Welcome one, welcome all! We open our arms big and wide, with a smile on our face and a strange nervousness that was never experienced in the past 30+ years of our lives. Now that I have left no room for you to guess my age, let me dig straight to the topic of our first blog ever. When I was given the opportunity to select a topic, many came to my mind at first and then just as the tijori-box online store got launched last week, what I faced was what’s popularly known as the writer’s block. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, I stumbled across the phrase “Just Keep Swimming”.

Often, I think about our childhood, mainly of the carefree days during summer vacations. How I would be glued to the television because back then we did not have YouTube or Netflix. Days were spent playing with our next-door neighbors or planning picnics and cycling in the nearest park. Life was indeed simple in the good old days.

If you think long and hard, even though we reminisce about our childhood at unhealthy proportions, we still faced our own set of struggles back then. Mine were to finish the homework/assignment on time, get good grades so I could run to my parents and watch them beam with pride or ensure every early morning I am able to get the best seat next to my most favorite classmate. These daily struggles of a 12 year old may sound extremely lame to an adult but what I am trying to express here is that challenges have always been a part of our lives but our ability to tackle each has developed with time as we grew up.

If life wasn’t like a rollercoaster, how would we then learn to appreciate the good times? We would only starve ourselves of the thrill we receive when something unexpected happens. Whether it is finding a new job, accomplishing a goal, losing weight, or completing our daily chores. We would find joy in doing even the little things and celebrate the small wins. The story of tijori-box.com is also very much on the same lines of a struggle of a mother who never gave up. We were faced with so many challenges even to get this up and running, things which weren’t expected or thought of appeared out of nowhere. The fact that it was a mother who finally gathered the courage to realize her dreams amidst the existent patriarchal society but that is another topic for another day.

Success is not defined by wealth but by contentment and contentment is the state of the heart, unaffected by outward circumstances. If one decides to give up, they would part ways with happiness which comes from having inner peace, cultivating altruism, love and compassion, and by eliminating anger, selfishness and greed.

Each day you will face a new challenge, even if it is to wake up on time and with each chapter of your life, you will be tested in different ways. It is what makes life interesting and overcoming the hardships is what makes life more meaningful. Some setbacks may take a toll on your mental health, but it will eventually only make you stronger. The obstacles are there in your life for a reason, the hardships you encounter as you are growing up have been put in your path to prepare you for a time much further in your life where each moment and experience will only make you wiser. The key is to never stop but keep going and face every challenge head on. Tell yourself today, make a promise to yourself – “No matter what comes in my path I will do everything I can and will rise from it, I will never look back. I will never stop believing in myself and my abilities. This is a test and I will ace it. Nothing is bigger than my mental peace. I will not allow anything to overwhelm me or make me feel undeserving. I am here for a reason and I will give my all to make myself happier than I was yesterday” and just like how Dory says, “When life gets you down, do you wanna know what you’ve got to do? Just keep swimming!”