Kashish is currently a full-time graduate student pursuing a Master's in Development Practice from Emory University, Atlanta, USA. Born in India, she spent her childhood in the UAE, Russia, Denmark, and India. She has a B.A. from the University of Delhi, a diploma in Bharatanatyam dance, and has volunteered with GRAVIS, Robinhood Army, Sarvahitey, and Girlz, FTW. Kashish is also a certified Heartfulness instructor. She volunteers as an editor for the Heartfulness Magazine and manages her own personal blog. In her free time, Kashish enjoys reading, journaling, watching Korean dramas, and tackling her never ending To-Do List!

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Kashish Kalwani

<h4
  id="h-kashish-kalwani-breaks-her-goals-into-smaller-chunks-and-finds-more-in-doing-less-she-suggests-how-this-can-help-us-all-accomplish-goals-without-pushing-ourselves-to-the-point-of-burn-out">
  <strong><span class="has-vivid-red-color">KASHISH KALWANI </span>breaks her goals into smaller
    chunks and finds more in doing less. She suggests how this can help us all accomplish goals without pushing
    ourselves to the point of burn out.</strong>
</h4>



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<p>As common thinking-problem types go, I’m type 1,“all-or-nothing” thinking. Everyday I juggle many roles. I am a wife,
  a full-time graduate student, I work a part-time job, and am a meditation instructor, a volunteer for a non-profit
  organization, as well as adjusting to a new continent and culture! And I love to talk about this. I feel productive.
  I feel I have the hang of life. At 23, I also feel pretty burnt out and overwhelmed.</p>



<p>Despite having so much on my plate, and recently winning a super-cool college competition, I felt bummed after a
  conversation with my classmate. My friend had figured out her summer internships for the semester. She had three
  interviews lined up and was applying for more. And here I was, struggling to complete my assignment, which was due
  yesterday. Imposter syndrome is real. I want it all: perfect grades, lots of courses, internships, a thriving social
  life, a good sleep schedule, home-cooked meals, spending time with my husband, and self-care!</p>



<p>The more I do, the less satisfied I feel.</p>



<p>Is there is a point of saturation for satisfaction? After winning a competition and relishing the win for two days, I
  am now constantly worried about the internationals next month. I’m not kind enough to myself because nothing I do
  makes me satisfied. And this feeling only increases. With so much to learn in this world, so much art and media,
  skills, and knowledge, I WANT IT ALL.</p>



<p>I am blessed to have a wonderful support system of family and friends. One of my friends compared me to an elastic
  band: “It’s okay to stretch yourself outside your comfort zone [which clearly, I am good at]; but be careful not to
  stretch yourself to the point of snapping or you will never come back to your original shape.”</p>



<p>I then spent moments ruminating over this lovely visual example. “What is my original state? What is the bigger
  picture?” I found my answer in <em>The Lord of the Rings</em>.</p>



<p>For years I have wanted to read the formidable series by J.R.R. Tolkien. As a full-time graduate student, it is hard
  to find time to read for pleasure,however, not this year! I did not want to give up, so I chose a different
  strategy. Instead of pushing myself through another intimidating goal, I went for a bite-sized goal. As a Gen-Z, we
  love bite-sized content. We push out creativity in smaller and tinier time frames. And it’s enough for our brain to
  take in.</p>



<p>It was set. 5 pages a day. No more, no less.</p>



<p>There are some 1300 pages in <em>The Lord of the Rings</em> series, including <em>The Hobbit</em>. If I read 5 pages
  a day, I should complete the series in 260 days. That’s this year!</p>



<p>And wow, did I feel more relaxed. I might just be able to finish the series this year!It was a eureka moment for me –
  as a person with an“all or nothing” approach, I am either too scared to begin a project because I want it to be
  perfect, or I don’t do it at all.</p>



<p>And that’s not cool either way. I end up losing so much by not beginning and being burnt out in striving for
  perfection.I end up not giving space and grace to myself to keep doing better each day, and I miss out on the joy of
  being a beginner in something where every mistake is a learning point.</p>



<figure class="block-image"><img alt=""></figure>



<p>With these small goals, I am actively taking steps to incorporate “less” and get “more.” Here are a few more ways.
</p>



<ol type="1">
  <li>One internship application a day. I break it down to even smaller tasks everyday like:<ul>
      <li>Work on the resume</li>
      <li>Reach out to a professor for a recommendation</li>
      <li>Write a general statement of purpose essay</li>
      <li>Apply to one internship</li>
      <li>Apply to another …</li>
      <li>Take a break</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Five-minutes of movement is better than no movement at all. Even better, 1 Surya Namaskar a day.</li>
  <li>Five minutes of meditation a day. I’m showing up!</li>
  <li>One line a day in my journal. Forget the morning pages! Begin slow. Want to make it even smaller?One word a day.
    How do you feel? Write it in one word.</li>
  <li>One meal with my husband. Let it be a space for love. A ritual.</li>
  <li>Huge paperwork to file? File 2 papers a day. (Unless it’s tax – sadly, those things can’t wait.)</li>
  <li>Read 5 pages a day. One chapter a week. I’m finally carving time for the books I enjoy. It’s my most cherished
    evening ritual.</li>
</ol>



<p>One day at a time? How about one hour at a time? This moment in time.</p>



<p>I haven’t reached the page yet where Gandalf shares his wisdom, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time
  that is given to us.”</p>



<p>I am getting there, 5 pages a day. More and more of less and less.</p>



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Are you satisfied with your goals and dreams?

Eco-anxiety

<h4><strong>The last year has seen many of us grieving the loss of loved ones and looking for
    strength amidst tragedy. Here are a few stories from readers of Heartfulness Magazine about their
    experiences.</strong></h4>



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<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="color:#b8942f">Resilience in the Time of Covid
</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center has-black-color">FIONA NEARY</h4>



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<p>This past year has been riddled with new and difficult experiences for everyone on the planet. Some days have seemed
  very dark, and it can be hard to find the strength to push through. I have been fortunate to live with my parents
  while safely continuing my education online. I believe resilience lies in hope for the brighter days ahead. I have
  found a few things that have helped me to feel grounded and sanguine amidst this global pandemic.</p>



<p>My mom and I often walk our dog together and we love to talk about possibilities for the future, no matter how
  unlikely they may seem. I think dreaming and imagining the best-case-scenario for our lives is very important, because
  it is easy to get caught up in current circumstances or relive past failures. These conversations helped me to stay in
  a growth mindset, along with my meditation practice. During these walks, we notice the mosses, the strange mushrooms
  on logs, trillium flowers in the spring … all these reminders that life has a way of moving forward despite a long
  winter. Last month, the new growth in our flowerbeds froze completely, and I worried that the bleeding hearts would
  not blossom. But the next day, they thawed! Now we have beautiful pink heart-shaped flowers.</p>



<p>By observing nature, whether hiking or painting a landscape, I have always felt more at ease and resilient, with
  infinite wonders to contemplate.</p>



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<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="color:#f26529">What Is in the Air?</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center">KASHISH KALWANI</h4>



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      src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/stories_loss_resilience3_3dc916dbde.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-18T10:24:42.284Z">
  </figure>
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<p>I keep hearing it everywhere. The virus is in the air now. The sickness is in the air.</p>



<p>It’s a risky affair. The air is limitless. It cannot be contained. What do I do then?</p>



<p>I lost a friend, then my grandmother, and then a teacher. How do you speak to someone who has lost a loved one? How
  do I allow myself to feel grief ? How do I feel comfortable with the idea that my biggest contribution is to get
  vaccinated and stay at home?</p>



<p>What is my intention of being resilient and staying grateful in a time like this? Does intention precede action?
  Should I plunge into the action of being resilient and practice gratitude, and let the intention speak for itself ?
</p>



<p>I acted.</p>



<ol>
  <li>I picked up paintbrushes again. They had gathered a fine layer of dust by years of lying around packed in a
    cupboard. I am no artist, but I painted 25 postcards. I rearranged sensational words of newspaper articles to form
    meaningful phrases.</li>
  <li>My family and I have an unspoken agreement to watch a movie together. It’s quality time where we’re all in it
    together.</li>
  <li>I’m capturing everything in short videos. Life has slowed down, yet the days seem to blur into the same routine
    and uncertainty. I capture the mother bird feeding her chicks, the drops of rain falling from the roof, my father
    brewing masala chai for my mother – the casual magic of the day. Suddenly, every moment seems magical and filled
    with stories, if you allow your imagination to go wild.</li>
  <li>Meditation has become an anchor, which seems the only non-negotiable thing from my earlier routine. It existed
    before, exists now, and will exist in the future. I am grateful for this anchor in a rough ocean filled with waves
    of emotions.</li>
  <li>Finally, I write love letters to myself. I wish to give myself the same empathy, time, space, and love as I give
    to others.</li>
</ol>



<p>From sickness in the air, I wish to anchor the idea of “love is in the air.” Resilience and gratitude follow.</p>


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  </figure>
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<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="color:#323a97">People You Take for Granted</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center">SHANTHI VENKAT</h4>



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  </figure>
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<p>Like many South Asian immigrants living in the United States, my parents lived in India with my brother. I visited
  them in January 2020, right before the pandemic hit. In January 2021, both my parents got Covid. My mom passed away
  within a couple of days. My dad suffered with Covid complications and passed away in April.</p>



<p>Parents are the reason for our existence in this world. Almost all of us feel that our parents will live forever
  until the day comes when they are no longer with us. I don’t think I will ever have closure, as I did not see them
  physically when they passed on.</p>



<p>There will always be a void when I think of my parents’ home, which is now empty.</p>



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<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="color:#88b45f">The Pure Joy of Existence</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center">SIMMI VALECHA</h4>



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  </figure>
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<p>Life is beautiful. Its beauty is coded in the ancient wisdom of <em>Sat-Chit-Ananda</em>. The shift from misery to
  happiness is not about achieving or gaining something. It’s simply about being awakened to our own truth. All our
  lives we identify with our titles and our bodies – big and small, beautiful and ugly, old and young – and we feel a
  distinction in ourselves from others. We feel either superior or inferior to others, we categorize ourselves into
  different classes, colors, nations, belief systems, ideologies … the list is endless. It’s only when the ego dissolves
  that we experience unity with our higher Self and bliss prevails. Once we’re awakened to our own light the shift
  happens. We realize that we are pure consciousness experiencing only a part of our eternal existence in this physical
  dimension.</p>



<p>Today’s pandemic has delivered this message to us too profoundly. The need of the hour is to rebuild the connection
  with our own Self and our environment, too. Do you remember the last time the full moon in the sky amazed you, or a
  beautiful wildflower caught your attention? It’s not only an invisible virus that is powerful; the tiny joys of our
  lives conceal within them an unfathomable potential to awaken our healing.</p>



<p>We receive what we seek authentically and radiate vibrantly. Let’s seek and receive blessings today. And that will
  happen once we cherish what we already have. Our surroundings, the house we live in, the work we do, our own healthy
  physical bodies, and our relationships. Let’s appreciate these and count our blessings today. When we listen to our
  inner whispers we discover that so much within is healed.</p>



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<h2 class="has-text-align-center" style="color:#f26529">The Beauty of Impermanence</h2>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center">SARALA UPADHYA</h4>



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      src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/stories_loss_resilience7_014e1d648f.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T11:51:07.110Z">
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<p class="has-text-align-center">See how the last yellow leaf fell and was swirled away?<br>And the tiny root that
  peeped out of the hard nut!</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center">See the white expanse of freshly fallen snow?<br>And the hope of spring just a little
  below the slush!</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center">See that tiny little movement even in a mountain?<br>And a tiny little stillness in the
  flowing river!</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center">That is the real beauty.<br>That is the beauty of Nature.</p>



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<h4 class="has-text-align-center">Illustrations by KASHISH KALWANI</h4>



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Kashish Kalwani

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