My Year in Review: The Dots Only Connect in Reverse
This year forced me to learn the difference between having a plan and surviving the reality. Redundancy hit early. Terrible timing, a tight market, and no perfect options. But you play the hand you are given. Standing still wasn’t on the table.
At home, everything was shifting too. Henry started school at five, then moved schools again at six. Two big transitions in his first year. My wife changed jobs as well. Suddenly, all three of us were stepping into something new. And, strangely, redundancy gave me the time to actually be present for it. Walking him in. Settling nerves. Seeing the world through his eyes. It took a lot from me, but it gave me that.
Then came the financial reality. Interest rates had already climbed, but we were still insulated. Until we weren’t. We fell off our fixed rate straight into a heavy uplift. Overnight, the mortgage became bigger, tighter, louder. It wasn’t a crisis, but it changed the pressure in the room. It made every decision feel like it mattered more.
There were bright moments. A wedding in South Africa, family, sunshine, and me squeezing interviews between celebrations because the job market doesn’t care where you are. And later, a trip to the Snowy Mountains, where we went completely off-grid. No reception, no noise, no obligations. Just space. You only realise how compressed you’ve become when life finally lets you breathe.
Professionally, I explored every path. Fractional roles. Advisory. Partner ecosystem opportunities. Even building something of my own. Some doors opened, some closed, some reappeared in ways that made no sense at the time but make perfect sense now. It was messy, but movement brings clarity. Waiting for perfect conditions is a fantasy.
Eventually, a direction emerged. A role at UST that felt aligned with who I am now, not with the version of me from a year ago. A broader stack. Bigger challenges. A chance to rebuild, not rewind.
Looking back, the year makes sense. Living through it, it didn’t. That’s the truth of transitions: the dots only connect in reverse.
I’m heading into next year with more intention and less fear. Not because everything is sorted, but because I trust myself to handle whatever comes next.
If you’re still in your own messy middle, keep going. You will understand it later.
