Dixya Poudel

With the advent of spring in Nepal, the Nepali New Year has arrived as well. The first of Baishak is the New Year's Day in Nepal. And this New Year brings promises of better days. It is time for a better self as well. Each year there are changes in our lives. They remind us of the inevitability of aging that life on earth is intrinsically bound to. However, age is just a number. And age shouldn’t bar us from learning, growing and evolving. It is certainly empowering to create new resolutions, goals and aspirations for an improved life.
Have you ever felt like a new person after a new haircut? What about when you purchased new clothes? Certainly, we all feel a wave of thrill after a new haircut or a new dress. It brings to mind our childhood self when we used to feel excited about a new dress in special occasions. While we may age, we are still bound to the memories of our youth.
And there are lessons to be learnt from our mistakes, successes and both past and present experiences. Each day brings forth new decisions and our choices will define our future. People often tend to wonder about what could have been. However, all the regrets that we accumulate can instead lead to resentments. Thus, it is wise to accept our responsibilities in this journey of life.
There is a poem called Invictus by William Ernest Henley which has the famous lines, “I am the master of my fate/ I am the captain of my soul.” While taking responsibility for our life isn't easy, it is certainly rewarding in the long term. Most of our decisions are ours to make while others are governed by people in our lives. As a child, we heavily rely on our family for decisions. An infant depends entirely on the adults.
But as we grow up, it is necessary to take rein in our lives which is difficult and liable to fire back on us. Yet, this is where our insight and wisdom come into play. With each failure that we experience, we have a choice to own up to it and do better next time. Wisdom is learnt from our experiences and there is no shortcut to gain wisdom. It could explain why older people give the best of advice.
There is a phrase that has gained much traction in social media. It is “do better” or interchangeably “be better.” We need to ask ourselves if we are living up to our potential and further create new goals. And a New Year inspires people to envision and materialise changes in their daily routines.
May be you want to shed a few kilos or learn a new subject. Or you may simply want to change your life for a healthy, fulfilling and purposeful existence. As such, by using our innate ability to prepare for the future, we must make the best of the present moment. Let's also keep in mind that life is to be cherished and lived in little moments of joy in each of the 365 days.
We must make the best of our remarkable ability to envision the future. And despite the turmoil the world is in, we must hope for a better year.