2024 - A Year-End Review

Reading time: 3 minutes

And just like that, we’ve landed in 2025!  🌟   Happy New Year!   🌟

I hope you had a wonderful winter break and created lasting memories with your loved ones as you celebrated the past holidays. May this well-deserved break have refilled your energy and given you a new boost for the year ahead!

I want to send you my best wishes for a fantastic 2025. May this year be filled with everything you wish for and more—peace, joy, laughter, fulfilment, and abundant professional opportunities!

Thank you for being a part of my world! Your presence, your questions, and your perspectives have been an inspiration throughout 2024. You've helped me craft articles aimed at advancing your understanding of personal development in the context of management and leadership mastery.

A special thank you goes to those who chose me as their thinking partner in coaching. Your determination to move forward, build a better mindset, and develop resilience has been truly inspiring. This partnership has been rewarding for both you and me in so many ways.

What did 2024 stand for you?

Before you fully emerge into 2025, I have an invitation for you. If you want 2025 to be different and evolve in a better way, now is the time to take a moment for yourself and reflect on who you were in 2024. 

Are you proud of the person you became?

For me, 2024 was a roller coaster, stretching and special at the same time. I knew from the start that it would be an intensive year—at least emotionally, if not physically. But as the year unfolded, I had to abandon the plans I made and adapt as the days came.

It has been a year of both closures and beginnings. A year of relocating, with everything that comes with it, and of parting from a loved one. It’s been a year where I learned to let go of all plans, discovering the freedom that comes from living day by day.

It has also been a year where I chose to focus on family and realized how much well-being and fulfilment come from those connections. I learned to differentiate between trying to control circumstances and truly being in control of my choices.

Professionally and personally, it’s been a year of growth. Looking back, I see just how important it was to commit to two professional development programs before knowing how challenging the year would be.

The first program focused on Leadership Development and how the mindset of leaders evolves with maturity. Leaders develop nuanced approaches to integrating and acting in the face of dualities or conflicts. If this topic interests you, you can learn more in this HBR article - Seven Transformations of Leadership by David Rooke and William R. Torbert. The second program is on Team Coaching, an intensive training I’m still pursuing, intending to obtain the ICF accreditation in 2025.

When I said YES to these programs, I had no idea how complex 2024 would become. However, once I made the commitment and paid for the courses, the only way forward was to act with the belief that I could handle it all. It was the point where I allowed myself to set aside everything that didn’t matter at that moment and managed whatever came my way, without clinging to initial expectations. I didn’t condemn myself for not doing everything or get upset that I wasn’t performing at my usual high level.

Life gave me a chance to experience what it’s like to live when you feel like you have no control and see how much easier things become when you cancel all expectations and attachments. When you don’t hold on to a plan, when you stop mourning the illusion of what you thought should have happened, and when you stop comparing yourself to anyone else, you give yourself the freedom to move forward, perhaps even more quickly, along directions that, while different from what you might have initially envisioned, certainly represent progress.

Oddly enough, it was also the year of a vacation experience to Costa Rica. When my son suggested in 2023 this trip, I said YES, and within moments, we bought our flight tickets on impulse. I realize now that, without this somewhat crazy decision—at least on my part—this trip would not have happened, either emotionally or in terms of resources. Yet, looking back, after spending December at the Ecuator, I realize that this might have been the perfect experience to bring calm amid the frenzy of the year.

Although I’m someone who loves being outdoors, I can’t even remember the last time I felt nature so close. Perhaps it was simply being immersed in the vibrant green and dense atmosphere of a primordial cloud forest or the peaceful vastness of the Pacific Ocean. Hearing thousands of sounds I’m not used to or the cotton silence of the cloud forest, being overwhelmed by nature and the diversity of wildlife around me, and experiencing a way of living dictated by the sudden rise and fall of the sun, tasting what would life look like in a remote place where you count the people on your fingers - all of these gave me the sense of a world untouched by time, a world before Adam and Eve, which I was fortunate enough to touch.

Costa Rica gifted me with the concept of "Pura Vida". The phrase that became this nation’s signature, embodies a positive attitude and a life philosophy centered on simplifying and appreciating the essential things. Literally, "pura vida" means "pure life," but its significance goes beyond this meaning. It’s a way of approaching life calmly, free from excessive worry, and appreciating each day’s moments. 

People in Costa Rica use it to welcome you, to greet you in the morning, to salute you before your departure, to praise their pristine nature, to appreciate you as their guest, but also to accept whatever they cannot control. It's a way to express gratitude, and enthusiasm, or even to encourage others to live in harmony with nature and with themselves. "Pura Vida" is a way of celebrating social relationships, community, and a close connection with the environment. In an increasingly chaotic world, it promotes balance, mental health, and gratitude for the small things that bring fulfilment.

Back home, my desire for 2025 is to embrace the concept of "pura vida" and to make it a conscious lifestyle. To me, "Pura Vida" is the essence of life’s simplicity, whether at work or not. It is the path of ease and flow. It’s the joy for each new day on Earth, the gratitude of having someone with whom to share the things that matter, the contentment found in harmony and peace, the relaxed acceptance of what is beyond your control, and the respect for nature and all other beings with whom you share this space. Ultimately, it is the conviction that everything is just as it should be, that I am exactly where I need to be, and that I hold inner resources to keep moving forward with my head and heart high.

If I were to capture my 2024 in a single word, it would be unfolding. The year felt both like an experiment and a story still being written, with every chapter revealing itself in unexpected ways. An experiment of letting things simply unfold: slowly, steadily, and sometimes wildly, without forcing the ending.

As we step into 2025, it's a perfect moment for reflection. Take a pause and ask yourself: How did 2024 unfold for you? What moments stood out in your journey—whether they were victories, challenges, significant life experiences or lessons learned? In the quiet of this transition, consider how far you’ve come, and what growth you’ve experienced.

I invite you to find a quiet moment with yourself and go through this YEAR-END REVIEW. Reflect on the milestones you've reached, the hurdles you've overcome, and the areas where you may have fallen short. This honest self-evaluation is a vital step in setting intentional goals for 2025. What are the patterns you’ve noticed in your behaviour, and how have they shaped your results? Recognizing where you stand today is key to crafting the path forward.

Once you've completed your reflection, let’s take the next step together. I’m here to guide you through a conversation about your findings. Together, we can uncover where you are right now and explore your best options for personal and professional growth. Whether you're feeling inspired to keep progressing or unsure of your next move, I invite you to reach out for a deeper discussion on how you can move from where you are to where you want to be.

Looking forward to hearing and learning from your life experiences.

Until next time, keep thriving!

Alina Florea

Your Management Performance Coach 

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

The most appreciated articles of 2024:

1) This year I will ...

2) Steering through managerial undercurrents

3) A March for renewal

4) Engage responsibly with life

5) Simplify

How can I support you?

Growth Mindset for New Managers - Your online autonomy training is designed to catalyse your personal growth and ensure your fast transition to your first management role.

The Manager Mindset: One-on-one coaching designed to boost your performance and enhance your sense of fulfilment and satisfaction in life.

Master Your Resilience - Group coaching that helps you navigate life's challenges with greater ease and flow, empowering you to thrive through adversity.

Complimentary Strategy Call (FREE) - Let’s craft your personalized roadmap for transformation. Discover where coaching can take you in just 6 months with a free, strategic call to set your path toward success.