To commemorate the end of the year of the snake, my soul felt called to reflect on my journey, my progression, my setbacks, my achievements, my pitfalls and my learnings and whatnot…not just in the past year but in the past 9 years (2017-2025), given that from a numerology perspective 2026 is the beginning of a new cycle.
I guess it is an exercise of honestly seeing who/how/what I have been, done or not done – and what I have realised from my own thoughts, emotions, behaviours, actions and experiences. I know that I have not been the best person, I know I have not done the best things, I know that I have not lived up to my promises, I know that I have hated myself for years – but now that I have developed a reasonably healthy relationship with myself, I am finally able and willing to acknowledge, accept and let go of the past versions and past incidents. I see the value in them, I know I do not want to view previous versions of myself from a place of hate or disdain, given they have played a role in ensuring I survive this long, and have shaped the person I am becoming now. So, this specific exercise feels liberating – especially the knowing that my past no longer holds power over me and can no longer hover over my consciousness. Everything that comes my way going forward, will be approached as if everything negative lingering from the last 9 years was absolved and reset, but the memories remain intact, remembered fondly and the lessons embraced and learnt.
It would be an understatement to say a lot has happened in the past 9 years. I have lived inauthentically (not being true to myself and therefore to others), I have chased perfection (and often been disappointed), I have been depressed (and established a comfort zone in it), I have been a toxic people-pleaser (and bred a lot of resentment and anger from it), I have caused pain to others (by trying to be the good guy, and eventually hurting them more). I have ignored and neglected parts of myself, I have not listened to my intuition, I have abandoned myself and my needs by focusing on others. I have tried to portray my ideal self to impress others (and to inflate my ego), I have tried to prove myself to others and seek external validation (as my inner critic made me hate myself), I have done things for not necessarily the right reasons (I haven’t been true and intentional in my ways). I have been ghosted (in my first relationship), a cheat (in my second and longest relationship), a fool (in my third relationship) and an immature coward (in my last & most meaningful relationship). I have lost people close to me, I have lost myself multiple times, I have felt numb, I have let people down, I have been fearful, ashamed, rigidly stubborn, unreliable, hypocritical, pessimistic, judgmental, selfish..I have been an anxious wreck, to be honest. I have put on facades and masks to conceal shit from others, I have tried living in accordance with societal norms, I have tried to fake it till I make it but..
NOT ANYMORE. I AM FINALLY DONE.
I have been on the receiving end of a lot of shit too, but this is not about feeling like a victim. I know those adversities were bringing things to my attention and awareness, and I was not wise enough to see and learn from them. This is about taking accountability and responsibility for the previous versions of me, that have informed and formed the current version of me, and also the fact that I can not only see and acknowledge it in hindsight..but I can also understand the intricate gears of my psyche that created these experiences and realities. Understanding is not enough, but working on sorting out myself and releasing myself from the shackles of these toxic, unreal, harmful patterns has been overwhelming, emotionally and mentally.
NOW, I FEEL FREE – I have experienced a few ego deaths, a few burials of my past selves and have eventually risen from the ashes like the Phoenix – renewed, rebirthed, radiant and resilient. I see myself truly now, and there is nothing more peaceful than finally living from a place of honesty and authenticity.
dniM s'vahbunA edisnI 