Stripe’s resolutions for the New Year

What our contributors are looking to achieve personally, and professionally, in 2023

Puja Sarkar
Published : 31 Dec 2022, 01:47 PM
Updated : 31 Dec 2022, 01:47 PM

As 2022 draws to an end, many of us are setting out goals for what we want to achieve in the new year. 

Some want to improve personally, while others hope to make academic or professional progress. Our new year’s resolutions are meant to keep us on target, so we can move forward with determination and resolve. 

These are the resolutions our contributors are making for 2023:

OVERCOME IMPOSTER SYNDROME

I spent more than half of 2022 struggling to stay afloat (mentally and physically), holding on to what makes life good, and doubting myself. My best friend kept telling me that I was doing well in my final year of university and that when the time comes, I'll be able to successfully pursue what I want. My university advisor told me that I had ‘a fire in me to do big things’. A big part of me felt that I was somehow gaslighting and manipulating them into thinking I was this capable, and that I was somehow fooling everyone into having such high hopes for me. In simple words, I didn't see in myself what they saw in me. 

I kept telling myself that I had to myself to the point where I couldn't physically get out of bed so that I could keep the facade of being ‘one of the best students in the department’ or ‘that kid that’ll go places’. 

This year, I want to stop being so hard on myself. I want to be able to accept that when I do achieve something, I deserve it. I want to be able to let myself rest without feeling that I'm letting everyone else down or that I have to live up to the image everyone else has of me. The first step in doing so is accepting that I’m able to get things done properly and that I am good at what I do. 

I want to be kinder to myself and be okay with others seeing me fail. I know it won’t be easy. I’ll probably have my moments and resort back to my toxic ways, but I will try to see the good in myself. 

-        Puja Sarkar 

TAKE THE TIME TO UNDERSTAND MYSELF

For 2023, I want to enjoy the year at its own pace. This year felt as though I was speeding through life, trying to experience everything I can as much as I can without taking a break or a chance to look inward. I was distancing myself from myself, and, on certain days, I felt I didn’t know who I was. Yes, new experiences are good but not when you cannot take time off to enjoy yourself and live in the moment. 

This problem mainly began due to my development of ‘FOMO’ or fear of missing out. It is a steady development that has many harmful effects, particularly on mental health. I believe that the more you reflect back on yourself on the things you learn and do in life, the better you understand yourself in the long run. 

And so, for 2023, I hope that I will have fewer intrusive thoughts, take fewer impulsive decisions, and eventually become more thoughtful while enjoying every moment. I know that it will not be easy and there will be times when I inevitably overthink things, but I am determined to do better next year.

-        Sajid Khan 

I WON’T GIVE IN TO FEAR

I have always been labelled as shy and reserved. And so, over the years, I have grown to think of myself as someone who stands in the corner, fidgets relentlessly, and is always itching for a chance to leave a social situation. This crippling social anxiety caused me to miss out on any number of opportunities. It not only harmed my social life, but it affected my studies too as group projects and presentations felt like nightmares. All in all, my life feels insipid and futile.

But 2022 actually opened my eyes. My best friend passed away and though that loss will haunt me forever, it also taught me a valuable lesson. In the wise words of Ferris Bueller: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

2023 will be the year where I won't let fear win. 

-        Choudhury Mastura Mahbub Adrita 

BE PUNCTUAL AND AVOID PROCRASTINATION

In 2023, I plan to be more punctual and concentrate on overcoming my procrastination. Last year, I resolved to be more productive, which included increasing my workload and taking on new tasks. To some extent, it did work for me. However, with progress came drawbacks. One consequence of being busy is that you may find yourself with too many responsibilities on your plate at times. It's even worse if they're on a strict deadline.

After taking a long, hard look at myself, I noted my inexperience when handling multiple tasks simultaneously. If the stress became too much for me, I would do nothing but procrastinate. Although I felt terrible about not finishing my job, the fact is that I couldn't do it because I felt as if I didn’t know where to begin. When I start, I don’t have confidence in my process, and the difficulties of switching activities while multi-tasking always puts me in a trance that takes an hour to break.

I also realised that a lot of my problems stemmed from my issue being timely. I was frequently facing similar stressful situations because I failed to account for the time taken to finish work. And, no matter how often I promised myself that I would do better, it took me a while to discover that, "Time treats you the way you treat it."

So, for 2023, I aim to actively address these problems by acknowledging the importance of time and holding myself responsible in such instances. I'm also looking to put myself in similar but less severe scenarios so that I can continue to grow and achieve my goal of being efficient, confident, and productive.

-        Yashfinul Haque

USE TIME WISELY 

I would like to finally fix my sleep schedule so I can wake up early. That’ll give me time to work out, increase my push-up reps, and finally get to that pistol squat while still having enough time in the day to get the rest of my work done. 

I’d also like to spend less time aimlessly scrolling through my phone. In our current age of innovation, it’s somewhat unrealistic to consider cutting out extended periods of screen time, but I’d also like to avoid spending more time doing it than I need to. 

Speaking of innovation, I’d like to start learning a new skill that I’ve always had an interest in - how to code. I’m starting university in 2023, and if all goes well, I plan to either double major or pursue a minor in computer science. Since this skill has many uses and is in high demand now, I would like to learn, practice, and improve at coding by dedicating at least an hour a day to it.

For my final resolution, I want to read more. At one time, I was a bookworm and I miss reading a lot. As such, I aim to read at least five new books in the upcoming year. 

-        Rowajana Behterin Barbie

I WILL SURVIVE

As I was going through some old files, something caught my eye. A note that read, "If my life had a theme song, it would be How to Disappear Completely by Radiohead”. It was for a task in a language course that I did at the start of 2022.

Reading it took me back to when everything began falling apart – a place where life and death intertwined. No, not my birth. The catastrophes came after that. Though my memory feels a bit like an abandoned book, the feelings of that time are raw and fresh. They swirl around like a haze, chilling the nerves. The gloom colonises the veins and arteries like a symbiote. It chokes your breath and reminds you of waltzes with death. A boundless void where no one can hear your cries for help. There’s only one glimmer of hope - a ray that would dissolve all the cells of your body and erase your existence from reality. For years my life has been driving through this storm. Sometimes running from it, sometimes giving in. Sometimes accepting it, but never finding an escape. 

And so, my resolution for 2023 is that, whenever that funny feeling returns, I will survive until the day that I can gather the strength to look it in the eyes and say NOT TODAY. 

-        Arnob Khan

BE PRODUCTIVE, BUT BALANCED

This last year I started a new phase of my life. I was admitted to one of my favourite majors at a renowned university, and started making new friends. The backbencher who had never had a solid friend circle in her entire life, suddenly found herself in the middle of a huge one, enjoying herself to the fullest. The first semester I studied, joined clubs, got myself out of the cage called ‘home’, enjoyed my time with my classmates, and got through a lot of my bucket list. 

My Myers-Briggs test says I’m a soft-hearted soul with determination and a sense of responsibility. I’ve also noticed that I’m so easygoing that once someone starts talking to me, they feel they can pour everything out and find the comfort they miss in their own lives. I love that I can be so friendly to everyone. 

But somehow, when the bonding started to falter, I realised that I wasn’t progressing much. I needed to work harder than anyone if I wanted to see myself where I wanted to be in five years. 

My second semester is about to end, and I’m glad about the way I’ve improved myself. Studying harder, doing a lot of club work, having a job that makes me passionate, joining a research team, and staying closer to my family. I love this hard-working version of myself. But I also miss my friends a lot. Distancing is not something anyone loves to do, but I had to distance myself from everyone to become productive. My Messenger is just full of work and studies now. This isolation I undertook was not meant to hurt anyone, and I really hate it from the gut. 

I hope that next year, I find a balance between life, study, and work. I want to get back what I lost, develop the skills I already have, learn a few more, study harder, and keep improving physically, spiritually, mentally, and socially.    

-        Raiyaan Tabassum Imita

FIND MORE SELF-ACCEPTANCE

I have a tendency to get caught up in trying to be better at everything. As long as I can remember, I have been a huge advocate of self-improvement. I have always believed that if you can do better, you should do better. Though I love self-improvement as a tool, it's something that can be utilised incorrectly if you take it to extremes - like if you strive for perfection or when you don't make real distinctions between what you can and can't control. Recently I’ve realised how unhealthy that narrow focus on self-improvement can be. 

I used to think that any form of self-acceptance was being lazy or complacent and that if I wasn't growing, I was staying stagnant. But self-acceptance is about understanding the distinctions between what you can change and what you can’t and living with it. It's about loving the flaws that make you unique and being okay with where you are in the growth process. 

It's a very delicate balance, and I’ve only managed to figure it out some of the time. But I'm really, really working on it. So, next year I’m going to try to really be okay and at peace with who I am.

-        Tilottama Barua

This article was written for Stripe, bdnews24.com's special publication with a focus on culture and society from a youth perspective.