The old year is drawing to a close and the new one awaits us. What have we experienced this year? What are we thankful for? What have we learnt? Which mistakes do we want to avoid repeating? Perhaps we have experienced many beautiful things, but we may also have overcome some obstacles in our path. Or are we still stumbling over them? Now may be a good time to put them behind us. A fresh start to the New Year is made easier when we bid a fond farewell to the old year. Let us leave behind the many good memories, the wise advice, the beautiful insights, the great experiences – but also the bad experiences, the bitter pills and the bad decisions. The year has passed and we have learnt our lessons from it.

The new year offers us a good opportunity for a new beginning. Where do we want to go in our careers and in our private lives? Do we want to make changes in our lives? Do we have any New Year’s resolutions or is it going to be the same old story. We shouldn’t always ask God for success and happiness, we can earn it. Keeping the good things and being able to continue developing oneself demands courage, determination, confidence, hard work and a lot of patience. For this we have time enough, a whole year.

With this in mind, I wish all of you great joy and love for this special time of the year, as well as relaxing holidays full of wonderful moments with your loved ones. All the best for the New Year – may you have good health, happiness, success and above all, much courage along your way.