Note From The Founder: It's My Birthday!

I turn 37 today. 

I’ve always had a bit of a strange relationship with birthdays. Part of me dreads the attention, the pressure to feel a certain way. But what I do love and what I always come back to is the quiet introspection that comes with closing another chapter. That moment of pause between what’s been and what’s still to come.

This year, for the first time in a long time, I don’t feel any dread or angst. I feel peaceful. There are no grand expectations, no big emotional build-up, just a sense of ease, and a quiet appreciation for where I am right now.

Every year around this time, I find myself looking inward, taking a quiet inventory of the growth, the gaps, the joys, the questions, the things I’ve let go of, and the truths I’m still learning to hold.

I’m not sharing these thoughts as a “here’s how to live your life” kind of way, but more a “here’s what’s been true for me” kind of way, with the hope that maybe you'll resonate too. With each passing year, the lessons keep coming - some are new, and some return again and again until I finally understand them.

So here goes, my 36th year of learning rests on this:

Joy is everything
Not the big, explosive kind but the quiet kind. Biting into the greatest burger on a lazy Sunday, listening to your favourite song in a car alone with the windows down. If you don’t learn to love these tiny, seemingly invisible moments, you really miss out on so much magic. I’ve learned that romanticising the ordinary is a radical act. One that is so necessary for a life of deep fulfilment. 

Consistency is underrated
Everything you want is on the other side of it. That’s the hard truth. You're either in pain because of regret, or pain because of discipline - pick wisely. There is no magic trick, just showing up again and again, especially when it’s not easy, because it's the gains on the days you don't want to show up that generate exponential returns.

Strength Train
It's a game-changer.

Your mindset shapes your life
Voltaire said, “The most important decision you make is to be in a good mood.” I didn’t understand this until I did. We rarely see things as they are - we see them as we are. And that one shift in perspective can change the entire experience.

Go all in
On the dream, on the project, on the version of life that keeps you awake at night. Sometimes you just have to leap and build your wings on the way down. This year I read that 'ready is a decision, not a feeling' - and it changed everything for me.

People will be selfish. And so should you, sometimes
As someone who spent too long needing to be liked, I’ve learned that the most healing thing you can do is honour your own needs. Saying yes to yourself isn’t rude - it’s self-respect.

No is a sentence
And not everything needs to be explained or justified. 

Life happens in seasons
As Zora Neale Hurston wrote, “There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” Some seasons are for building, others for breaking. Some feel stagnant, some electric. It’s all part of it. Everything is temporary - every high, every low, every season. 

You will be the villain in someone’s story 
No matter how much good you try to do - and that’s okay. Stop chasing approval. There will always be people that will not like you, possibly for a valid reason and some for no reason at all. If you spend all your efforts focusing on those people, you risk missing the beauty of the amazing friendships and humans in your life that do love you. Focus on them. No one else matters. 

Be loud about your values.
In a world obsessed with filters and façades, authenticity is rebellious. I’ve learned that staying in your own lane, speaking up when it matters, and staying quiet when it doesn’t - that’s power.

Don’t waste your life talking about other people
We are living in a generation of anxiety and depression. Truly. It's an epidemic. And the more I speak to people I realise how many people live in pain because of others. Tearing others down is the greatest sign of lack and insecurity. Whole people do not feel the need to speak ill of others. They're too busy watering their own grass to care if yours is greener. Focus on your own grass.

Energy doesn’t lie.
Notice how people make you feel. Uplifted? Depleted? Safe? Drained? Your body often knows before your mind does. Pay attention - that’s how you learn who’s really in your corner.

Don't take it too seriously
We’re all just passing through. We’re all playing a finite game, and we don’t get a replay. Eat the cake. Stay for one more drink. And be kind - the world needs so much more of it. 

This year, I’ll be celebrating somewhere that’s lived on my vision board for years. I’ll share more when I’m back. But for now, I want to express my deep gratitude to all of those incredible humans who make every year around the sun so worth living for me (you know who you are) and so many strangers across the internet who are part of our Little IA Family - you make this so worthwhile for me.

With love,

Roshni