Reflecting on the past year, I can confidently say that I prioritized listening to myself and what I wanted. For most people, it can be easy to let outside factors influence your decision-making process. While sometimes this is okay, it can also steer you in a direction that you don’t want. In this past year, I learnt how to drown out the noise and opinions of others in my life and truly ask myself what it was that I wanted, in the most selfless way possible!

Although this can be viewed as a personal reflection, I’ve found that it can also be intertwined with your decision-making process as it relates to academics and career paths. When you’re in college and you’re nearing the completion date of your program, the question of ,“Where will I start my career?” is usually sparked.

In my case, there were a few hurdles in my journey to get to the career destination that I’ve seen for myself for years. Instead of allowing these roadblocks to weigh in on my mental health and keep me in a standstill, I decided to listen to myself.

Somewhere among the silence and the solitude, I realized that there was another industry with my name on it. One of which I would’ve never found if these hurdles weren’t in my way. In many scenarios of my life, I’ve learnt that roadblocks have helped me become who I am today and have also led to better opportunities.

This example of choosing to ask myself what I want, knowing that the answer might not come right away, has helped me live a fuller life.

While the above career example played a critical factor in my life over the past year, I can acknowledge that I’ve asked myself what I truly want in almost every important decision that I have had to make.

As a yoga teacher, I can’t help but relate this back to meditations and being on the mat. Sometimes carving the time out to sit with yourself can open the doors in your mind to something you didn’t even know you wanted but already know that it’s yours.

An important factor that I am always very cautious of is creating an action plan to guide me through the pathway that I want to go down. For example, in my case of diving into a new industry, it meant not only learning but also doing the steps in place to make it a career. Action plans in my eyes aren’t haste or rushed. Sit with the thought of something that you think you want for your life and when that thought makes you excited every time you think of it, create your action plan.

For my readers, I encourage you to learn how to sit in silence and ask yourself what you want in situations where you have big decisions to make. Is there an action plan that you can create to help you get to the destination that you are seeking?

The key is that the answer is always rooted deep inside of you, and you are the only one that can unlock the door to opportunities in your life.