Christmas is a day that I can’t help but associate with Sacrifice.

The story of how Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice to demonstrate the love he had for all mankind is celebrated every Christmas.

Though I am not a Christian, I think the idea of sacrifice is something that all of us can relate to.

Looking back on the year in this final week of 2023, it's natural that we're primed to be more acutely aware of sacrifices that we have made for our loved ones, health and work.

In this past year, the top three areas that I think have involved the most amount of sacrifice in my life include:

(1) Time and energy to support my child in his development. For example, organizing activities with other parents, taking time to connect with his teachers regularly to see how we can provide better support at home for his development.

(2) Sacrifices made to have a more healthy life which includes cutting down on foods that I enjoy, desserts and suppers, making the effort to exercise more regularly at the right level of intensity for it to make a difference.

(3) Effort put into work that required sacrifice of time to unwind, pursue more hobbies and interests and connecting with family and friends.

Interestingly, I think the only area that I felt myself asking a follow-up question is around work.

The question is: Was it worth it to make sacrifices at work?

That brings me to the key idea I wanted to share for this newsletter, which I know I've taken a long hiatus to give myself some balance and time needed to run this marathon called Life.

I think the answer to whether the sacrifices that we make at work is worth it really depends on whether the kind of sacrifices we are making are aligned with our values and goals.

I’ve had a manager at a previous company whom I just wasn’t aligned with from a values standpoint. The sacrifice that would have been required of me to stay in the role, would be to turn a blind eye to blatant bullying at work, was really not worth it to me to endure for the long term.

But zooming into this past year, I think the sacrifices made of working till late at night and weekends felt worthwhile overall because this opportunity is something that I had signed up for with eyes wide open.

I know we're at the next stage where it’s an uphill climb after all the low hanging fruit have been plucked in year one such as focusing on building out a team from scratch. This year required a more delicate balance of figuring out how to execute with excellence while dealing with new changes and expansion plans.

Because I can tell myself the story that these experiences have helped me develop new skills and sharpen existing ones, and I can see myself making a larger contribution to the team, it's not too difficult for me to convince myself that all the sacrifices made were worthwhile.

So in the final week of this year, I wanted to pose these questions back to you:

What are some of the sacrifices you’ve made this year?

Do you feel if the sacrifices you made, especially for work, were well worth your effort? Why or why not?

Hit the 'reply' button to let me know your thoughts and I promise to respond :)

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones. My deepest gratitude to you for taking the time to open this email and kudos of making it all the way to the end of this newsletter.

I hope these weekly meditations will continue to bring you some fresh perspectives that can inspire and add more meaning to your life at work and beyond as it has for mine.

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Your talent advisor,

Lynn

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