Now that 2014 has been wrapped up, acknowledged and witnessed; its accomplishments have been gloated over and its lessons have been soberly conceded, it is time to look ahead. It is time to look to the tools at hand, to glance again at the North Star and realign.

This year, I wanted to use the word Enrich in my phrase for the year. In the morning today, I came upon a couplet written in Hindi/ Urdu by a an admirable poetess and dear friend.

अपनी खताओं का इलज़ाम तक़दीर को दे कर
चल जी भर कर बस गलतियां कर ले!

(Just lay the blame of your errors on your fate,

Go ahead and (continue to) make mistakes to your heart’s content!)

~ Promilla Qazi

These lines brought me a step closer to creating a road-map for the year to come.

In 2015, I wish to make mistakes to my heart’s content. I want to try all possible ways to get closer to my North Star. If they turn out to be mistakes, I will blame them on my fate and start all over again. Not even mistakes that blow up in my face are going to stop me this year. Either I will find a way through, or I’ll find a way that didn’t work. Either way, I’ll gain!

Thriving: That’s fighting… Surviving is barely getting by.

~Jillian Michaels

As I sat to write this post, suddenly, out of the blue, the word THRIVE fell into my lap. And I knew that was what I was waiting for, all day long, tinkering listlessly with this and that, not writing this post. Isn’t it amazing how things just come together sometimes?

Thrive (verb)

~(of a child, animal, or plant) grow or develop well or vigorously. Eg: the new baby thrived

~prosper; flourish. Eg: education groups thrive on organization

Origin: Middle English (originally in the sense ‘grow, increase’): from Old Norse thrífask, reflexive of thrífa ‘grasp, get hold of’.)

Once I had turned the word around a few time, sounded it out and banged on it a bit, I knew it will be included in my phrase for the year. I decided to try it on with some other words too… and this is what appeared spontaneously:

==> Be mindful… and THRIVE!

==> You were always enough… now THRIVE!

==> Make mistakes to your heart’s content… yet THRIVE!

==> Fall down and get up… to THRIVE!

==> Keep calm… and THRIVE!

==> Be impractical & daring… but THRIVE!

==> Outrun the creatures of the commonplace… and THRIVE

==> Be Intrepid… and THRIVE

==> Live your love… and THRIVE

==> Enrich… and THRIVE!

Makes a pretty comprehensive list. Off-hand I can’t think of anything I’ve missed… anything that was important, I mean.

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.

~ Maya Angelou

Wish you an enriched, enriching and thriving 2015, dear reader. Grow greatly not because of circumstances but inspite of them. Make mistakes and fall flat on your face. Get mud all over you. Become messy and shop-soiled. But don’t, I beg of you, sit safely on the side-lines. And on no account, be a play-it-safe(r). There really is no glory in playing it safe. Moreover, you neither ruffle any feathers nor step on any toes. I can’t imagine anything more dull!

May 2015 be a year to reckon with, for your loved ones and you!

My Phrase for 2015My Phrase For 2015