Approaching the end of year always gives me pause to reflect…
I’ve had a wonderful year. I’ve worked with brilliant colleagues in our strategy consulting team, as our clients grow bolder about making decisions for the future.
As international borders reopened I travelled to Mexico and the Maldives. And two months ago I married a man who is pretty much perfect for me.
2022 hasn’t been challenge-free, but overall I’ve enjoyed a year of unusually good fortune.
It has me reflecting that what makes the best years so sweet is in fact the worst years.
Just three years ago, my fortune tipped in the opposite direction: 2019 was one of my most challenging, both personally and professionally. I enjoyed some positive experiences, but on balance I ended that year feeling pretty gloomy.
So if you’re feeling gloomy at the moment, I’d like to share a simple exercise that I’ve found helpful during 2019 and other hard times:
I visualise my life as a timeline spanning 100 years, as below. Even in 2019, looking back I could see that most of my years have been good, if not great. There have certainly been hard times along the way (2007 stands out as another DOOZY), but I’ve survived 100% of them.
This visualisation gives me confidence and optimism for the future, as I recognise that this hard time too will pass.
If 2022 has not been easy for you, I encourage you to reflect on your life as a whole, on a long timeline. Look at the the good times from your past (that hopefully comprise the majority of your time here) and know that your current hard times are temporary.
“The adversity you face today will be the wisdom you call upon tomorrow.”
(I don’t remember where I first heard the quote above and can’t seem to find its author, but it’s too good not to share!)
I wish you all a restorative break this festive season. May 2023 be one of your best years yet.
