The Blur of 2022

The year 2022 held a lot of excitement and inspiration. It was the year of pandemic recovery where we would experience the return to a previously understood normality or at least familiarity. Instead, we witnessed the Russian invasion of Ukraine, eight consecutive cash rate rises, and the most significant data breaches in Australian history, with Optus and Medibank exposing almost 14MIL customer records. The world population crossed 8 billion, inflation returned, and in September 2022, the head of the World Health Organisation declared that the end of the pandemic was “in sight.”

What does all this mean to me? Well, on reflection, it’s simply life.

“Uncertainty is the only certainty there is...” - Professor John Allen Paulos.

The most unforgettable events for me are:

1) The death of my brother-in-law to cancer - An engineer (Amen Oueik) who loved fishing and spending time nurturing his young children (May God have mercy on him).?Health is invaluable and possibly out of our control, so I remind myself to value the important things we have in life, family and friends.

2) Administering CPR to a 10year old girl after drowning in a pool. This event had me experience a hyper-focused moment that I had not felt in my lifetime. Up to this point, I have been unwilling to participate in first aid training for fear of being nominated to provide first aid. I was not confident I could handle such unique and high-stress situations. I learnt this year that sometimes we don’t get the choice, and it is better to be equipped with training and knowledge than assume someone else will be around to take charge and lead. I will never forget Irene and thank God for not letting this young girl die in my presence.

3) We are only as good as the sum of our parts, our teams. I genuinely love my team. They inspire me, make me proud, and make me better than I am. They offer relentless fun and laughs every day, and I am honoured to be part of their development journeys and get to know their unique interests, passions and characters.

4) I am not a binary human being. I don’t have a work and a home life. I have a life with which work is an integral part of it. I have to navigate the interactions between the demands of both and need to make choices between them every day. There is no such thing as work-life balance, but I make choices between them. Choices impacting my health and mental well-being and choosing to do a personal activity over a work activity is admirable because it keeps me mentally fit and will reap benefits for life and work goals.?

5) Role models and inspiration to better oneself can come from where we least expect it. Over the last two years, I have witnessed my son, Luqman, transform from a young child to a young adult. Luqman set a vision for himself, printed it out and stuck it on the wall, and I observed his unwavering discipline to adhere to a stringent program for two years without faulting. Luqman’s practice consisted of waking before sunrise, having a shower, praying, having breakfast, reading, studying and timing his every activity. I mean, he timed his breaks, lunch and dinners, and physical activities like running or jumping rope workouts. He turned off all social media applications, ignored the naysayer and went to bed early. His efforts paid off, with him exceeding his goals, receiving the dux of the school and a scholarship to a bachelor of medical science at the UNSW Sydney. Luqman has proven that he has developed the tools and practices to succeed in whatever he chooses. Luqman has become my role model and inspiration because I have seen first-hand and unfiltered what it takes to achieve greatness.?

Thank you to all my family, friends, team, vendors, partners, clients, mentors and teachers. I wish you a safe and enjoyable break and look forward to continuing my life journey with you in 2023.