How I Got Bitten by the Positivity Bug

[dropcaps type=’square’ font_size=’80’ color=’#4a4a4a’ background_color=’#ffffff’ border_color=”]L[/dropcaps]ast month I turned 20 in 2020. It was  a bitter year majorly spent in lockdown staying at home, but it has taught me a lot of valuable lessons.

In December 2020, I had my birthday. I was expecting it to be just a wish from family and friends without any great celebration. After all, we were living in the ‘new normal’. To my surprise, 20+ school friends and extended family showed up on my birthday to celebrate! This made my day really memorable.  At that moment, I realized the true importance of our family and close friends –  they contribute to making us who we are! There are many incidents where we are into our busy schedule and we knowingly or unknowingly avoid them. We take the people closest to us for granted! What we don’t realize is that family and friends share their auras with us and that brings out the positive energy in us.

In 2020, I was one of the many people stuck in a different city due to the pandemic. There was increasing mental pressure and negativity around me and it was slowly becoming difficult for me to handle it and stay strong. When I was finally reunited with my family, it brought me immense joy. I felt all my negative energy melting away.

I realized that we become like the people we are continuously exposed to. Our habits and behavior slowly become similar to those we surround ourselves with.

The time we share with people shapes who we become. 

As I reflected back on times where I have been influenced by the company I keep, I was able to come up with numerous such instances:

At one of our earliest meetings of  The Green Room, I was excited that my friend was going to connect me with Dr. Dave Gould (the mind behind this project). The way my friend Akash introduced me to him was so unique! He talked about all the things I cared about and told my story better than I ever could. Even since that day, I introduce myself and my friends in the same fashion – I tell a story of their life by including what they deeply care about.

For the #Karo project, we had decided to make our website in only one night. Another inspiring friend, Nisha, pushed me to complete this and sleep only after the website went LIVE. That night, we were up till 4:45 am in the morning. I couldn’t have done with without her pushing me and now I use the same AGILE mindset in most of my projects. 

My friend Vedant showed up late to my birthday party. He was caught up with something important but managed to take out half an hour just to attend because our friendship mattered to him and he wanted to continue it long. His showing up for only half an hour meant the world to me! I felt so special that day. I learned the importance of maintaining and investing in relationships from him.

My aunt was the one who called the rest of my family to gather together. She took initiative and my whole family was present on my birthday! Ever since I can remember, I have watched my aunt be the glue of the family who brings us together for occasions. The way she takes initiative has taught me to do the same with all my loved ones – I’m always the ‘planner’ of any group! 

The more I think back about habits and behaviors I’ve picked up from friends and family, the more examples I can come up with!

Now that I’ve realized the power of the company I keep, I want to be more intentional about it in 2021.

In 2021, I want to surround myself with people excited about startups and business. I want to make meaningful and deep connections that encourage the growth of my existing knowledge. I’ve already started taking little steps towards this goal by being active on social platforms and interacting with new people to discuss amazing opportunities. I’ve also started reading books to help me expand my mind and explore new perspectives.