HAPPY NEW YEAR! TIPS FOR A PRODUCTIVE 2021!

2020 was a year that began with lots of fun and joy but eventually turned out to be a very difficult year for many. For me, it was a year, I became a lawyer. I graduated in the middle of a pandemic! I had been waiting for this day for years now. Wearing a black gown and throwing our hats in the air will always remain a dream for the class of 2020. 

The class of 2020 will always be a special one. We are the first batch to give final exams from home, begin work from home, and the first ones to have our convocation online! Graduating in the middle of the worst economic crisis ever has been extremely challenging, especially when employers do not want to spend on training fresh graduates and would rather prefer "experienced" professionals. 

Despite the worldwide crisis and suffering that the pandemic brought with itself, I found my silver lining in this time of distress. After being away from home for five long years, I got a chance to live with my family because of the lockdown. this was nothing less than a blessing in disguise. The year 2020 was life-changing for me, I may not have kickstarted my legal career yet but I have started learning what life really is about. I realized my positives and negatives, my areas of improvement, and my strengths. 

So, What changed in 2020? What were my learnings? 

1. DO NOT COMPARE YOURSELF TO ANYONE

The most important learning of 2020 has been that everyone has a different journey and everyone deserves to have their own opinions, reservations, thoughts, and experiences. Often we compare ourselves with others and forget that every individual has different goals, aims, aspirations, ambitions, lifestyle, circumstances and it is very unfair that two people circumstanced differently must have similar comparisons.

2. FOCUS ON YOURSELF

I think I perform the best when I focus on what I'm doing, where I stand and how can I improve myself thereafter. Doing a SWOT analysis of your personality is an extremely helpful activity. Once you identify and accept your strengths and weaknesses, the next step is to convert your weaknesses into strengths. This activity helped me to work on myself and achieve effective results. 

3. HAVING A GOAL IS IMPORTANT

It is important to self introspect and list down the goals that you truly want to achieve. Setting a goal gives you clarity of thought. I realised that most of the time, I couldn't achieve my goal because I made superficial and idealistic goals. Goals must be small and achievable. It is important to understand that you cannot achieve everything all at once. Your end goal must be broken down into small achievable tasks that will motivate you to proceed with your ultimate goal.

4. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE YOURSELF EVEN IF THINGS ARE NOT GOING WELL

2020 taught me that something good always penetrates even during difficult times. I literally graduated in the middle of a pandemic, the future seemed grim, and dreams looked very distant to achieve. However, if not for the pandemic, I would never be writing this blog right now! I would never have the time to explore my hobbies and interests. Does that make me special or unlucky? Well, that depends on how you perceive it. Honestly, it isn't easy to stay optimistic when things are going the way you least expected but giving up isn't an option. Never lose confidence only because you couldn't do what you aimed to. 

5. CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS

2020 made me reflect on why I wasn't reaching where I want to be. I would start every task with full excitement but would discontinue in between, restart, or leave it altogether. Because of this, I lost out on the progress that I made initially and had to start all over again. This lead to a delay in achieving my goals, feeling dissatisfied with myself, and demotivated to continue further. The science behind becoming good at something over time is when you do it repeatedly and consistently. For example: waking up at 7 am every day, meditating for 20 minutes every day, or writing 1000 words every day. Consistently doing something trains our minds in a way that it eventually becomes an effortless exercise. 

I hope that 2021 is the most productive year for you all. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!