A few months ago, I was at Newark Airport; my mom was traveling home to Bombay. After seeing her off at the gate, I walked through the terminal towards the short term parking lot, when this beautiful geometric mural caught my eye (picture above). I was instantly inspired to write this article then. Although it took me a few months to get around to it, it should make for an informative dive into a realm of emotional & mental organization.

As we grow, various aspects of our sensibilities develop alongside an array of responsibilities that quickly pile up. The struggle to achieve goals while simultaneously building the capability to do so; is quite a challenge. Sometimes, we are faced with a dearth of opportunity. Sometimes, there may be a dozen knocking our door, but, we just aren’t ready. This is true in all aspects of our lives: careers, relationships, friendships etc. We all have great days and really horrible ones, but they all work together to define how we view ourselves. And since our surroundings have such a monumental impact on us, it is essential that we optimize our strengths in order to be our best for the uncertain road of life.

I think the first step is to accept that situations are uncertain. Circumstances change. People change. And adaptability is the key to sustained success. As for the preparation part, that is where compartmentalization comes in. Organizing our thoughts and emotions seems like an odd thing to do, but the process is bound to give us a unique understanding of ourselves.

Generally, reviewing the events of one’s day, week or month, classifying the resulting emotions and lessons into boxes that are labeled and tucked away into our personal memory database does declutter and allow new experiences in. It also helps separate emotion when faced with making a practical decision. Compartmentalizers have a clear and distinctive perspective that peers tend to rely on. The process makes us more approachable, reliable and prepared.

It’s interesting that almost all of us were taught, from a young age, to clean up our rooms and organize our cupboards. In fact, my brother and I would procrastinate as long as we could. I don’t remember my parents teaching me to organize my thoughts and feelings but I realize that it isn’t an enforceable lesson. I think it’s something I felt them do and made a habit of doing as I grew older.

Whenever we pick it up, once compartmentalization becomes part of our lives it is no longer difficult to do. It is a process that occurs silently in the background, and over the years a beautiful mosaic of our personalities is created. Some boxes are darker than others, some tucked away far deeper, but they all work together to make us unique. Our mosaic allows us to leave our mark on the world, like a stamp that changes it forever.