Reflecting on 2023: A Year of Transformation and Gratitude – My Journey in Spirituality, Health, Family, Professional, and Personal Growth

We are in the last few hours of 2023, and what a year it has been all around. I want to end the year with immense gratitude and look forward to a fantastic start to 2024. I started the exercise in 2021, and it has been a fruitful journey. It is an exercise where I sit and recount and put in my thoughts on how the year has been. 2023 has been one of the most significant transformational years for me spiritually, Physically, Mentally, Professionally, Family, and Passions.

Spiritually:

I have never been closer to my spirituality like never before. Practices like mindfulness, breathwork, and following my little rituals have aligned me spiritually more than ever. With the practices growing on me every day, I was able to get connected to myself at a very different level; believe me when I say that spirituality can be a fantastic gateway for you to understand yourself and also align with your larger purpose. I can better align with my life purpose and where I should maximize my energy.  

My overall health:

I finally understood the power of my body, started appreciating my body, and understood that this was the only home I would ever have for my soul. I am closer to my body, able to understand what fuel it needs, wants, and what it is trying to tell me daily. My energy levels differ with mindfulness, breathwork, and conscious workouts. In addition, I can shed weight, which I haven’t been able to do effectively in the last three years. In addition, I have entirely given up caffeine and embraced the power of mushrooms such as Cordyceps, Reishi, and Lions Maine. These are not psychedelic mushrooms, but they have had a fantastic impact over the years on my neurotransmitters in the body. Embracing practices like cold showers, morning sunlight, and basic movements like steps have helped further my energy levels rather than focusing on stimulants.

Family:

I understand the power of being present with family, friends, and my larger social circle. I had the dirty habit of being engrossed in technology products like phones or laptops and pretending to be busy or wasting energy on endless things. The power of being present has given me an immense sense of love and affection, and getting to know my family and friends fare better than what I have been at. I now understand it is not just being in a moment physically, but being present with all of yourself has a very different feeling. I have never experienced emotions, which I have experienced in the last year.

Importance of a coach:

I was fortunate enough to have three coaches for the areas that mattered: mindfulness, body, and self-expression. I have been through coaching before; however, I understand that each coach has a different impact on the places you seek to improve and how each coach has a specialty and place in your life.

Professional life 

2023 has been nothing short of a roller coaster for me. With many changes and events shaping and reshaping my career in many ways, I have been able to implement and get stronger in the career each passing day. I spent nearly three months in the US working on an essential critical alignment for Course5 Intelligence Ltd. The three months were a transforming period for me, which not only helped me shape my current and future career. I am proud of how the team has been shaped and also the business we have built.

I can see interconnectedness in everything I do, and each aspect of my life impacts what it does to others. So, having that conscious perspective of interconnectedness enables me to channel my energy to ensure that I can capitalize on each of my life's elements but not get me to compartmentalize my focus.

There is more than what I can express for 2023, but with deep gratitude, I move ahead in 2024 with my heart filled with ambitions, and my mind focused on the goals I plan to achieve in 2024.

So here is wishing everyone a great holiday season and a very happy new year. Onwards and upwards, as always!

Future-Proofing Your Leadership Skills for 2023

The business world constantly changes, and executives must stay ahead of the curve. One of the key ways to do this is by preparing your leadership skills for the future. By planning and anticipating what will be needed in 2023, you can ensure that you are well-positioned to lead your company successfully into the new decade.

 Develop a Strong Digital Presence

The digital age has drastically changed business operations. To stay ahead of the competition, executives must have a robust digital presence. This means having an active social media presence on multiple platforms and maintaining an up-to-date website with relevant content. Additionally, executives should take advantage of emerging technologies such as AI and machine learning – many companies are using these tools to gain competitive advantages over their competitors.

Find Ways to Improve Your Team’s Performance

A great leader knows how to motivate their team and get them working together efficiently towards a common goal. To do this effectively in 2023, finding innovative ways to foster collaboration between team members and create an environment where everyone feels comfortable taking risks and trying new things will be critical. Additionally, executives should strive to develop strategies that measure progress accurately and hold employees accountable for their work.

Be Prepared for Change

The business landscape constantly evolves, so executives must be flexible and adaptive regarding changes within their organization or industry. Executives should be prepared for rapid changes in technology, customer preferences, market conditions, or regulations, which could significantly impact how they lead their teams into the future. It’s also essential for executives to stay abreast of industry trends so they can anticipate any potential changes before they happen and plan accordingly.

Embracing Technology

Executives must be willing to embrace new technologies as they become available to stay competitive in an increasingly digital world. This means staying up-to-date with technological advancements and understanding how they can be utilized in your business practices. Investing in research and development may also be beneficial as you seek out new ways to use emerging technologies.

Adaptability

Being able to adjust quickly and comfortably when needed is a skill all executives must possess. As technology evolves, so must businesses. Being able to pivot and change direction easily will put you one step ahead of your competitors, who need to adapt more quickly. Executives must have a good understanding of their company’s vision and goals to make decisions that will benefit their business in the long run rather than just trying to keep up with short-term trends.

Networking

In today's tech-driven world, networking has become even more critical. Executives should use online platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram to build strong professional relationships with other industry leaders, potential customers, and partners. Networking can open up collaboration, innovation, and growth opportunities that would otherwise only be possible with having these connections built beforehand.

Focus on Communication Skills

Good communication skills are essential for any leader – they are crucial in effectively leading and motivating your team members. To prepare for success in 2023, it’s critical to focus on honing your communication skills. This includes understanding how to communicate effectively with different types of people, reading body language during meetings and conversations, and learning how to convey ideas effectively through written and verbal communication. These critical components of good communication will help you succeed in any business environment. 

Stay Up-to-Date

Leaders in 2023 must stay up-to-date with current technology and business practices trends if they want their businesses to remain competitive and successful. Staying informed about industry news, advancements, and changes will help you stay one step ahead of the competition while also giving insights into what strategies may work best for your company. Keeping abreast of industry news will also allow you to understand better where potential opportunities may lie. 

Leadership skills are essential for success in any industry but are especially crucial in 2023, when there will likely be significant technological advances that profoundly change the way businesses operate. By staying ahead of these changes by developing a solid digital presence, improving your team’s performance, and being prepared for change, you can ensure that you will have the leadership skills needed to remain successful.

2022 has been a transformational year for me; I now look forward to 2023 to make the best year ever

Wow, what a year for me personally, and I am sure it’s been the same for each of you. But did I think the same way back, and the answer is no? I was introduced to a great exercise – the reflection exercise, which helped me appreciate and feel excellent about everything I have experienced this year. The same reflection exercise has enabled me to understand my shortcomings and where I fell short, either personally or professionally.

I am writing this blog with the intention of a yearly review of this past year which has gone by that, in a way, is a reflection but, more importantly, is a promise to ensure the coming time for the year(s) to me as an individual.

From Consumption to Creation

From an economic standpoint, creation offers a greater reward than simply providing what is already in demand. Creating something new gives individuals the opportunity to make something that satisfies their wants to create something. It also allows me to be more agile and responsive to changes in the market, as I can quickly create things for new problems as they arise. The entire approach of focusing on creation than consumption has enabled me to be flexible, which can give me an edge in my day-to-day life.

 In the last two years, creation has gotten more serious for me; it started with creating and writing weekly blog articles, launching my Podcast (Masters Decoded), bringing the Youtube channel started and being consistent with it.

 Making myself uncomfortable and in an unknown situation

I have realized that I have created a world and situation which has made me comfortable with what I do and experience in life. The year I started manifesting that I would like to put myself in an uncomfortable or participate in something which provides a new perspective on everything. I came across the LifePlugin summit, which I could have attended in April. However, I procrastinated and was finally able to participate in November. More about LifePlugin in future blogs. Similarly, I signed up for 1BillionSummit in Dubai in December, which enhanced my thinking on the creator economy.

Mindfulness and Breathwork

I have been a non-believer in meditation for the longest time. I have tried it before, and my mind couldn’t just sit still; it would keep bouncing around places and thoughts that did not save me. However, at the LifePlugin summit, my perspective on mindfulness and breathwork completely changed. I attended the conference and participated in the workshops for different types of mindfulness and breathwork practice which changed me in those three days. I would not want to spoil the entire summit's fun. If you want to discover, be yourself without any pre-judgments, experience friendship which you have never experienced before and get yourself in an uncomfortable position, I highly recommend the conference.

Continue to learn

I have evolved over the years by ensuring I continuously learn on topics aligned with my professional or personal passions. However, what has changed this year for me, my learning platforms have expanded manifold. I recently did a Youtube video on this topic on my channel, and you can look at the various platforms I go to every day to expand my learning.  Learning helps me stay ahead of the curve. This year, I am of a mindset that doesn’t run behind the certifications or testimonials but is more focused on documenting and storing the learnings in my second brain and furthering the training by imparting/sharing the knowledge with others.  

Enhance my knowledge of my body

At the start of the year, I got hit with Covid-19, and even after getting vaccinated and a booster, I contracted Covid again in late August, which was not a pleasant experience. Though biohacking has been significant on my agenda from the start of the year, I have been personally able to achieve the following: 

1.     Get better sleep even in my travels and am not intoxicated with harmful pills of Melatonin and other forms of Allopathic medicines

2.     Understanding food types that impact my Glycemic index has made me not have system crashes after lunch or dinner

3.     Understand the importance of small but essential movement and other physical activities, which includes walking that help boost my mood

4.     Reduce my caffeine intake significantly.

Though I haven’t been able to get my weight in control, that is the big plan for 2023, and hopefully, when I write this blog at the end of 2023, I can report the outcomes of my achievements on the health front.

The accountability and reflection exercise in crafting my significant learnings and takeaways from the year gone by is a self-fulfilling exercise. I plan to continue this path as the years pass by. Hopefully, in 40 years, when I am seated in my armchair and reading all the articles I have written, I can reminisce about the years gone by.

I wish you and you to make 2023 the best year we ever had.