Monthly recap : March 2021

This month went by in a breeze. I went on a vacation to Bangalore for 10 days this month and honestly had the time of my life. I wish there was a way to make my entire life as happy as I was on my vacation. It felt surreal really! I ate without any guilt, didn’t workout or meditate for most part of this trip, yet was super happy throughout. So my progress this month has been abysmal. I’m planning to make up for it in April. It’s also my birthday month. Though I have 0 excitement for my birthday, I plan to be as productive as I can this month. The motto for this month is “Small progress is still progress“. I will be consistently working on improving myself each and every day this month. One month makes a hell lot of difference. I realized that during my “Fitness Queen” practice session. Also, I am planning to blog everyday this month. I really can’t think of any other way to make this month special.

Mental health

  • Meditated for 20/31 days. I was very disciplined right till the day I left for my vacation. I stopped everything for almost 10 days after that. It was difficult to get back on track after coming back from vacation. When I rejoined office I had to start my daily routine again to cope up with office stress.
  • Journaled/documented my day for 10/31 days. I’ve been terrible at this. Maybe that’s why I have limited memories of how I spent this month and don’t feel productive at all.
  • Practiced gratitude journaling for 10/31 days. As I said, progress has not been up to the mark.

Goals for April:- 20 min meditation everyday (maintain my streak on headspace app), practice journaling and gratitude journaling everyday. (Same as last month)

Personal Growth

This section is for a new skill or talent that I’ve acquired in this month, tried a new activity or thing that has pushed me out of my comfort zone.

  • I went on a 10 day trip to Bangalore/Mysore. Although this isn’t a new skill or talent, I want to mention it as I came back a rejuvenated and changed person after this trip. My happiness grew multifold on this trip. I have been feeling unmotivated and lethargic ever since. I plan to change that in April.

Goal for April:- Cross 500 followers on my blog before my birthday on 13th April. Run 13 kms on 13th April.

Workouts

I had packed my running shoes and attire with the intention to run in Bangalore. Though I am disappointed that I couldn’t make it a reality, I did get some workouts done on my trip.

  • 4 long runs in this month. Longest distance covered : 10 kms
  • HIIT workouts twice a week during the weekdays (ranging from 20 to 30 mins). Managed to complete 3 workouts of 40-50 mins during my trip.

Goal for April:- Lose the vacation weight (3 kgs), skip 800 rounds at a stretch, 10 pushups in proper form

Education

  • Zero progress with CFA level 1 curriculum. Took an extended break as my exams have been deferred to July 2021
  • Zero online courses completed in March

Goal for April:- Complete first reading of pending 2 subjects of CFA and 2 online courses (at least 1 Korean language course)

Entertainment

Goal for April:- Read 4 books, watch 4 movies, 1 K-drama and 1 documentary

April, let’s get it!

Road trip, anyone?

#21/100

Don’t we all absolutely love road trips? Long serene drives through the hills, flashy music blasting from the stereo, chit chatting group of friends and some food for company. Ah, sounds blissful right? Hell NO! For someone who has suffered from motion sickness since childhood, even the sight of a car can make me go dizzy!

I remember my first all girls trip to Manali. The place was a wonderland. It was the first time I saw snow in real life. This trip was pure delight with an only exception of the 9 hr long drive from Pathankot to Manali. While my friends were having fun talking to each other, listening to music, watching shows, my head was safely perched on my lap with eyes shut trying very hard to not puke and disgust my friends. It’s really an unfair situation since I can’t even go to sleep while travelling in a vehicle. Oh yes, I can never take the middle seat in a vehicle, a corner seat with the windows open somehow helps me sail through the ride without any unnecessary instances of puking.

Ever since I was asked to resume office, I had sleepless nights thinking about the 7 hr long bus ride I was supposed to take each day. The first day, I kept the big window next to the corner seat open to take in fresh air. The ride was smooth although I was exhausted by the end of the day. I was disappointed with the pointless wastage of time spent to and fro from office. I felt helpless because I absolutely couldn’t use the travel time to my advantage because of my motion sickness.

However, yesterday was different. Ever since I’ve decided to only pursue activities that truly make me happy, my brain somehow is in sync with this idea. I seem to have a teeny tiny bit control over my thoughts and negative self talk pattern. Meditation has a huge rule to play in this welcome change. I listened to my favorite music and was blissful throughout the 7 hr ride. I even managed to cover few episodes of a drama I’m currently watching. When I reached home, though my body felt some exertion, my mind was totally fresh. I was chirpy and happy throughout. This happened today as well!

I have absolutely no scientific explanation for this phenomena. Was it this simple always? Why did I waste my precious time dwelling on negative thoughts all this while? I don’t really know how long I can sustain this but I want it to be a permanent change. I know life has it’s ups and downs but I really wish to be patient and bounce back to my happy self in no time. I’m rooting for my happiness this time!

He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe. 

-Marcus Aurelius

My Super List

“Research says that people who write their goals down are 42% more likely to achieve them.”

I first stumbled upon the idea of creating my “Super List” after visiting the blog of Josef Wigren. He has posted an incredible list of things he wishes to accomplish in his life and it motivated me to create my own. I call it the “Super List” as I’m obsessed with the word “Super” and want my life to be defined by this word.

I first created this list on August 28th 2016. This list is not finite and will definitely change over the course of my life.

Wish me luck. I’ll update this list as soon as I accomplish each goal and also share the details associated with it.!

Life goals

  • Be extremely fit : Perfect and strong body
  • Be extremely fearless : Never be scared of challenges
  • Be extremely secure : External forces shouldn’t affect me

Health goals

  • Become vegan
  • Lose 5 Kgs (Goal weight : 58 Kgs)
  • Get visible abs and muscle definition
  • Run a 10K marathon
16th December 2018 | Pinkathon | My first 10 km run
  • Run a 21K half marathon
22nd December 2019 | Kisna Diamond Marathon | My first 21 km run
  • Run a full marathon : 42K
  • Exercise for 30-45 minutes in a day
Have been regular with my HIIT / body weight workouts since September 2018, highest single day session time of 1 hr
  • Run for 45 minutes in a day
Maximum long running distance of 26 kms covered with an approximate timing of 3.20 hrs on 26th January 2020
  • Perfect my push ups : 10/15/20/25 at a time
  • Pull ups : 3/5
  • Hold a plank for 5 minutes
  • Complete a 10 km run under 55 mins
  • Complete a 21 km run under 2 hrs

Knowledge goals

  • Learn to read, write and speak Korean
  • Know about :
    Indian constitution
    World history
  • Read 50 books in a year
  • Clear CFA, all 3 levels in first attempt
  • Complete 10 online courses in a year

Travel goals

Visit :

  • South Korea*Dream place*
  • Japan
  • Canada
  • USA
  • London
  • Thailand
  • Dubai
  • Mauritius
  • Australia
  • China
  • Egypt
  • Rome
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hong Kong
  • Italy
  • New Zealand
  • Malta
  • Turkey
  • Greenland
  • Kolkata
First trip to Kolkata (28th October to 1st November 2017)

Community contributions

  • Clean India : Contribute towards India’s cleanliness
  • Create an animal shelter in India
  • Never leave an animal in distress

Career goals

  • Get a job that I love
  • Give a TED talk on”Confidence
  • Feature on Forbes magazine
  • Motivate and inspire people
  • Have a mentor who would truly help me achieve my professional goals

Adrenaline pumping goals

  • Sky Diving
  • Bungee Jumping
  • Ride a plane
  • Scuba diving
  • Surfing
  • Whitewater kayaking
  • Rock climbing
  • Paragliding
  • Ice-skating

People to meet

  • BTS
  • Shah Rukh Khan
  • Anushka Sharma

Life experiences

  • Attend a BTS live stadium concert
  • See a shooting star
  • See the northern lights
  • Hug a panda
  • Lie on a beach and look at the stars
  • Get a national accolade
  • Get a PR package
  • Be a speaker on a podcast
  • Own a huge library at my home
  • Visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida
  • Visit Disneyland