An Ode to New beginnings
This article was first published in the Hindustan Times on Jan 09, 2015. All rights reserved with Hindustan Times.
The beginning always starts from today – another sunrise, another chance at life, another chance to get it right. Every day is another opportunity to stay away from what if’s and look at what can be. Every day is another opportunity to open the door and let go of all your demons and let the angels enter your life.
Every day is another opportunity to let go of pretences, resentments, hatred, grudges and focus on the goodness of humanity. There is a certain magic to new beginnings; it allows you to be swept away with the flow and enjoy the sweet freedom and growth that comes with it.
A new beginning always signifies the end of something. Yesterdays mistakes do not belong to today. Old habits, unpleasant memories are baggage that weighs today down – too heavy for our wings to carry us as high as we otherwise might.
It’s our choice how we take the inevitable end of things and how we greet new beginnings. Shame, guilt, low self esteem, ignorance cannot be covered by accomplishments, ego and pride. Only forgiveness, compassion and dignity will let us move to something new. Our bad choices defined who we were yesterday, but they are not who we are today. They were memories and were lessons well learnt. Today is full of possibilities and positive energies, waiting to be absorbed.
The beauty about time is that the next minute, the next hour, the next day, are perfect and unspoiled, waiting for you. You can do with them what you will – you can turn into a new leaf anytime you choose. You can let go of unpleasantness and replace it with love, you can let go of resentments and replace it with forgiveness, you can let go of shame and choose to be proud of who you are, you can let go of judgements and choose self-acceptance.
Your future does not have to travel the same path with the same people. You do not have to apologise to people who don’t listen; you do not have to shrink so that other people don’t feel insecure around you; you do not have to justify your feelings and actions during a difficult period in your life; you do not have to put up with insecure people. All you have to do is walk towards another new beginning with your head held high with a positive outlook, and trusting that the universe has a plan far greater than the problems you have left behind.
The people of quality who are meant to be in your life, will be, and you will not have to justify yourself to them, as they already understand the beauty that is your heart. Push aside sad thoughts and stride into the future, brimming with confidence and the wonder of what will be. Mornings will always come. The sun will always shine. The cycle of life will always continue.
Starting over is an acceptance of the past, which cannot be changed, but where valuable lessons were learnt and events experienced. This allows us to courageously move on and let the brilliance and magnificence of our souls shine through. In difficult times, we need to remember that we may have lost a few battles along the way, but we survived – we are still here. It is therefore important to show our happiness and celebrate our ability to move forward.
We are not what we have done; we are what we have overcome. As long as we are breathing, it’s never too late to start afresh. We cannot let someone dim our light because it is shining in their eyes. As writer Justina Chen said “Raze the old to raise the new”.
Note: Kamalrukh Khan is a Mumbai-based Clinical Hypnotherapist and Wellness Coach. She’s intuitive, strong and positive and loves travelling. She believes travelling to a new country is the best education she can give her kids. Painting and flying a plane or chopper top her bucket list.