As I head into the next decade of my life, I can’t help but reflect on how much I have grown in the past 10 years. I started this decade in fourth grade, and while still a student, I definitely have gained some independence since then.
In the last decade, I grew physically, emotionally and mentally, and I gained a greater understanding of myself and the world. Going from 10 to 20 seems like the decade of the most individual growth someone can have. But I don’t want to count out the upcoming decade.
Sure, I probably won’t grow 10 inches by 2030 and I don’t have middle school to look forward to anymore, but I am by no means a finished person yet. As I am sitting here writing this, just two days into the new decade, I am setting five goals for myself for the next 10 years.
With a whole decade ahead, maybe these resolutions can provide some guidance. These are goals for the decade, but maybe they just reflect this moment in my life and will change overtime. Still, my hope is that one day, whenever and wherever I may be, these resolutions will be complete.
- Spend time with my family — old and new. With a new decade coming up, who knows how my family will change. I hope to enjoy the moments with the family I have today and to embrace new members along the way. My father always says, “Never forget the village that raised you,” and I want that sentiment to guide my next 10 years.
- Learn how to speak Urdu fluently. This has been a challenge since before the last decade even, but the onus is on me now to learn the language. Crossing the language barrier and speaking the language of my ancestors is something I have always wanted. In this decade, I want to make it happen.
- Write whenever I can. In the last decade, I found power, identity and community in writing. It is something I love to do, and I hope that love continues in the next decade. Even if it is a paragraph in a journal or a short article a week, I want writing to be a part of my life in some way.
- Understand my place in the world. Read. Listen. Try to understand. In the next decade, I want to learn more about who I am, where I come from and who I want to be. As well, we live in uncertainty often, but I hope to gain (some) more clarity over the next 10 years and better be able to lead my life in an empathetic way.
- Prioritize my happiness and well-being. If this last decade taught me anything, it is that me being happy and confident makes my life a whole lot better. In the next decade, I challenge myself to remember what it took to learn this lesson and to continue leading my life with happiness and well-being as the end-goal. If I can do that, I know I will have succeeded.
