Resolution 23: A manifesto for the young, hungry and terribly confused.

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2022 was kind to me. I had started the year on rather unsure footing, a young professional with less than 6 months in the corporate jungle saying goodbye to the city he had called home for 23 years. Stuck at home amidst a seemingly unending pandemic my sanity was slipping before the first month had passed. Things definitely got better. I started taking better care of my body and felt fitter mentally and physically. Shifted again as I left the comfort of home for the first time and finally became a fully functional adult (sort of, my roommates got a strong ‘Papa’ energy) and made lots of new friends and cherished memories along the way. I got over the demons of my past and was able to let go of toxic bonds. And finally after 14 long years in the mud Arsenal feel like title contenders and Leo Messi; the undisputed GOAT( that's right, the debate is over) won the World Cup in the greatest final in sports history. 2022 was definitely very kind to me.

But as any self respecting Bengali parent would say, ‘There is always room for improvement’. And that’s where this blog post comes in. I’ll leave it here as a personal anchor to get me going through the tough times and help me keep on pushing that rock. Sisyphus must always be happy.

Progress is not linear. I read that somewhere I can’t bother to remember. It felt rather smart and deep at the time; the kind of stuff I’d quote when trying to console others but not knowing what to say. But as the year passed, the person I used this line the most on was myself; finding some kind of solace in it whenever I felt like I was going backwards. It also had the happy by-product of making me realize that no progress can be achieved unless it is effectively quantified and measured. Don’t say I want to become a better student; say I’ll improve my GPA my x% over the next y semesters.


So here are a few quantifiable, time bound goals to help me make 2023 as awesome as 2022 was, if not better. As Baba would say: 'There’s always room for improvement!'


  1. Get fitter: Try to gain 10 kilos of healthy weight over 12 months.

  2. Read more: A book a month at least. Any subject or genre( Chetan Bhagats don't count) 

  3. Love yourself more: Self deprecating humour is cool, attractive even; but find a balance. If the jokes feel they have an edge of venom, call yourself out. This one’s hard to quantify, perhaps more of a monitor closely sort of thing.

  4. Nurture the dark side: Boy you’ve gone soft, too soft. Nurture that killer instinct and competitive drive a bit more especially when it comes to personal growth. And this segways nicely into

  5. Learn something new every two weeks: A framework, tool or technology. Even a design principle or paradigm is fine. But if after two weeks you feel you have learnt nothing new, I’m afraid you have failed.

  6. Be kinder to friends and family: Call more, call often. Visit at least 3-4 times a year. Don’t forget birthdays, set calendar reminders.

  7. But don’t be a pushover: You’ve spent far too long waiting on folks. Accept that some people just won’t change or will never be ready. Give them a month, then cut them loose.

  8. Write more often: A blog post every 2 weeks minimum. You have always wanted to be a writer, get the mud out of the pipes so the clear stream can flow.( That’s what she said)

  9. Meditate: At Least 10 minutes. Daily. 



This post is more for me than you dear reader. But if you can take any inspiration from it then more power to you. May this year be a great one for you. May you find the courage to step out of your comfort zone, the patience to deal with life’s hurdles and the love for those that truly matter. This is the first year of the rest of your life.


Live long and prosper.



-CR

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