Hello my dearest friends and blog audience!
Ah, the good old intro where I start off by saying “Wow! I can’t believe it’s been almost an entire year since I’ve written a blog post, apologies!” While I don’t have any other witty introduction than that at the moment, I seriously AM baffled at the fact that it is almost March 2025. Time has been flying by at rocket speed and sometimes it’s hard to keep track of the days, let alone be able to work through some writer’s block and crack the perfect blog post.
But I’m going to approach my writing endeavors differently this year. I don’t think there even IS a perfect blog post, or that there needs to be one. I’m just going to be myself, and whether that means continuing to write about some exciting travels (which hopefully should be coming up soon), or a recommendation on a book that changed my life, or switching it up and just introspecting and being completely raw and vulnerable. I’m going to write how I feel, in my heart, and can only hope that the content is something that people can resonate with, and maybe even draw inspiration from.
I find that the older I get, the more that I’m seeking out genuineness. Whether that’s from the people I surround myself with in real life, the characters I watch in movies, or the folks I see in the media, authenticity is something I’m craving. And what better way to begin satisfying that, than becoming the most authentic version of myself.
And that leads me to this critical point in my life, which I like to refer to as “Leveling Up”.
To “level up”, according to the Cambridge English Dictionary, means to “improve or increase”. For me, leveling up is exactly the point where my mind, body, and soul all work towards the common goal of self-improvement and self-actualization. This isn’t an overnight task, or a project that can be done within a week, a month, or even a year. It’s a life-long journey of recognizing where I can improve, where I can work harder, where I can give back and contribute harder. Leveling up means striving not for perfection, but for living up to my potential and what I was made to do on this planet. It also means to celebrate the wins, and giving myself credit where it’s due. It means working towards goals through positive reinforcement and intrinsic motivation. This mindset has already allowed me to accomplish the following wins since December:
- I graduated with my Master of Science in Cybersecurity Degree from The Georgia Institute of Technology!
- I passed my CompTIA Security + exam!
- I passed my ISC2 CC (Certified in Cybersecurity) exam!
- I started journaling, not only to keep myself accountable for this journey, but to evoke some nostalgia. I used to write SO much when I was younger, including speeding through several diaries in elementary school. Just remembering how much joy, satisfaction, and purpose that writing gives me, is what motivates me throughout the week.
- I started walking and hiking more! And just being more appreciative of nature and realizing the refreshing feeling of simply being outside.
There is so much more to accomplish this year, in various aspects of my life- my career, my health, my hobbies, my travel, my family, my friendships. But it’s also important to celebrate and cherish the small wins throughout the day. Maybe it was the little joke I said to my friend that made her laugh during a moment of stress (or maybe it was a pity laugh, I guess we will never know). Maybe I pet my dog for two extra minutes in the morning and it helped me realize even more so than before, how much I unconditionally will love and protect him. Maybe I rearranged my desk, and the feng shui of the new layout is promoting peace and harmony in my room, my safe space. Whatever it is that you feel in your life that is giving you peace, positivity, and purpose, then just do it! There is no right or wrong here, there is no playbook or protocol. You can level up in the way that YOU want. We have full control of the narrative of our life. We are the authors of our own story and our journey. No matter how difficult anything gets, or how impossible something may seem, the only person that is ultimately stopping it from happening is ourselves. Don’t get me wrong- life absolutely is not perfect. It is not easy, it is not always forgiving. There are all kinds of hurdles and challenges that have already come our way, and will continue to come our way. But we have the power to keep pushing forward and making our daydreams a reality (yes, daydreams- shoutout to all the homies who have slight maladaptive daydreaming).
If you want to level up or just want to connect with me to talk about motivation, goal-setting, productivity, health, or anything really- I would love to learn from you, and vice-versa! Feel free to reach out.
Happy Leveling Up!
With Love,
Audheya
Audheya's Blog 