What does December represent to you: a month of celebration, a month of reflection, a month to catch up with everything while the world rotates a little slower or are you an overachiever who wants to do all of the above? If you are anything like me, you’ll try to bundle it all into December ending up as fatigued as any other month. If you are like my colleague, you will just take the entire month off from work and go celebrate, relax and reflect. Either way, it is the last month of the year and almost no one is getting away from some celebratory vibes.
2023 has been quite the year. While the Ukraine-Russia war continued, unrest broke out in many other parts of the world, the most notable being the Israel- Hamas conflict. Finland joined as the 31st member of NATO. Earthquakes struck Turkey, Syria and Morocco. Charlie Munger passed away at the age of 99, interest rates soared like a kite and organizations flipped their stance on working from home/hybrid work. But it wasn’t all gloom, many unions emerged victorious from negotiations, most notably SAG-AFTRA, UPS and auto workers. Claudia Goldin won the Nobel Prize for economics for having advanced our understanding of women’s labour market outcomes and bleached eyebrows as a trend gave me endless laughs.
Personally, 2023 has been nothing less than eventful. I launched a new podcast with a dear friend. I read over 25 books, went to my first car boot sale and sold nothing, volunteered with an organization I had never worked with before and got my first therapist who I broke up with post 6 sessions. I saw one of the wonders of the world, met many old friends, lived alone for the first time ever and hiked more. I got so see Dan Ariely speak in person, attended a music festival and an Irish wedding in Spain. And I probably don’t remember half the experiments I tried and failed at.
We may not have thrived but we certainly did survive and given everything that the world has been through, that is reason enough to celebrate. Thus, my challenge for the month is easy – to give up trying to do it all but use the month to begin stepping back, reflecting and rejoicing. Per usual, my challenge to self is my challenge to you.
I want to know – how are you celebrating?
The HR Business Partner Story 
I will post up by the fireplace and attempt to finish my first book of the year!