It’s a new beginning. 2023 is here. We are venturing into a new year.

This is what most of us would have found our social feeds and news sources to be full of. Year-end best of lists, resolutions for the new year, looking back at what happened and looking forward to what comes ahead.

Strangely, for me though this turn of the new year has been muted. As I thought more about this for the last couple of days, a lot of thoughts crossed my mind.

Is it because there’s not enough excitement or things to look forward to? Maybe this is how life looks like once you cross 40! But not really, there are enough and more of those things in my life that I am excited about.

Perhaps it has to do with this relocation business? It has taken the air out of my self inflated baloon back in India? Nah, I debated with myself about this angle but it’s not true.

Oh yeah, maybe I have a lot of unkept and unmet resolutions and that’s why I am running shy of taking new ones? I don’t think so and as I recounted the ones I took upon over the last 2-3 years, I seem to have done well generally on those aspects.

Then as I was mindlessly finishing some chores, the answer hit me!

The real reason is that I see a lot of things that I have begun but need to double down on in this new year. So it just doesn’t feel like a new beginning. There are unfinished projects, things to improve upon in my head and heart, and things that I have been letting go off but still not done with completely.

As I realised this, it occurred to me that I ought to break them down into achievable milestones rather than only looking at the end goal. So here goes my list –

1. Smile and be more happy, forget worrying about small things and start to live in the moment. As much as possible.

2. Exercise daily, even if it is just walking a couple of rounds. Breathe fresh air, unblock my mind, stay healthy.

3. Write at least every alternate day. While this blog continues to be weekly, produce a few more short stories, start the book I have been promising myself to write.

4. Read daily, and meaningful material, pick up an understanding of more things than I have in any other year.

5. At work focus on creating impact, rather than doing too many things. Let go off some things that I don’t need to be a part of.

As I enter 2023 and continue on these old pursuits in this new year, I hope I am able to get to some of these milestones by the end of it. Until then, will continue to plough on…