10 years.
Five cities.
Two countries.
An undergrad degree.
One Masters degree.
A year of unemployment.
Four Europe trips.
Multiple heartbreaks.
Two jobs.
One blog.
A successful Tarot reading practice.
One published book.
One art channel.
One parent lost.

Could this past decade be any more eventful?

It was in the final year of the decade, that my life turned upside-down — in 2019, I suddenly lost my Ma — my Ma who meant everything to me. My Ma who is the reason for all I am today. And it is her that I would like to dedicate this post to.

As I close the decade and enter my 30s, I would like to thank my Mom for everything I have achieved and how far I’ve come in life. Wherever you are Ma, I hope this makes you proud.

Here are 5 things that I am most thankful for in the past decade and what I learnt from each one of them.

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My Tarot practice

10 years back, around this time, I was a demure 20-year old putting up a Tarot stall at my college fest ‘Crossroads’ in SRCC, Delhi. Just an avocation at that time, I started at Rs. 10 per question. Little did I know how far this “hobby” of mine would go.

100% organically, without any paid marketing, my Tarot reader has reached far corners of the world and I now have a regular client base, globally. Thank you Ma, for buying me my first-ever deck of Tarot cards when I barely 13 and for always encouraging me to follow my bliss. Thank you for never discouraging me from pursuing my hobbies, unlike most parents.

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To schedule a session with me, please visit my FB page: SoulSpeak Tarot

From my Tarot practice, I have learnt the value of perseverance and intent. It doesn’t matter how or where you start – if you keep at it and if your intentions are good, nothing can stop you from flourishing.

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My travels

My first brush with travel was when I went to pursue MSc in Finance & Economics from the University of Warwick, UK. The one year I spent there, thousands of miles away from home moulded me in ways I can’t explain – I went on to become confident, bold, comfortable in my own skin.

Thank you Ma for sending me, first to Delhi and then to UK.
Thank you for putting my career and potential above your motherly instinct of having your youngest close to you.

I went on to explore many more countries, including a solo trip across Europe in mid-2019 – something my Ma was proudest of.

Through my travels, I learnt how to be truly independent and self-reliant. I learnt to appreciate the good things in life and be thankful for all I have.

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My artwork

Always fond of sketching and drawing, I randomly started making doodles in 2016. Soon, orders for personalised doodles started flowing in from friends, acquaintances and colleagues.

My Ma, from whom I got my artistic genes, was supportive as always and would sometimes stare at my artwork for hours, and then buy me art kits. She must be swelling in pride to see her daughter do what she loved to do too: doodle.
Thank you Ma, for giving me the push to explore my creativity. 

To place orders for personalised doodles or gifts, please visit my Instagram page:
SoulArt with Sonam

Through my artwork, I found peace. I learnt the true meaning of finding peace even amidst chaos.

“To give expression to your creativity is the biggest gift you can gift yourself.”

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The lows – unemployment, grief, heartbreaks

If you think only good things happened to me this decade, you’re mistaken. I went through some very difficult times too.

Back in 2013, despite being an overachiever all my life, and despite having an education from among the world’s best universities, I was unable to land a job for almost a year.

Then, over the years, I had my heart broken in a million pieces.

And lastly,  I grappled with the deepest kind of pain when I lost my Ma. To be woken up in a foreign country by a phone call from home, fly for 24 hours to see something you can never unsee and to do the last rites is something I wish no one ever has to go through.

From all of this, I learnt the hard fact that “life goes on” even though “sh*t happens”. All that matters is how you pick up the pieces and move on.
I learnt what true resilience looks like – I learnt to bounce back and face my fears.

Thank you Ma, for making me strong enough to handle all of it.

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My writing

I started my blog in February 2016. What started as a diversion has slowly transformed into something that sets my soul on fire. The appreciation and encouragement I got from people has been overwhelming. And despite not being able to give much time to it in the last couple of years, my blog is being read in 151 countries globally – with a readership in the US equivalent to that in India. If this isn’t what successful blogging looks like, what is?

A couple of months after losing my mom, I asked myself this – what am I waiting for in life? That I was unable to launch my book while she was here is something I will never be able to accept completely. And so, I channelised my grief into something positive and wrote my debut book ‘From Stressed to Sorted’ which I self-published via Amazon KDP in December 2019 even as I juggled a full-time job in an investment bank.
A mix of fiction, non-fiction, practical hacks and doodles, the book has already helped many and the initial response has been truly overwhelming. Needless to say, the book is dedicated to my Ma.

Check out the reviews and pick a copy of my book (currently available at a massive discount!) here –
From Stressed to Sorted

From my journey as a blogger to author, I learnt that one can, indeed, manifest all you dream of. If something’s meant to be, it will.

I don’t know what the future holds for me. All I know is that I will always have her in my heart and the only way from here is upward.
One day, I will make Ma very proud.

Please tag me @sonamchamaria on Twitter when sharing my post.

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“This post is a part of ‘DECADE Blog Hop’ #DecadeHop organised by #RRxMM Rashi Roy and Manas Mukul. The Event is sponsored by Glo and co-sponsored by Beyond The Box, Wedding Clap, The Colaba Store and Sanity Daily in association with authors Piyusha Vir and Richa S Mukherjee”