In just a couple of days, you’ll be entering 2023, one of the best years of your life. Great things are going to happen for you in 2023. How do I know this? I have a crystal ball. And when I look into the crystal ball, I see you achieving great things. Yes, YOU! Not your brilliant co-worker, not your over-achieving cousin, not that crazy guy who owns Twitter.
I see people patting you on the back and saying, “Fantastic job!” I see you attending an award ceremony and receiving a plaque with an inscription in gold letters. What does it say? Well, it’s hard to make out the exact words, but I think it says, “Filmmaker of the Year.” No, maybe it says, “Film-watcher of the Year.” I’m not sure, but it’s a very impressive award, and you have a big smile on your face as you receive the award from Salman Khan. You seem very pleased to be in the presence of the founder of Khan Academy.
I see you being very active and getting into the best shape of your life. You are doing a lot of walking and even a little running. You don’t just run to catch the bus; sometimes you run to evade the bus. I see you entering a marathon and crossing the finish line before the organizers have left for the day. Your blood pressure and other vital signs improve to such an extent that your doctor wonders if you are taking a special drug. “Exercise is my drug,” you say with a smile, and the doctor writes you a prescription for more exercise.
I see someone thanking you profusely for helping them. It’s not a friend or relative but a stranger, someone you spotted on the street who desperately needed help. You helped this person out of pure kindness, not expecting anything in return. You don’t receive any awards for your act of charity, but I see Mother Earth nodding vigorously in approval. Or maybe that’s just an earthquake.
I see you giving up a bad habit. It’s a habit that you’ve had for many years. You’ve tried to give it up in the past but have always failed. But in 2023, you finally succeed in ridding yourself of the habit. I’m not sure what the habit is, but I see you walking past a cigarette display without buying any, shaking your head when someone offers you a beer, and leaving a few jamuns at the Indian buffet for someone else.
I see you picking up a good habit. It’s just one habit, but it makes you feel good about yourself. You’ve tried to pick up this habit in the past, but for one reason or another, you failed. This time, you finally succeed. I’m not sure what the habit is, but I see you spending a few minutes meditating every morning, reading a few pages of a book every evening, and inserting periods between sentences when you write messages.
I see you having plenty of achievements in 2023, including one that … (drum roll please) … earns you a Guinness World Record. This brings you a lot of pride, as you are the first member of your family to have random strangers tweeting about you. I do not know exactly what record you will set, but I see you binge-watching Joe Biden speeches on YouTube, handing out countless meals to homeless people, and surviving for an entire weekend without looking at your phone.
I see all these things for you in 2023. Now it’s just up to you to make them come true.
