Things I learnt in 2010

I just wrote the thank you post & it felt incomplete. There are so many things which were new about 2010 for me and I did so many things for the 1st time, and I will be lying if I said it was all easy and that I didn't quake in my knees. I did. For most of the year. (Will try to make this post less confessional & preachy than it is promising to be). But through this year I have been getting emails asking how I made the switch. This post is not about how I made the switch, but it is about a few invaluable lessons I learnt after I made it.

People trust you. I would quake in my knees as I did people's homes for the 1st time. I could try anything in my own house, but others homes was a different ball game. But my clients each of them, took all my suggestions on board with such enthusiasm that it gave me confidence.

Its ok to trust. Facebook is a fun/useful place. This is the one thats been such a revelation, because by nature I'm a private person, so even putting up my own face on facebook was a hurdle, so imagine putting a facebook button here on this blog :) And then agonising each time I hit the accept friend button. The great thing is I have met only appreciative kind people who wants to know you better and to see if they can work/collaborate with you.

Life bails you out. Just when I wanted money an assignment would materialise, or bang in the middle of an important assignment I would have to go out of town, which would in turn cause a much needed shift in perspective.

Going with the flow. Some things will happen, some won't. And be ready to jump & go for it when something big comes your way. If its scary, do it anyway. (like writing this post, I feel like I'm stripping- god help me)

Doing new things- things which are not 'me'. I always thought i was awful at taking photographs of people, especially strangers. I just didn't want to. But in Nagaland there was no monument or architecture I could capture, it was all about the amazing people. So I shot them & I didn't die. Similarly I always thought I will never photograph nature, because the few precious attempts I had made were SO pathethic. I had a theory that I should not bother shooting nature, cause it is pointless. But the Matheran pictures did not turn out bad.

You get 2nd,3rd, 4th, 5th etc chances, so its ok to do it & goof up. You will get to do it again till you get better at it. eg: i was not too happy with the finish of my boxes initially, but I didn't know better, I had to take what my carpenters/painters were giving me. Then I got a new set of carpenters & painters & we are still working on the product so it may look better each time.
Now for the painful stuff: Finish your assignments sooner than later, it means money quicker in your bank. I can't stress the importance of this one for salaried turned fledgling freelancers/entreprenuers.

But one of the biggest learnings of 2010 for me has to be this. Taking care of yourself pays. You've got one body. Treat it well, sleep. Eat healthy food. Its ok if you do one less in a day (look who is talkingggg!!!) But truly, I've learnt to slow down this year. Its killed me to do it. Even now my instinct is to stay up & do it. But don't. Sleeeeep.

You are your worst critic, people are not thinking half the harsh things you are thinking about yourself :) I wish for all of you like me to be gentle with yourselves & to move on from the things you felt you could have done differently this year. Its over. And we have a brand new year waiting for us Yuhooo!! 2011, here we cooommmeee!!!!

(All the images in this post have been shot by me at Bhuj, Kerala and at home & I had a field day photoshopping them)