in Cricket - 2006 Champions Trophy

A slew of countries exited the Champions Trophy over the last few days. But wasn't there a Champions Trophy that we hosted where everything turned topsy-turvy for us? A loooooooooong time ago but not that long ago there was one such tournament in 2006 where nothing went to script. I literally had to go to Cricinfo to refresh my memory about this tournament. I do however remember: The promotions which promised a festival of cricket but what we got was a damp squib The interest in the tournament waning once India was dumped out at the group stage That the final was an anti-climax and how Australia briefly let go off their manners while accepting the trophy. After decking us out the tournament they also shoved the then president of BCCI, Mr. Sharad Pawar, for good measure India who were firmly entrenched in the Greg Chappell era vacillated between able and awful. Sachin was not at his best Dravid was unable to prop up the middle order Irfan Pathan's efficacy was being nullifie...

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

How good is the latest Jumanji movie which comes more than two decades after the initial installment with a brand new star cast headed by a very much in-form Dwayne Johnson? Is this is a true-blue Jumanji sequel or is this an official reboot? Is this movie anywhere close to the first one in terms of thrills and chills? I guess we have enough questions to answer now so let's not wait any further and get started off with our movie review for Jumanji 2 (Welcome to the Jungle). Plot: It's 1996 and Jumanji (the evil board game which siphons people in) finds itself buried in the sands of a beach having been thrown into a river at end of the first movie . The strange drum beats emanating from the game attract a passer-by and as luck would have it, he takes the game to his home and his teenage son. A board game doesn't mean much to a kid of the 90's who swiftly casts it aside. Jumanji then transforms itself into a video game. The transformation catches the eye of the teenage...

Life Etc Etc

Search This Blog