THE 12 LESSONS I LEARNT IN 2016

This year has been a learning year for me, a lot of lessons learnt, here are the top 12 for you :-

1) Time goes by like a puff of smoke - 

This year went like a flash, it seems like just yesterday, The new year celebrations were just over and now its almost 15 december, 10 days away from christmas and 16 days away from new year.

2) Life is hard and cruel once you step out of college - 

You have to earn your bread and butter, go through a lot of rejections, politics, selfishness, egos and still survive. No one will give you a single penny for free, that's when you realize your true self, the arrogant you is defeated and a humble persona is born.

3) School was much better, College is useless - 

School prepared you to take the big leap, to fly high, but time spent in college made me mediocre and strictly average. Even today what i studied in school comes handy but nevertheless the bachelors i did in microbiology, the masters i did in applied chemistry is no use to me, i believe the bachelors and masters should be scrapped in our country because if this courses cannot guarantee a job, why waste time on them, those five years in college pushed me back academically though i did some great things, learned what life is, made a lot of friends, read a lot, i mean a lot of novels, played sports, fell in love, broke up with my girlfriend, sang for the Lord and participated in a lot of cultural events, the academic void that was formed was filled up with this beautiful memories, so yeah in 2016 when i look back, i don't regret my college years.

4) Learned to live alone - 

In the beginning of the year, i got a job in Indore, so i had to shift and live away from my parents, though that job sucked and made me go through some really harsh times, i still persisted. God's grace was on me, a family friend, a big brother helped me big time, my spiritual guide gave me strength. Though i stumbled in the initial months but gradually with time learned to manage my expenses, though taking care of yourself is a bit tough but yes i have managed to do so for all this months.

5) Learned to cook - 

The pros of living alone was that it forced me to learn the basic skill of survival and that's cooking, My dad always used to say," A simple meal made by your hands is always healthier than a banquet served outside". I was quite bored eating out and eating out always was a tad too expensive. Youtube, google and My Mother came to my rescue, with their help, i learned to make Simple curries, chapatis, broken wheat, oats and guess what the father of all dishes, " Chicken". Sometimes what i make tastes good, sometimes horrible but i eat it anyways, how can i let my hard work go waste.

6) Learned to organize booze parties for my friends- Now that i learned to make chicken, every time there is a booze party at my house, we don't need to buy the oily, over spicy, over priced chicken from outside. I prepare chicken, roast some peanuts, get a packet of chips, prepare a sev salad and hurray, at a shoestring budget, partying hard.

7) Switched on to raw diet - 

After working for eight hours in the office, coming back home, chatting with friends, blogging, hanging out, Reading books, watching movies, washing clothes, working out and sleep takes a lot of my time. Twenty four hours is just not enough at times, so i have to comprise with my eating habits. Because i couldn't get time to cook, i switched myself to raw diet and would sustain myself on days on raw vegetables, milk, grams, nuts and honey. Though my digestive system went berserk for a couple of days but slowly it adapted to the changes it was put into and i felt more light and better. Though i am back to cooking, because i do crave for taste.

8) Combat Conditioning - 

I used to be a yoga and jogging person in my college days, though i used to do yoga a lot, i was quite obese because i used to eat like a boar. Doing yoga didn't help much, so was jogging, i was still living with a lot of fat in my lower waist and abdomen and had this physique of an animal perhaps a buffalo. I never liked gym and i hated lifted weights, so going to the gym was out of question but yeah internet is a treasure house of knowledge and it was while exploring this treasure house, i stumbled upon Combat conditioning by Matt furrey, an exercise regime that consists mainly of three body weight exercises i.e Push-ups, squats and bridge. It basically stresses more importance on lifting your own body weight that lifting weights. Apart from playing table tennis and cricket occasionally, i ingrained this exercises in my routine. Though i haven't got great muscles but yes i believe Issac of 2016 is much fitter than Issac of 2015, though i still look like an animal, but the buffalo has transformed into a bull.

9) Switch your job, if you are not happy - 

If your age is between 24-30, you are unmarried and are reading this, switch your job if you are not happy, try out different jobs, grab new opportunities, take risks. For this years are your prime, make the most of it, never let yourself suffer of monotony,try to free yourself from the curse of doing something you don't like. I am not sure if you will succeed, but i am quite sure, you won't regret, for you gave your best.

10) I love my parents and they love me too - 

When i was with them, there were frictions, conflicts and arguments. Now that i am away from them, i miss them and have started loving them a lot more than i ever used to do, yes they do have flaws but even i have them, i was never a great son but yes my parents with their limited resources gave me the best comforts. To earn a penny for yourself is tough, to earn and raise a family, just imagine, how tough it would be. For me feeding myself is an ordeal but my parents did that for almost 24 years.

11) Friends are not forever - 

Yes, a painful truth i embraced this year. I lost a lot of friends, this year, My childhood friends, my brothers, some went out for studies and some got jobs in different cities, it broke me mentally, i was heartbroken and did miss those good old times, but life is hard and you have to live it that way, i accepted the fact and moved on.

12) Jesus is Love - 

Yes Jesus is love, he is my guide and he has been guiding me since childhood,through my teens into my youth. His grace has kept me alive for all this years, though born in a christian family, i found Christ in my college days and to this day he amazes me every single time, singing for him, reading about him, praying to him, loving him fills me with joy and tears. Let me tell you i am no saint, i do sin, i do have a lot of flaws and i do fall down, but he gives me the courage to stand up every time, he embraces me every single time i am broken, he has took me out from the gravest and deepest depressions, in the deepest troubles, he gave me strength, he answered me when i most needed it. He has got answers to all my questions, i just need to seek him, kneeling on my knees, praying with closed eyes with a repent full heart. He guided me throughout the year and i have been learning this lesson, every year.

2015 was a year full of battles, i was fighting my own battles, with my own self and with people around me, frustration was at it peak, it was an year of rejection and failure, people kept betraying me and my life was hurting me, it hurt me so much that i bled, i was depressed, i felt bad, i felt confused, my life was in utter chaos, i found myself back again in 2016, this year was an year of struggle, survival and hope. Life is slowly getting back on track, i do feel better. Though the betrayals continue, they don't hurt me much. 

The battles are still on, but peace has been restored for a while.....Praise be to God almighty.

This post has been written for the indispire topic," 12 LESSONS I LEARNT IN THE YEAR 2016" posted by Sumelika das.