How to 2024
The waiter had just taken our order. The conversation with friends over dinner had settled into that familiar, easy rhythm you get with close friends.
I glanced around the table and asked innocently, “What was your biggest moment of 2024?”
Smiles bubbled up almost instantly. People leaned in, animated and eager to share. One friend recalled a career leap they hadn’t planned for. Another shared the obvious —becoming a parent. Someone else brought up a spontaneous weekend trip their partner surprised them with.
These were stories of celebration, achievements and experiences that stood out.
Then I followed with, “What was your most challenging moment of 2024?”
The energy shifted. More pauses this time. A few long sips of drinks.
I intentionally did not start, as a way to acknowledge the discomfort that some likely felt. Then slowly but surely, the responses started to come. Honest, vulnerable, a little rough around the edges. Someone opened up about burnout. Another mentioned losing someone they loved. A breakup. A health scare with a parent.
These were stories of the kind of moments we don’t always rush to revisit but shape us in meaningful ways. By the time our food had arrived, there were hugs, high fives, and that unspoken feeling of being in it together.
It struck me how much lighter the room felt once everyone had shared. Like the weight of those hard moments wasn’t something to carry alone anymore.
This time of year always feels like a harvest for me. This is the final stretch —a time to gather what the year has grown.
I become curious to uncover how I have been delighted or disappointed this year, how I have grown and how I have changed.
Unlike delight or disappointment, growth and change rarely feels obvious while they are happening. It is only when taking a moment to look back do I begin to notice the changes in myself, then I can begin to integrate them more fully and carry them with me as I move forward through life.
Travel was painted all over my 2024. I travelled to fifteen countries. But when I reflect about the places I’ve gone, the stamps in my passport aren’t what come to mind. It’s the moments – the small ones, the unexpected ones – shared with friends and family.
Scrolling through photos on my phone, which I rarely do but hope to do more often, transports me back to these moments instantly. I love it.
Investing became another big theme for my 2024. I gave myself permission at the start to learn about the public markets this year. I’ve never been that interested in the stock market, but I felt it was time for me to experiment and see what I would learn.
I learned about my own tolerance for risk and volatility. I learned about the world through a financial lens. I learned firsthand how difficult it is to beat the index. And I learned that I enjoy the process of learning something new.
Health was a rollercoaster, with many ups and downs. I had stretches where I felt great – waking up early, moving every day, feeling strong. And then, there were weeks when I would struggle with symptoms for an undiagnosed issue. The mental energy I spent trying to care for my physical health felt disproportionate at times. There’s still work to do here. But I’m learning to meet myself where I am, instead of where I think I should be.
Relationships evolved as well. 2024 started with a deep dive into family systems therapy – something I hadn’t explored before. It helped me mature and evolve how I connect and integrate with my parents and sister in ways I didn’t expect – and am highly appreciative of.
I spent more time outside Europe than in it this year, which meant less time with my Lisbon and London crew. There were many moments I felt the absence of the familiarity of friends who I have grown closer to over the past few years living in Portugal. But there were also new friendships and experiences that wouldn’t have developed if I’d stayed in one place.
As I gather the harvest of 2024, I feel grateful – for the joy I shared, the growth I witnessed, and the hardships that asked me to pay attention and make changes.
Now is an important time to make peace with the past, so that we do not unnecessarily drag unfulfilled desires and lingering disappointments into the future and can start 2025 with a blank slate, aligned and connected with what we value and need most at this moment.
Sharing with others close to me how my 2024 shaped me, and hearing about how their year has shaped them, has become a wonderful practice of closure and connection to finish the year.
And that is how I learned to 2024.
