Page 28 - Masala Lite Issue 169 January 2025

28 MASALA RECOMMENDS

Tips to Heighten Meaningful Change

this New Year

BY AMORNRAT SIDHU

he first of January is often associated with being “a fresh start, a clean

slate, ground zero.” Yet, thinking of the first of January as ground zero for

a change you want in your life is problematic in a number of ways. First,
this viewpoint negates all positive momentum you might have made in the area
in the first place. Second, it overlooks all the setbacks that could be/were equally

vital in teaching you how to move with your best foot forward. Thirdly, the New
Year resolution that has a starting point (January 1st) usually has an ending point
(insert date __ here) which means that once the “goal” has been achieved, you
are deceived into believing that you are free from the privilege of maintaining it
or growing further.

The technicalities between “growth” and “goals” could mean the difference

between meaningful, effective change and misguided efforts. Here are five tips
to focus on significant, real growth in an area of your life:

It seems like half the journey is mediated by habit:
FEEDBACK
Rather than a sharp focus and a straight shot to the

finish line, thinking of your “growth” versus your “goals”

shapes your journey as a slow jog to the finish line—with
many checkpoints along the way. At each checkpoint,
you ask various stakeholders related to your journey so
far about what worked and what did not. This feedback A couple of community members reflect on their own experiences of growth:

is critical in allowing you to tweak your jogging style to
the next checkpoint.
REFLECTION
SAREENA KHANIJOU
At each checkpoint, the most important feedback is your Head Kindergarten Teacher
own. Thus, the questions you ask yourself about what
worked and what did not, what helped and what did not “The area that I wanted to work on

are the difference between a race to the finish line and was work-life balance as I received a
in-built check-ins along the course of your marathon. promotion when I was pregnant. I did
not want to forgo this professional
opportunity or miss out on crucial
And it seems like half the journey is mediated by outlook: parenting moments. It was very
challenging at the start, but I adopted
JOURNEY/PROCESS the mindset of being eager to learn – and
excel – in both areas at the same time.
If you are goal-oriented, you view success as a destination,
Viewing my challenges as opportunities
making your achievement temporary and stagnant. If
for growth really helped get me through
you perceive the journey or process as an opportunity

that difficult time.”
for success, it’s better. If you picture your journey as a
web, map, or system made of many moving parts that
are interconnected in different ways, that’s the best. This

larger-scale thinking is more encompassing of the various

factors that influence your ambitions and objectives.
“I CAN’T DO IT…YET”
This concept is a powerful one. It is taught repeatedly as
a mantra for primary school students and beyond. This NITNEM SINGHSACHAKUL
way of thinking is literally called a “Growth Mindset” Student
because it assumes that difficulties are inevitable, but “With graduation quickly approaching,

with effort and time, all can be overcome. This attitude this year became more about living
already makes you a winner. fully and intentionally. By thinking of
my final year as an ongoing journey
“I GET TO DO THIS” wherein I want to make every moment
count, I have embraced and said yes to

This outlook can also mightily influence positive progress.
Viewing a challenge as a privilege, a puzzle to solve, or opportunities that I might have hesitated
an opportunity to prove yourself increases chances of about before. I have attended events and
success and eases the journey. You will be more open to initiated conversations with people, and I
the lessons you learn, less likely to get in your own way was just…present. By viewing the journey
with self-sabotaging moves, and more likely to come to to my “goal” as a series of choices and
creative solutions because of the appreciation of being experiences, I have achieved creating big
where you are in that moment. memories and meaningful bonds.”

MASAL A LITE ISSUE 169 - JANUARY 2025