2023 Wrapped

hey you,

Happy new year. Without a doubt, NYE has to be my favorite holiday.

Thankfully this time I was able to ring in the new year with my closest friends and family in my hometown for once. Rewind to the start of NYE morning, my friends decided to get up around sunrise and go for a hike. I somehow managed to get up super early (to everyone else’s surprise) and boy was it worth it.

I brought my speakers and we started playing the soundtrack of Zoya Akhtar’s new Netflix movie ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan.’ Zoya and Farhan Akhtar are known for directing the best friendship movies like ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ and ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.’ Her newest movie though was more relatable than anything else because of its digital touch and spotlight on social media addiction. By far my favourite movie of 2023.

Last year taught me that everything that I need is right in front of me. For a long time, I was always seeking something else whether it be in a new role, a new company or to take it to the extreme - a new country. I got in my own way by never doing anything that would pin me to one place whether it be committing to a car loan, a discounted 12-month gym membership or … you get the rest. I’ve been reading Brianna West’s ‘The Mountain Is You’ and can’t help but relate to every chapter.

In 2024, I have a few new year resolutions that I’m more than happy to share:

1. Learn to surf - I can’t believe I’ve spent my whole life in a country with arguable the best beaches in the world and not taken full advantage. This summer I’m hoping to take surfing lessons and I’ve managed to convince a few friends to join me, some of whom used to surf in school

2. Limit screentime - I’ve been off TikTok for more than 4 months and Instagram for maybe 2 months but I’ve taken screentime to a whole new level by limiting virtually every app including photos, messages and anything else I mindlessly scroll. I’m proud that in the first week it’s already reduced by 30% to 4ish hours

3. Eat better - to prove that I’m not kidding about these resolutions, I've actually engaged a dietician from BetterUp to help me keep this new year momentum as she likes to call it. She made a good point about how I’m so young and challenged me to think about whether I want to continue living the rest of my life with poor nutrition and inconsistent sleep or finally do something to change it

To no surprise, my resolutions aren’t too different from the most common ones listed by Forbes below which I thought was interesting.

I can’t wait to share more of my writing this year. I’m looking to pivot my Medium account to niche down into finance whilst keeping this newsletter as more of a friendly check-in but I need to share it with more friends. I signed up to Wall Street Prep’s financial modeling course and subscribed to the Wall Street Journal Print Edition. Oh and I started a new finance role last month which I’m pumped about.

Here’s to a fresh start. I hope this year treats you well.

Till next time,

Azam