ARE YOU DOING WHAT YOU LOVE TO DO?

It’s the 25th of July, 11:26 PM. I was editing one of my old blog posts, something I had written long ago. Now that I have my own website, I can finally share it with the world.

After finishing it, I felt a deep sense of accomplishment and happiness. My heart is full of gratitude. I even clicked a picture and posted it on my Instagram story……yes, that’s a ritual these days 😉

I truly feel blessed. I am finally doing what I’ve always loved and wanted to do. While society may believe that life for a woman “ends” after a certain age and life incidents, where we’re expected to just take care of kids and nothing more, I am breaking that norm. I am living my dream, as if God chose me to give the world a reality check.

My grey strands and the small crow’s feet at the corners of my eyes don’t define how many years I have left, or how I should live. They beautifully define the journey I have traveled, the strength I have gained, the experiences I carry, and yes, a little bit of my stubbornness too. I cherish them as my prized possessions.

Sometimes I wonder how beautifully God is shaping my life. From the very beginning, I have just been walking blindly with full faith that He has my back.

As a child, I wrote my first poem about a bird I used to feed rice with my Baba. He was so happy to read it, he kept it in his office drawer. I would write occasionally after that, and around the age of 16 or 17, I dreamed of becoming a writer and a lawyer… and maybe even a leader someday. Not impossible dreams, but yes, I laugh at myself now when I think back.

At 20, I got married. I did become a lawyer for a while. But writing? It faded. I somehow developed this misconception that cooking was my hobby, probably because I was getting better at it only.

Then, in 2022, I bought my first journal and pen. I didn’t know what I wanted to write, but I knew I had to write something. For weeks, I couldn’t write a single word. I slept with the diary and pen beside me every night, as my heart and mind were overflowing… but I struggled to pour it out onto the page.

Until one beautiful morning, I decided to start a gratitude journal J. I wanted to list five things I was grateful for but I could only write one:
“Thank you, God, for keeping my kids together.”

I don’t remember when the list started growing. And expressing gratitude through journaling became my ritual.

I started making notes about everything I was learning… about emotional health, self-awareness, personal growth and that’s how my relationship with writing, my favorite hobby, came alive again.

When you return to your old hobbies, you realize something profound:
Being good at something doesn’t automatically make it your hobby or your passion.
For example, I discovered after 16 years  that cooking wasn’t really my hobby. I am a decent cook, but only because I needed to be… not because I loved it.

And another realization hit me  I didn’t really know myself that well.

So, I want to ask you this:

Are you doing what you truly love to do?

How many of you have stayed connected to your hobby?
Have some of you given up on them completely?
Or maybe… you don’t even remember what your  hobby was?

Formularbeginn

I want you to go back a little…..
Try to remember when you were 16 or 17 years old.
What was it that you enjoyed the most?

Was it reading? Dancing? A sport?
Painting? Knitting?
Dressing up and trying your mom’s sarees in different styles?
Singing? Music? Wandering in nature?

Just try to remember your younger self  the one full of dreams and curiosity.
Gently brush off the dust that time has left on those memories. I promise, you will remember.

Now, try to go back to that.
Maybe your knees hurt now. Maybe your voice isn’t as soft or in tune. Maybe you feel left behind by today’s technology ,but please, don’t give up on yourself.

Maybe you won’t be able to do it perfectly and that’s completely okay.
Just like I am writing this with imperfections and to me, honestly, that’s perfectly fine.

So it should be for you too.
Take just 10 minutes from your day and give it a try. Trust me, it’s possible.

Don’t abandon that little child who once expected so much from life, from parents, and from the world.
That child who wanted to flourish naturally through the things they loved  but was left unheard or disappointed.

It’s never too late.
Life is too short to die with regrets.
Live it. And this time, live purely for yourself.

You’ll be amazed to discover a new you, someone who still loves deeply, but now with more joy.
This version of you will be overflowing with the kind of love that naturally pours into others’ cups because you have finally learned to fill your own.

Just like you never give up on your loved ones, don’t forget to include yourself in that circle.
Don’t listen to the noise and judgment around you.
That inner child needs you. Comfort them, just a little and see how beautiful, how alive, and how inspiring they truly are.

I’m not writing all of this to impress anyone.
I just want to remind everyone how easily we give up on our passions and choices, sometimes out of fear of judgment, fear of not being good enough, or because we don’t know how to grow with our hobbies.

Yes, the market is competitive. Yes, it can feel overwhelming.
But you don’t have to be perfect at your art or skill to begin.
Perfection comes with time and  practice.

Just start doing what you used to enjoy, even a little.
You’ll be surprised by how naturally you start reconnecting with yourself.
The version of you that is honest, real, and quietly happy in those simple moments.

And the shift it will bring to your personality… will amaze you.

All the best.
Lots of love,
Shweta