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As we cycle through the holiday season this year, the world feels darker, grimmer, and less joyous. The unspeakable brutality and atrocities of October 7 and its aftermath affected me more deeply than I ever fathomed. Watching the news unfold while having family and clients in Israel, as well as witnessing the increased antisemitism across our country and within our educational institutions has left me oscillating between feelings of anger, hurt, and despair over the past two months. It’s also brought me unequivocally closer to the practices and traditions within Judaism — lighting candles every Shabbat (including an extra one for the hostages, the victims, and IDF soldiers), embracing family time, and taking needed pauses without feeling guilt or shame.
Over the past six weeks, I’ve received a lot of outreach from readers of my column, followers on LinkedIn, and clients alike, many of whom are also navigating challenging times internally and externally in this last part of the year. The economy has shifted dramatically in 2023. Job searches are taking longer. Hiring feels limited, and there is less outreach this year for career opportunities compared to last. Many people are grappling with issues of short- and long-term uncertainty at current companies. Others are navigating through painful personal losses and grief, which often feels heightened and accelerated in the holiday season.
The end of the year is often anticlimactic — you might be asking yourself: have I accomplished everything I set out to achieve this year? Did I lose the weight I wanted to? Did I make the needed time for myself? Did I grow closer to the right people and distance myself from the wrong ones? Did I make that big career change I wanted to? Did I get the promotion and salary increase I was promised this year?
Finding light and gratitude in a season of darkness can feel like a self-defeating prophecy. COVID-19 took a lot out of us in 2020 and in the years after. Many are still recovering from it.
You might question and agonize over those new year’s resolutions. You might feel disconnected professionally and personally. You might have also experienced total and complete burnout. Perhaps there’s this lingering dark cloud surrounding you, and you can’t seem to avoid it or exit it.
One of my favorite song lyrics says, “Dark clouds may hang on me sometimes … but I’ll work it out.” I used to repeat those words over and over again during my hardest days as a law student and lawyer when I would question myself and my entire existence. It has always been a message of reassurance that even with the dark clouds following us around and even with all of the uncertainties surrounding us, everything is going to be OK. One step at a time. One moment at a time. Positive thoughts. Positive energy. Positive changes.
While we journey through the last few weeks of 2023, make sure to give yourself grace, patience, and forgiveness. Allow yourself the space to grieve, ponder, and heal. Embrace this period as a chance for reflection, regrouping, and resurfacing. Communicate those boundaries and utilize hard stops on your workload in order to decompress.
A new year means new beginnings and new opportunities for a fresh slate. It’s a chance to set new intentions and write the next chapter in your book of life — it’s not the ending, but a beginning of new journeys, new roads, and new destinations to come.
As I head into a brief holiday break to recharge my own internal and external batteries, I want to thank you for reading my column through the years. I truly enjoy the shares, the messages, and the insights.
I look forward to writing more in 2024 and having you along for the journey. Have a safe holiday season.
Wendi Weiner is an attorney, career expert, and founder of The Writing Guru, an award-winning executive resume writing services company. Wendi creates powerful career and personal brands for attorneys, executives, and C-suite/Board leaders for their job search and digital footprint. She also writes for major publications about alternative careers for lawyers, personal branding, LinkedIn storytelling, career strategy, and the job search process. You can reach her by email at wendi@writingguru.net, connect with her on LinkedIn, and follow her on Twitter @thewritingguru.
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