Travelog: Maldives & My Journey of “Self- Reflection”


I went to Maldives only with the expectations that I’ll relax and have a lot of fun in the sun. While those 2 expectations were met within seconds of setting foot in the atoll we were staying at, I really did not expect so much more to come out of the trip. After all, I just wanted a little R&R from all the constant air travels, change in temperature and in time, and well, the stress of all that I do. Yes, there was a lot of stress, and I’d have loved to tell you it’s all fun and more fun doing what I do, but the reality of it all is, everyone (not just me) will put their best foot forward when it comes to posting photos/ status updates online. I mean really, who wants to be sulking and posting negative personal stuff for the world to see anyway, right? So yep, while the posts seem fun and exciting, there is a lot of work involved behind them and all those have been taking their toll on my health. Don’t get me wrong, I am definitely not complaining as I love what I do and I frankly cannot imagine doing anything else at this point, but all this can get tiring too. Which is why these mini breaks are necessary too. Which is why after my domestic duties are done, I find time to chill out with friends.

Sorry I strayed from the original train of thought there haha. Anyway, this is actually the first time in a loooong time that I’ve written something very personal on the blog. I’ve pretty much revealed a lot about what goes on behind the scenes during fashion weeks on my show, The Bag Hag Diaries, on Star World (season 1 has just ended and there is a  1 hour special marathon of all 13 episodes on Star World very soon). But I have not been “talking” here of late (haha well that and I still have all that backlog of show reports which I need to work on once I get back). But today’s a special day and I wanted to write about it lest I forget all these thoughts which I want to share.

I honestly did not expect moments of self- reflection to come to me in the middle of the ocean (a few times I might add) while in Maldives. But the moments came, and it actually made me stop swimming to actually ponder those thoughts (and I had no life vest on haha).scuba

I’ve been watching the sun rise and set each day, and realized the sun rising and setting is really so symbolic of life– that no matter what dark period you are going through, you need to remain strong and keep the faith, because the darkness will eventually pass and give way to a new beginning.

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Somber endings only open doors to new beginnings, and that is a thought to look forward to each time you go through something unpleasant. You cannot let situations take the power of how you feel about them from you. And you most certainly should not let anyone take that power from you as well.

You will meet people from different walks of life throughout your life, some who will remain strangers, others good friends. You will extend your sincerity, love, generosity, and kindness to these people but not all of them will accept your goodness with equal sincerity. It’s a fact of life, you will end up disappointed with some of these people because of certain expectations you have of them that were not met. You might even want to try to “fix” troubled people (some of whom won’t know they are troubled)– haha I know I have tried on numerous occasions. But here is the painful truth: your acts of kindness might only be lost on them, and you will be left feeling unappreciated after all the help you have given them. You are fighting a losing battle because in the end the only people who can help them are themselves. Taking on the challenge to help someone who is characteristically incorrigible will prove to be an insurmountable task and in the end you will only realize you have wasted your efforts on them. Hard as it is to do, you will need to let people of this sort go. You cannot control the actions of such people, and continuing to dwell on their actions will only drain you intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. You need to learn to let go of things that are beyond your control. And you can never, ever change people who fail to see that they need to change.

We all have at many times in our lives, taken things and people close to us for granted. Don’t do that again. Free time may be difficult for most of us, but if these very people (family, friends, loved ones) are very important in our lives, then we should always make that effort to express how we feel about them and make the effort and time for them. I’ve made a promise to myself to be more conscious of this, to not take them for granted, and to know how to stay in touch with them more. And I’m not talking about the random and short hi-hello-how are you messages either. As we grow older, we should learn to show our appreciation to the people who have been there for us through thick and thin, those who have been our cheerleaders and have provided us with a solid support system for every little thing and every milestone in our lives. If it is important to you, you have to make time for it. It’s not just about making a verbal commitment. It is really all about living up to those very words.

Always know how to love yourself. Too often you give yourself too much to others that you lose yourself in the process. Don’t ever let that happen. Learn how to say no. Learn how to draw the line and not be ashamed of it. This is the only way you will stop attracting people who don’t have pure intentions. You are responsible for your own actions and only you can allow people to treat you the way they treat you. I had learned this the hard way. Selflessness is good, but only to a certain extent. Love yourself. Respect yourself. Don’t lose yourself.

It was also during this time that I realized the things that I want in my life, and the things that I don’t need in my life. Too often I’ve allowed my emotions to overtake my logic, and that caused a lot of unwanted personal drama *ahhh drama is part of my life, I am a Gemini hahahaha*. I’ve allowed a lot of deleterious distractions and roadblocks to overtake my intellectual, spiritual, and emotional development in the past, but now that I’m aware of how those affected me, I am also letting those out of my life. We all don’t need harmful noise to linger on in our lives– this makes us unproductive and only serves to stagnate our growth and evolution.

All these personal sacrifices have led me to this stage in life. And by far, this is the most meaningful Easter “retreat” I’ve ever had, because it is on this trip that I was able to relate to the true meaning of Easter. Easter is all about hope, peace of mind and of the heart, of love, and of the promise of a new beginning. It is the time to let go of all that personal emotional, mental, and spiritual baggage. It is time to get out of the darkness and into the light. It is a time for change. And a good change it shall be 🙂

Hope you were able to follow my loooong train of thought haha 🙂 Sorry if I was jumping around from one thought to another, but this has to be one of the rawest posts I’ve written this year 🙂 Happy Easter, everyone! And thank you so much for being with me on my journey 🙂

x
TheBagHag

 

 

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