27 things I learnt when I was 27

This is a birthday tradition I began when I turned 24 and it has been a riot. What better way to begin this website than this post.

BTW my birthday falls in January but then my blog my rules. Also, life has been crazy so I guess I am forgiven and the delay is okay - more learnings you see and in no particular order, drumroll, confetti, here it goes -

1. Always book bus tickets are refundable - use Paytm for this where one can buy a cancellation cover for INR 40/- and cancel tickets up to 4 hours before the commute. This has been a life-saver with last minute travel plan changes. Sometimes I book two consecutive night tickets because having options helps.

2. You are as old as you tell yourself.

3. Money has got nothing to do with generosity.

4. If you can be practical in love, you are not in love.

5. Music makes everything better. If you are having a rough day and you are alone with your thoughts please put on some music. I promise it will lift your spirits.

6. Too much coffee can cause jitters. I think I had my dose of coffee at B-School and my body vehemently protests to anything more than a cup. Coffee also has an elimination cycle of 8 hours, so avoid having a coffee post 4pm, it is going to mess with your sleep. (Courtesy: Why We Sleep by Matt Walker)

7. Learn to text people back. You don't mean harm but it pisses people off.

8. It is all in your mind - learn to really take control of it.

9. Always carry socks and a jacket while you travel, you never know when the temperature changes.

10. Be kind and pay the kindness forward. I remember sitting in a old rickety bus in the Nilgiris, with every turn on the mountain roads the person sitting on extreme faces a big torque, I am grown-up woman yet an old frail man sitting next to me on the middle seat held my arm so I do not fall off. He did that till he got off the bus. He absolutely didn't have to but there was something so heart-warming and protective about it. Be nice, it costs nothing.

11. As a woman in sales in rural India, figure out where the nearest public bathroom is, safest restaurant is and every time you visit the town, follow the same drill. No experimentation needed here. Also, Indian toilets are usually a safer bet than western ones.

12. Invest in learning Excel. No matter what job you do, it is 100% going to benefit you. I can't stress this enough, I was an Excel noob and the first month in my role gave me the need for serious motivational talk in front of the mirror every time I had to work on a complex sheet.

13. Appreciate friends, co-workers, family for the little things they do. Let compliments be louder if just not as loud as criticizing.

14. Ask the stupid questions while learning anything new, better stupid now than later.

15. When you work with people at the grassroot level you realize just how hard they work and somewhere just how priviledged you've been in life. Most of us are a function of who we are born to.

16. Weird stuff happens in life and sometimes there is no reason for it. Just accept it with grace and move on.

17. Do one thing every day no matter how you feel - be it 30 mins of exercise and do it even if you absolutely do not feel like it. Train your mind. You will feel invincible after you keep promises to yourself. The most important relationship is the one with yourself, honor it.

18. Dreams have no barrier. Never limit yourself. I met a sixty year old baller woman who wanted to ride a bike to Europe & open a Biker's Pad in Ooty ( and she did) and a starry eyed 20 year old with a very humble background who wanted to do his Master's in Germany (and is now going)

19. Take more risks. You'll never a 100% guarantee of anything. You owe taking risks to yourself. Look around and there's so many people who look a leap of faith with a lot lesser. Be inspired.

20. Gratitude journaling is the staircase out of despair. Counting the good things flips the perspective even on the darkest of the days.

21. Use Comfort - it makes the clothes smell wonderful. Especially as they come out warm and toasty out of a dryer.

22. Have a solid night-care routine, it signals the body that is the time for rest. I carry my night-time routine wherever I go. It is simple yet effective. I brush my teeth, always, no matter how late I am. Also, now that work for an FMCG which is a household name in oral care I cannot sleep without cleaning my mouth. It has been ingrained. I then wash my face with a gentle cleanser like Cetaphil, I used a toner from Earth Rhythm or rose water from a local store in Coonoor called Gottacombai (Gotta come by? Get it? Haha!) and then some Hyaluronic Acid from Minimalist - followed by Vit C and almond oil on alternate days. I then comb my hair, slather some lotion while sitting on the bed. Voila! Ready for the beauty sleep.

23. Invest in a nice warm white lamp, it changes the vibe of the space. You need this space to unwind and come home to yourself.

24. Everything passes, you just have to ride the waves of feeling. No avoidance. Live in the moment. It is easy to distract yourself from the reality, scroll through social media, read something meaningless but acknowledge the now - the stark pain of it, feel it in all of its entirety.

25. You'll sometimes realize the value of something only after it is gone from you - be it a relationship or a job. It was good, you just did not fully grasp it then. (Cue: Let Her Go - Passengers, or as Andy Bernard says in The Office - " I wish there was a way to know you are in the good old days before you've actually left them")

26. Take more pictures of things around you. It is heartwarming when Google Photos reminds you of what happened a year ago, you are still the same you but so different. Smile at the old version of you and be grateful that life gave you that experience.

27. Try and learn a local language. I regret not putting in enough effort to learn Kannada while I was in Bangalore.