So this is it: my final reflection on 20YearsInPractice.
While skimming through these 20+ posts, I realized something I had not planned to happen, but which my artificially intelligent friend aptly described as a very clear arc from the Decade of Becoming (2005–2015) to the Decade of Belonging (2015–2025).
So what is left to say about 2025?
I turned 50 — half a century, neatly divided into 25 years in the last and 25 in this century. A mathematical coincidence I share with others and which gave me the chance to celebrate many 50th birthdays this year (including my own as featured below 📸🫶John Faulk). With many good people. Loving people who care — about their families, their friends, their work, the world. People who seek to make a difference, who create space for joy and exchange, who are grateful and who share that gratitude.
At the same time, this was one of the most challenging years I have experienced — professionally and privately. At times, simply holding everything together felt like an achievement in itself. I keep questioning myself whether I am doing the right thing, whether I am asking too much of myself and others, whether I am embracing too many challenges at once.
But when I recently went through my photos in preparation for my Christmas speech at our annual firm gathering, I immediately noticed: the year had been just as magnificent, colorful, and full of life like the years before.
A friend said something to me not long ago when I told him what I was going through. He said:
“𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”
I am deeply grateful for being surrounded by people who care — my family, my friends, my colleagues, my peers. I constantly receive messages of kindness and love. The most precious gift one can get.
And with that, my friends, I come to a close.
Thank you for following my journey down memory lane. All reflections can be found tagged on my LinkedIn profile.
🙏 Beyond my family, friends, and colleagues, I want to express special thanks to Nina Reicke, who inspired this series; to John Faulk, who has accompanied me for nearly ten years and helped shape so many meaningful projects; and to Jürgen Kugele, my grand master for more than a decade in the ongoing search for the light at the core of the onion — or inner peace, as Master Shifu would say.
Thank you all. Happy New Year. As the Grinch (2018) put it:
🥂“𝑻𝒐 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 — 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕!”
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