A new year holds exciting possibilities!  New chances to make your life more joyful, be more intentional, new relationships, working on being more healthy, mindful and creating yourself. It’s also an opportunity to reflect on what you learnt in the prior year so you can build on it.

2017 was the first year without my Love and while there were challenges throughout the year, there was also moments of joy, growth and healing. I survived it and can acknowledge the work I’ve done and sum it up my in five (5) important life lessons:

  1. Life is truly a gift

Everyday I wake up, I am thankful to be alive and I find ways to celebrate and be joyful. Life offers us the privilege , opportunity and responsibility to give something back by becoming more and sharing. I thank the universe, my spiritual guru , family and friends and my Love for another day to enjoy this gift.

  1. Love is the currency of life

I was lucky enough to have found and experienced real love, the one you read in story books, watch in movies and dream about. I will always treasure what I had and live my life by spreading love, as the more you do, the more love you get in return. It is also important to practice self-love and honor your feelings, needs and to be kind to yourself.

  1. Be vulnerable & stay true to your authentic self

Don’t worry about what people think or say about you. If people want to see you as a good person, they will. If they want to see you as a bad person, absolutely nothing you do will stop them. Be confident, trust yourself, be real and your own person. Spend time with those people that matter and want to see you grow and create new possibilities.

  1. Let go of what you cannot change

What happened is in the past, do not be upset or hurt by events or people that you cannot change. Instead accept it for what it is, let go of the pain and concentrate on what you can change. There is grace in letting go of what no longer has a place in your life and embrace change and who you are evolving into now.

  1. Don’t give up, stop thinking and just do it

I’ve realized no-one is perfect, your never going to be 100% ready and there is never a perfect time to achieve your goals. So dream, act on it, if you have a bad day try again tomorrow. Once you act on it, are open to receive, the universe makes it happen!

So I ask you all, are you going to be courageous this year and really make changes?  Are you going to push through some hard issues?  It is ok to have support while you do this. You don’t have to do this alone.  I hope you take time to reflect, acknowledge your growth and continue to create new possibilities for yourself and those around you. I survived the first year and I know you can too as…

“Everyday is an opportunity to make a new happy ending.”

About 

Mehak Mehta started a Gratitude Diary after the loss of her husband to Colon Cancer in Dec 2016. They had 10 years of the deepest love and 7 years of the truest partnership.

Mehak is of Indian decent, born & brought up in Southern Africa and immigrated 15 years ago to United States. She is currently working as a Financial Professional living in Washington D.C. She is born in a Hindu family and gravitated on her own towards Buddhist teaching. She is an advocate for living a healthy lifestyle, mental health, yoga and meditation.

Mehak began sharing her story through The Gratitude Diary blog to self-reflect on personal experiences, lessons learnt and coping practices incorporated in her self-love/healing journey. She inspires others to discover the power of gratitude, be true to their authentic self and go inwards/meditate to live a joyful life. You can follow her self-love journey on her personal blog The Gratitude Diary and Instagram.