What a year it has been.
It had a rough start but it turned out pretty good.
Like every year, I like to share my accomplishments and be a source of inspiration for many of my readers.
To start off, this year has been a year of podcasting. I got to get invited to many podcast shows to share my story of how I found my cultural identity and embraced my two cultures: Italian and Bengali. Everyone found my story interesting, from how I tried to fit in a box and be someone that I wasn't meant to be, to how I empowered myself to be ME.
I didn't think that my story would have sparked so much interest, but I am glad It did because it made me realize that there are other people like me struggling in finding their cultural identity.
In 2022, I self-published my first book. Writing a book was always on my bucket list, but It wasn't something I saw myself doing this year. I got inspired by many authors who talk about women living in a double-standard society and wanted to tell my version of the story by also sharing my own experience of growing up in a country like Italy with South Asian heritage. My goal was to spread my message, not just through podcasts, but also through writing my thoughts and reflections.
This year was the year of exploration. I indeed started with Muay Thai.
It was just by pure chance and probably inspired by my sister, that I decided to attend one muay thai class. Right off the first class, I totally fell in love with it. The adrenaline and boost it gives you, you can't find in other workouts. Muay Thai became part of my life and now I feel I have a warrior in me ready to conquer the world.
I find muay thai is a such-underrated practice among women that needs to be promoted more.
Every woman should start practicing muay thai classes, not because of the physical strength one can build, but also for the mental strength as well.
Then the year continued persistence, I finally had a career change. With non-stop rejections, I finally got to land in my dream role and company. No matter how long it took me for a whole full year, in the end, I ended up with 4 job offers. It was my persistence and determination that brought me to succeed.
This is to say that rejections are part of learning, they guide you in the right direction to where you are meant to be. The key is never to give up to pursue what you want.
Lastly, I think I changed as a person; I don't feel like I am the same person as last year or five years ago.
I think as human beings, we are constantly evolving, becoming who we are meant to be.
We are a work in progress and it is part of this journey we call life. We need sadness to find happiness, we need vulnerability to find strength, and we need chaos to find peace.
With so many ups and downs in my life, I grew more resilient and that's what I have achieved in 2022: resilience, power, and courage to never shut down and dim my light.
Cheers to 2023 my lovely readers :)
