<p>Year-end is a time to reflect on goals we set and refresh the bucket list. Bengalureans tell <span class="italic">Metrolife</span> how they achieved their dreams, kicked bad habits, and gained new perspectives on life.</p>.<p><span class="bold">Went on my first trek</span></p>.<p>Bharatanatyam dancer Chaitra H N, 29, went for her first trek in August. She wanted to trek and try adventure sports since childhood but kept shelving the plan because her family and friends had warned she would get a “sprain or fracture” and that would affect her dance career.</p>.<p>This year, she overcame that fear and went trekking to Dudhsgar along the Karnataka-Goa border with her husband. “I felt like I had achieved the impossible. The experience helped me understand my body and my abilities more, and boosted my self-confidence,” she says. </p>.<p><span class="bold">Ran a half marathon</span></p>.<p>As an asthmatic, 45-year-old Rakhi Anil never thought she would be able to run a long race. That was until this January when she signed up for a half marathon at Bengaluru Marathon. The run was organised virtually because of restrictions around the third Covid-19 wave.</p>.<p>She realised one needs strong willpower and focus to achieve difficult tasks. “I started small. I have been running 5k and 10k runs since 2017. My family encouraged me to try harder,” she recalls. And it was her son who continually pushed her to register for the marathon.</p>.<p>“Once I registered, it was a goal I had to achieve and I couldn’t abandon it halfway. I started running and doing strengthening exercises,” she shares.</p>.<p>The marathon feat helped her “break barriers of the mind”.</p>.<p>“When I had health issues, many tried to discourage me from cycling for long, and running. This pushed me to try harder,” adds the CV Raman Nagar resident.</p>.<p><span class="bold">Started a business</span></p>.<p>Seema Pervez started her food takeaway business on Dinnur Main Road in August, a dream she had held from the time she moved to Bengaluru from the Gulf 10 years ago.</p>.<p>“Cooking is my passion. My friends and family love my biryani, and suggested I start a business. So I started with home catering and got a good response,” says the RT Nagar resident. She soon realised that most Bengalureans don’t order in bulk and started selling by the plate.</p>.<p>Financial constraints, health issues and hunting for a good location delayed her plan to start the takeaway outlet where she sells Mughlai biryani, noodle biryani, pasta, among other items. The support of her interior designer husband, and son was key in realising her dream.</p>.<p><span class="bold">Quit smoking</span></p>.<p>PR professional Renuka Neelagandan quit smoking a year after she picked the habit. It has been three months since she bought cigarettes. “After I joined a workplace in a bigger role, the stress led me to smoke two to six cigarettes per day,” she recalls.</p>.<p>Her family was supportive and she wanted to quit smoking for their sake. She started by changing her job, and then her friend circle. “The process was tedious because I missed my old friends. So instead of meeting physically, I would do video calls with them,” she says.</p>.<p>She worked remotely from her elder brother’s home in the UK and the new environment helped. “Staying with family upped my confidence and helped reduce stress massively,” says Renuka, an Indiranagar resident. </p>.<p>Overall, meditation, chewing nicotine gum, taking online therapy, and staying with family, helped her kick the butt, she says.</p>.<p><span class="bold">Attended a gay wedding</span></p>.<p>Manasi Khare was among the few people who attended her friend’s wedding in Jaisalmer in December as the latter’s family did not approve of the alliance. They were a gay couple.</p>.<p>The city-based lawyer counts it as a life-altering moment. “As part of a small group, I stood witness to my friend professing and celebrating his love,” she begins. She felt it was a “huge responsibility to fill in for important family members who should have been there by my friend’s side”.</p>.<p>“It was a profound moment. We often read about the gay community and the support they get. Yet, such stories rarely hit home. Many don’t understand how valuable support is for the community,” she says.</p>
<p>Year-end is a time to reflect on goals we set and refresh the bucket list. Bengalureans tell <span class="italic">Metrolife</span> how they achieved their dreams, kicked bad habits, and gained new perspectives on life.</p>.<p><span class="bold">Went on my first trek</span></p>.<p>Bharatanatyam dancer Chaitra H N, 29, went for her first trek in August. She wanted to trek and try adventure sports since childhood but kept shelving the plan because her family and friends had warned she would get a “sprain or fracture” and that would affect her dance career.</p>.<p>This year, she overcame that fear and went trekking to Dudhsgar along the Karnataka-Goa border with her husband. “I felt like I had achieved the impossible. The experience helped me understand my body and my abilities more, and boosted my self-confidence,” she says. </p>.<p><span class="bold">Ran a half marathon</span></p>.<p>As an asthmatic, 45-year-old Rakhi Anil never thought she would be able to run a long race. That was until this January when she signed up for a half marathon at Bengaluru Marathon. The run was organised virtually because of restrictions around the third Covid-19 wave.</p>.<p>She realised one needs strong willpower and focus to achieve difficult tasks. “I started small. I have been running 5k and 10k runs since 2017. My family encouraged me to try harder,” she recalls. And it was her son who continually pushed her to register for the marathon.</p>.<p>“Once I registered, it was a goal I had to achieve and I couldn’t abandon it halfway. I started running and doing strengthening exercises,” she shares.</p>.<p>The marathon feat helped her “break barriers of the mind”.</p>.<p>“When I had health issues, many tried to discourage me from cycling for long, and running. This pushed me to try harder,” adds the CV Raman Nagar resident.</p>.<p><span class="bold">Started a business</span></p>.<p>Seema Pervez started her food takeaway business on Dinnur Main Road in August, a dream she had held from the time she moved to Bengaluru from the Gulf 10 years ago.</p>.<p>“Cooking is my passion. My friends and family love my biryani, and suggested I start a business. So I started with home catering and got a good response,” says the RT Nagar resident. She soon realised that most Bengalureans don’t order in bulk and started selling by the plate.</p>.<p>Financial constraints, health issues and hunting for a good location delayed her plan to start the takeaway outlet where she sells Mughlai biryani, noodle biryani, pasta, among other items. The support of her interior designer husband, and son was key in realising her dream.</p>.<p><span class="bold">Quit smoking</span></p>.<p>PR professional Renuka Neelagandan quit smoking a year after she picked the habit. It has been three months since she bought cigarettes. “After I joined a workplace in a bigger role, the stress led me to smoke two to six cigarettes per day,” she recalls.</p>.<p>Her family was supportive and she wanted to quit smoking for their sake. She started by changing her job, and then her friend circle. “The process was tedious because I missed my old friends. So instead of meeting physically, I would do video calls with them,” she says.</p>.<p>She worked remotely from her elder brother’s home in the UK and the new environment helped. “Staying with family upped my confidence and helped reduce stress massively,” says Renuka, an Indiranagar resident. </p>.<p>Overall, meditation, chewing nicotine gum, taking online therapy, and staying with family, helped her kick the butt, she says.</p>.<p><span class="bold">Attended a gay wedding</span></p>.<p>Manasi Khare was among the few people who attended her friend’s wedding in Jaisalmer in December as the latter’s family did not approve of the alliance. They were a gay couple.</p>.<p>The city-based lawyer counts it as a life-altering moment. “As part of a small group, I stood witness to my friend professing and celebrating his love,” she begins. She felt it was a “huge responsibility to fill in for important family members who should have been there by my friend’s side”.</p>.<p>“It was a profound moment. We often read about the gay community and the support they get. Yet, such stories rarely hit home. Many don’t understand how valuable support is for the community,” she says.</p>