Can your most difficult year be also your best at the same time? Or High and Low all in one?

Looking back to my year so far (maybe it’s a little too early in the year but I feel like its 31st December, and I am off to a two weeks’ Christmas break), it’s been a rollercoaster of highs and lows at the most possible intense level. The first quarter of the year I was all caught up in managing the purchase process of an apartment in Spain. Uncertainty until the last moment, unclarity about almost everything, banks, mortgages, inexplicable delays etc. Whoever has gone through such a process, knows what I am talking about ??. At the same time it was my biggest and most impactful project that I have ever managed all alone, lots of decisions had to be taken with very little time. I am usually good in taking decisions but there were many to be taken with immense time pressure. Of course, at the same moment, this entire process has been incredible exciting, for the first time in my life I had a goal set from myself for myself, carried out by myself. That’s my personal highest level of satisfaction, to do something I want to do for myself. So, I did.

High and Low?

In that same first quarter I was lucky enough to get assigned a position within my organisation with more responsibility, a big personal high with lots of happiness coming with it, no doubt. But you might already feel it…; it didn’t come with no strings attached, obviously. I love my job and that’s the big high, I loved it last year and the years before and I love it now, but yes, change has come and it has come in big and fast waves, huge learnings and (hopefully not too huge) failures. There is still a long way to go for me to learn and grow, I think that’s the case for everybody else too, you just never stop. I am ready to improve continuously but I can′t lie either, it is exhausting sometimes.

High and Low?

Going back to the apartment thing, it’s almost hard to believe that after around 9 years of (rather useless) dating in Barcelona (yes, I am talking dating now), I finally met someone in the city where everything fits in the moment where I’ve already taken the decision to leave Barcelona and go for an easier lifestyle outside the city, on the coast. It’s all good, we are managing the distance very well, but isn’t life funny itself? I finally meet the one when I′ve decided to leave.

High and Low?

Having had the summer of my dreams in my beautiful new home with my beautiful new life, close to the beach, no desire to travel far but just to enjoy the huge change that has taken place after 20 years living in the city. The enormous risk I took with that decision. Not a minute of regret so far. ?It is exactly then, so close to perfection (which doesn’t exist as we know), that I started to have some unexpected health issues, no use to go into detail (nothing severe), but a couple of quite rough weeks followed and ended my summer a little faster and a little more uncomfortable. I am in recovery phase right now, which will take a couple of months still. I guess the high here is that I am recovering. I am thankful for that, and I am positive I will be a 100% again soon. ?

High and Low?

Finally, not sure if all the changes in my life played a part in that or the pandemic, we all suffered or a combination of a million things but yes, big changes/successes often come with sacrifices and well, with lows. I had to say goodbye to some dear good old friends, some of them I seem to have lost along the way, or they lost me, or we just lost each other. I am asking myself does a high always need to have a low attached? Maybe it’s just how life works, in rollercoaster rides. In highs and lows with some flat waiting lines in between.

But I am proud to say, this year has been damn hard so far, but it has also been my best one in a long, long time! So, for me, the answer is Yes, it’s possible to have the most difficult and most beautiful year all in one.

Why would I share this on LinkedIn? Because everything what happens in our private life is also applicable in our work-life component, there are highs and lows, and they will come and go and there will be awesome days and not so awesome days and sometimes the not so awesome days seems to never end and there won′t be anything you can do to influence that. But at the end of the day we just keep going, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying but we keep going, that’s the message!?No storm goes on forever.

I hope you can relate somehow to my experiences and thoughts, and you enjoyed the read.

Read you soon! Wish you a high day ??