Stoa Digest #49: šLife throws you curveballs.
Stoa Digest #49: šLife throws you curveballs.
You've just got to learn to be the batter.
Hey there!
This weekās Editorial is by another one of our alum from Cohort 4! We have a feeling a few of you might resonate with it, so if you do, you know what to do!
Hint: Reach out to them on Discord & have a chat!
āš¼ Fellow Editorial āš¼
Shifting to a new city! Howās it feel?
Embrace is a word that I have heard for a long time, and thought I knew the meaning of; until last month, when I had to move my whole life to Hyderabad.
Before going on & telling you about the experience of moving to a new city, you should also know Iām a defence kid, Iāve stayed in multiple cities for the last 25 years of my life.
Shifting cities comes naturally, and yet is an entirely new experience every time.
This time it was different than before though, because this time I left my friends and family behind. It was too heavy on my heart, despite knowing that I will finally have all the freedom iāve wanted in my life. (The key question being - āDo I really want it?ā)
Through making this big life-change though, one thing Iāve felt is that I'm not the only one going through this change alone, because there have been so many people that have moved recently, so I thought that there might be something you resonate with too.
Here are a couple of the thoughts Iāve had about moving -
Moving to a new city feels like a huge change in oneās life. Remember the time when you moved from school to school or school to college? Exactly!
Iām going through all those same feelings right now.
They encompass some of our best times, but also come with a generous dose of some of the worst too.
āYour circle"
Something which I underestimated missing, was my friends & compatriots, who were earlier only a couple of mins away, and presently are in an entirely different city.
They were right when they said āHome is where the heart isā, and right now my heart hasnt found a home in this new city yet. But I know itāll take time, and Iām bracing for that.With this feeling of missing close ones, you start questioning the meaning of life. The meta questions in the middle of the night - they make you clench your fist and want to go running back, at the first hint of change. At this moment, the other part of you says ā
āEverything is going to be alright. Focus on what we have today, rather than what we donāt.ā
There are two feelings which might make things worse ā āFearā and āStuckā.
Do not expect anything to happen at the doorstep of your house. You have to wear your best attire, show up to socialise at events, and find your people. I understand, that itās an exhausting process but this is what one needs to do. Let people love you and welcome you in the way they/you want. Be cautious at the same time. Remember you are your own best friend.
āLover of āunknown conceptsā
Moving to a new city will make you feel better.
Itās all about understanding the integrities of every small thing you visit, watch, see, and hear. Currently, Iām craving Delhiās momos and I know I wonāt be able to have the right taste in the city iām in currently i.e. Hyderabad. ( I know the food here is great, but if you know, you know)
Cultural shock will happen to you. As we live in a world of immense diversity, we feel this shock. Let it happen to you. It will make you feel grateful for what you have at home and with your own swag, you will start enjoying this different culture, too. It will open you to a new perspective towards old things, in a way you didnāt even imagine.āTaking a leap of faith is what we needā.
You just donāt take a leap of faith to move your home from one city to another. But also with every day, you wake up in the morning to visit everyone until you doze off.
The feeling of unfamiliarity will make you feel uncomfortable, and with time itās going to get better.āTrust the process.ā
The World isnāt only about the people at the top.
Talk to folks at the very beginning level of your new companies, those you meet in the pantry, those at security, and every other you dare to.
These are the people will give you the warmth you crave, that it will start making your day. Every individual is important in the larger scheme of life.āLove You(rself)ā
Love has its way to return back to you.
You might feel you arenāt feeling loved or at home, and this might make you restless, but trust yourself. Things will become easier soon. Take a break to explore the city, even if you donāt have anyone around.Learn to love yourself.
Explore the nooks of the city.
You only love someone you know in and out, maybe letās try this with the city too! It might bring the best people into your life, or find you the best corner of the city.
Wear your slippers and move out meri Jaan :). Be a tourist in your own (new) city.
Who says itās going to be easy. Itās got the potential to be the toughest thing you will go through in your 20s. Things might fall apart, yet the universe has given you so much strength, that it will give you the strength to rebuild it, and stronger, too.
Itās a terrifiying thing to say, but this might be what you need now.
Allow yourself to open your life in new ways, and you might be pleasantly surprised. The world is a beautiful place to live in.
This new chapter of life may seem daunting but who knows it could be one of the best gifts you will ever receive in your life. Any change is threatening, just stay in touch with your loved ones and yourself, and trust me you will get through.
To end with, hereās a quote Iāve found myself going back to often!
āAwaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm,
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.ā
-John OāDonohue
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Bombay Crew - thisā for you!
Other cities, we gotchu, but be patient with us to bring it to you.
You know that one of the game-changing bits about Stoa is Case Weekends. Itās rare to find a single weekend change your viewpoint that much. Not only that, but you also learn so much in them, lessons that cannot be translated into any other format, apart from experiencing them.
Something we want you to do though, is be the Mister Miyagiās to future Daniel LaRussoās. Advise the teams that sign-up for this event, be on the orchestrating side of it. How? Well, DM Sahib & tell him you want to be a Volunteer.
If you know friends who youāve really struggled to explain why you canāt leave your house on a Case Weekend - this is the perfect way to explain why. š
Spread the word as far & wide as you can, let your friends experience the insanity of a Case Weekend!
When: 10AM, 28th May
Where: WeWork, Raheja Platinum, Mumbai/Bombay
š Upcoming Events š
This Tuesday, 24th May, at 8PM
We host Amatya Agarwal, the first Cohort 6 fellow to host a Kaksha, on Leveraging the Power of Behavioural Science.
And on Thursday, 26th May, at 8PM
Weāre going to unwind with a couple virtual games on Game Night! Join us for a night of banter and healthy competition.
If youāre looking for a way to RSVP to these events, find them in the Discord events panel and click the bell icon there!Ā Weāll see you on Tuesday & Thursday night! šŗš»
š„³ šBirthday Parttaaayy! š„³ š
Happy Birthday toĀ Akshaya D N and Sai Sanatan
UPCOMING BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK
24th May -Ā Ambuj Saxena, Ashmina Akbar
26th May - Ankit Dev, Shraddha Rathi
27th May - Juhith Gadepalli
š Community Buzz š
If you know anything about football, you know that there were a LOT of opinions all across the board about Manchester City winning the Premier League.
And as all things go, of course we have a Fantasy Premier League division within Stoa!
This yearās winner, just like last year, was Ayush Thakrar!
Shoutout to the Top 10 though who were:
Number 2: Manoj Kambadur, Number 3: Abhay Sharma, Number 4: Ramasamy R, Number 5: Jacob Rohan, Number 6: Bijit Deka, Number 7: Hrishi Wadki, Number 8: Archit Varshney, Number 9: Rahil Taneja, Number 10: Kartiik Sachdeva
You can sign-up to be a part of the fun here!
Meetups
š„² Meme Wars š„²
This weekās shiny new winner ofĀ Best MemeĀ goes to ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦
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Jagadeash S, but we have to also give the OG Saxena Saheb a shoutout here, for starting a whole Stoa trend that no real other cohort has come close to do better than they did.
Going to end this one with a šš¼ because, itās got a bit long!