WeDaMEN: What’s Your Purpose?

Another year around the sun, and another year of buying that gym membership because hey you pledge that your new year’s resolution is to get yourself in shape and keep fit. 

While it’s great to show interest in keeping oneself fit have there been any new years where YOU took up the resolution to keep your mental health in check? This New Year’s let’s change that rhythm a bit. 

You want to stay fit? Great! But let’s find ways to keep our minds free of daily stress and anxiety. 

Here’s to a year ahead where our mental health is as well maintained as our physical self. 

Men, as a gender, are restricted from portraying their emotions more freely than others. This adds more pressure on them to bottle up emotions and the only outlet they find is in the gym. 

However, DaMENSCH wishes to let mankind know that this year, just taking up a small act of taking care of something or someone else allows men to feel good about themselves, reducing their anxiety and stress levels.

WeDaMEN believe that being able to care for someone else truly helps make you more comfortable. We feature different kinds of men who have found solace in things and hobbies when they were struggling mentally. 

A man who was so worried about climate change and the environment, he found peace in growing and taking care of plants, watching birds and spending time in nature. That’s his purpose. 

A man who realised that taking care of the neglected elderly gives them and himself some peace. He started his own initiative to take care of the elderly and grandparents. That’s his purpose. 

A man who believes talking out loud can help one confront their insecurities and mental health issues. At the same, he’s found comfort in taking care of a pet he rescued and today helps assist multiple stray animals in society. That’s his purpose. 

These men are all part of WeDaMEN. And they found purpose in their comfort zone. 

A PURPOSE CAN BE COMFORTING. 

THIS NEW YEAR, WHAT’S YOUR PURPOSE?

AMAN SHARMA

Aman Sharma is a plant dad turned environmental activist. Anxious in a world reeling from climate change, Aman turned to gardening to soothe his soul. Growing 300 varieties of plants gave him a sense of comfort like never before. Soon his terrace garden became his comfort zone and his safe space. It reconnected him to nature.

Today, he’s found his purpose in fighting for the environment!

Aman shares his thoughts on finding his purpose:

“Nature was always a core part of myself, it was my go-to, my source of strength. One day when my school got shut due to pollution, that troubled me a lot. I was up all night thinking about what was happening to the city I grew up in, the world and planet that was getting destroyed. And I needed something to turn to. Something that mattered to me and made me matter. 

This may sound funny to many, but gardening made me feel like a man. 

I realised that changing the world can start from your own terrace. It’s all about creating something from the ground up. To watch your creations grow and thrive. Even the camera in my hand is a source of strength because I am the calmest in nature. Most aware, most peaceful self. Sometimes you need to be in spaces that make you most comfortable, even more. There’s nothing wrong. It might just change your life. And the year ahead.”

CHOW SURENG

Chow Sureng is a traveller & Youtuber. But most importantly, he is a pet parent. 

Growing up, Chow was never a fan of sitting still, he was always the hyperactive one. The only thing he enjoyed was riding the bike.

All of that changed with the arrival of Bella, who he adopted from a rescue home. Her unconditional love helped him mature emotionally and become a more calm person today. 

Being with Bella has helped him discover his purpose – building pet-friendly travel communities.

Chow shares his thoughts on finding his purpose:

“I was not the best when it came to education and I was always the hyper kid. Anxious, agitated, looking to do something every time. Even when it came to my career, sitting still just wasn’t my cup of tea.

So the one thing I truly loved to do was ride my bike; it made me free. 

But something changed a year ago – me and my wife came across and adopted a lovely creature we call Bella – from a rescue home. 

After Bella came into my life, everything in my life became about her. Providing for her. Ensuring she’s not a dog stuck in the city, she forces me to get outdoors even more. If I’m a content creator today, my inspiration to continue to do what I love most is actually Bella. She’s helped me mature emotionally, she’s made me so much more compassionate, tolerant and calm. 

I never knew having a dog can be so therapeutic. She’s reduced my hyperactivity and made me so much calmer. She’s my power, my confidence provider. She’s my purpose.”

SHANTANU NAIDU

Shantanu Naidu is an entrepreneur, author and devoted Goodfellow to his grandparents. 

Yearning for a community during the pandemic, Shantanu found himself finding comfort in the company of senior citizens in his society. He was touched by their caring nature and hard-earned wisdom. They gave him much-needed perspective & comfort – issues that were all-consuming to him were trivial to them.

Today, he has made it his purpose to help young people be more empathetic in intergenerational friendships. His startup, Goodfellows, helps young people make friends with senior citizens.

Shantanu shares his thoughts on finding his purpose:

The pandemic taught me that being part of a community is important. The elderly in my community was the most caring – and I wanted to give them something back. 

But the only thing they need is time. They don’t have the luxury of it, while the young do. 

As I spent more time interacting with the seniors in my society, I felt so much more calmer, I realised my priorities better and started to see my life more clearly. It’s a truly emotionally enriching experience, to be able to talk to people who’ve lived it all. 

And one common theme across their stories – is regret. Spending time with senior folks, helps you realise those regrets don’t have to be made by you too. All the hype around the end goal of life, tackling trauma, grief and issues – all of it just becomes easier to understand – when you hear the seniors speak. This is truly a great form of therapy – and it does wonders to your mind and to your life. My purpose in life is simply to share the privilege of time with those who don’t have it.

Find #ComfortInAPurpose

What’s yours?