A DAILY PRACTICE OF GRATITUDE
Gratitude has always been a part of my life, thanks to my convent school upbringing. But 2024 was a difficult year - I was deeply depressed. That’s when my sister gave me The Magic by Rhonda Byrne.
It felt like an awakening and made me realise I had lost touch with gratitude. In 2025, I started posting daily gratitude stories on Instagram - simple things like sunshine, green signals when I was in a rush, neighbours inviting me for tea, or even a proper bowel movement.
As I shared these, I began noticing more joy in my life and unknowingly created a ripple effect.
People would message me if I stopped posting, and on some days, I’d even wake up just to post because I knew others were waiting. Even though I haven’t been very regular lately, gratitude remains my guiding word.
It grounds you, invites abundance, and helps you find light even during tough times.
Once you experience its power, you never really fall away from it. Start small - write down ten things you’re grateful for every day for 21 days. Soon, gratitude becomes second nature.
Today, I express thanks in the moment - for the moon in the sky, a clean public toilet, a quick queue, a parking spot, a warm meal, and the ability to walk, breathe, and simply be.
Coincidentally, the first song I heard on the radio after 00:00 was Rajinikanth’s song from Petta: Hey eththanai santhosam..Dhinamum kottuthu unmela..Nee manasu vachuputta..Rasikka mudiyum unnaala.
It felt like a gentle prompt from the universe - to continue noticing the little blessings around me and to remain grateful, no matter what.
REBUILDING WITH INTENTION
I feel that when we choose a word for the year, or even for each month, we lay the groundwork for that period. Subconsciously, we begin working towards it.
Our goals become more specific, and even when we make mistakes, we understand that they do not have to lead to excessive guilt or frustration that makes us quit altogether.
We can move forward slowly and steadily. Over time, other distractions begin to fade away because, at a subconscious level, we know what we are working towards.
Having a word for the year or month does not restrict us. Instead, it helps us evolve around the word we choose.
My word for the year 2026 is rebuilding. My vision and hope are to allow myself to improve each month, both in my personal and professional life.
Through this intention for the year, I hope to restart in a way, but more importantly, to allow myself to be comfortable with taking things slowly. I do not want to set unrealistic expectations.
I want to reconnect with my intentions and reset them so they can guide me through the year ahead.
Since I am essentially starting again after a year focused solely on healing, rebuilding for me means laying the groundwork, eliminating distractions, and putting all my past experiences, both good and bad, to meaningful use. As I rebuild, I can consciously avoid repeating the mistakes I made in the past.
Rebuilding is also about focusing on myself, my mindset, my approach, my confidence, and my self-image, and learning to show up as a strong personal and professional brand.
This is just to give you an idea of how I plan to let my word for the year guide me. It will serve as a constant reminder that practice, reflection, wisdom, and experience will help me rebuild and, in turn, stay focused and motivated.
Entering the year with this word in mind feels very calming. It feels like a reset button whenever life starts to feel overwhelming. It is similar to returning to the start or home space in a board game. That is what having a word for the year or month feels like to me.
I highly recommend it by making your word visible, creating a collage around it, or even dividing it into personal and professional themes. It can be a fun and creative exercise rather than something overly serious.
THE QUIET POWER OF PRESENCE
My guiding word for 2026 is presence. The experience and impact of this word feel liminal, opening me up to experiencing life fully and authentically as a human, like a colourful palette.
Sitting beside a friend who is grieving, presence feels like a silent, comforting hug without any words.
Witnessing the cats and crows waiting every day for my dad to feed them makes presence feel like an anchor of faith.
Looking back at 2025, when the absence of humanity felt louder and more normalised, erasing human lives and the environment, the presence of humanity screamed through every person’s heart, wild and powerful.
From a starving child feeding a kitten to an 80-year-old protesting for humanity, it made the impossible feel possible, anchoring hope and change.
In a highly distracted time of quick trends and AI, when there is a crisis or an accident, there is always a group of people rushing to volunteer and help.
Their presence is a reminder that being human is what we always return to. Presence shows that life in the in-between is simple, and that we do not need pedestals but community, which is what my heart silently yearns for.
If I had to choose one guiding word for this year, it would be healing.
2025 has been damaging in many ways, both personally and politically, especially with the war.
On a personal level, I was in an accident and have been confined to bed for over two months.
Even after the body begins to heal, the mind often lags. This year, my primary intention is to heal my mind, reconnect with mindfulness, and express love and gratitude.