I can hardly believe that 2024 is almost over. I don’t know how the year flew by in a glimpse. So many things happened this year, and I honestly couldn’t keep up. Even in these last few hours of the year, I feel like there are still a couple more months to go. Maybe life is like this. We don’t realize how quickly our time in this world is ending, but we believe we have a lot more to spend.
I started the year with a determination to take control of my personal and professional life. I had been off track for the last couple of years after losing my mother. This year, I planned to return to my track with improvements. I could hardly imagine the changes this year would bring into my life. There were so many ups and downs throughout the year due to personal, family, professional, as well as political reasons. All of these have significantly transformed my life and will impact the rest of it.
The very first and most significant transformative event was becoming the father of a sweet girl. My wife and I were blessed with our first child in April of this year. It was the most amazing thing that happened to both of us. My wife’s pregnancy journey was very hard as she continued traveling nearly 4 hours a day for work until the very last day. Furthermore, the birth was almost a month early, and we were not prepared. My daughter stepped into the world with a surprise. On the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr, we returned from the office and bid farewell to my father and sister, who were traveling to my native village for Eid celebrations. After finishing all the household chores, my wife and I had just sat down to rest when her water broke.
I panicked as I was alone with my wife. My driver, family members, and close relatives had already left Dhaka for Eid celebrations. In desperation, I called a friend who lived nearby and asked him to meet me at the hospital. I also informed my sister and father, asking them to return unless their launch had already left Dhaka. Luckily, their launch was about to set sail, and they were able to get off quickly. A new problem arose when my wife called her doctor, only to find out that she was also sick and had been admitted to the same hospital. Both of us were in shock. Fortunately, her doctor referred us to another doctor, who immediately agreed to help. The new doctor was extremely helpful and rushed to the hospital from her home 10 kilometers away at midnight.
When my wife was taken to the operating theater, I was asked about a blood donor. I was completely thunderstruck as I had forgotten to inform my donors. Additionally, some of them were out of town. Luckily, my friend, whom I had asked to come, had the same blood group as my wife and donated his blood. My family members joined us shortly after, and soon, the doctor announced the birth of my daughter.
The second transformative event was my promotion to Global Partner at Ernst & Young. At the beginning of the year, I was informed of my nomination for the partner assessment process. From March onward, I began preparing. The most significant interview was scheduled the morning after my daughter was born. I returned from the hospital at 7 AM, took a short nap, and attended the interview at 10 AM. Thankfully, it went well. After completing the assessment process, I was notified at the end of May about my promotion. I officially took over as EY Global Partner on July 1, 2024. Although I had already been serving as a local partner, this global role opened a completely new chapter in my professional life.
On July 1, 2024, I also took over as President of the Rotary Club of Dhaka Luminous. I had been a member of the club since 2016, actively participating in meetings and service projects. Leading such a prestigious club, with members who are senior leaders of various organizations, is a true honor. This year, we worked on many impactful service projects like distributing school furniture, organizing eye camps, tree plantation drives, and setting up deep tube wells. This leadership role is another major milestone in my life.
While July transformed my life, it also marked a transformative period for the country. Widespread protests were held to reform the government job quota system, sparking a revolution that ultimately overthrew a 15-year-long regime. The revolution came at a heavy cost, with the loss of many innocent lives, including students. The government tried to silence people by shutting down the internet, television, and social media. People were helpless and confined to their homes. However, we also witnessed the bravery of the Gen Z generation, who showed remarkable courage and led the movement. I must say that this generation demonstrated more bravery than Generation X or we millennials.
The last major transformative event was my decision to move. In August, I shifted from Mohammadpur, where I had lived for 20 years, to Shantinagar. I had been living in a joint family with my sister, her daughters, my parents, and my wife. However, the daily commute to and from work had become exhausting for both my wife and me, consuming 4 to 5 hours each day. Moving to Shantinagar cut my travel time to 1 hour and my wife’s to 30 minutes. Leaving Mohammadpur and the memories I had built there was tough, but the change was necessary. Who knows, I might return somedayâor perhaps not.
There were many other small events that shaped my year, but these were the most significant. So I am now going to focus on that. Rather let me focus on reviewing my 10 resolutions for 2024.
01. Read 20 Books.
Started the year according to plan. Finished 6 books in 4 months. But Since April i had absolutely no opportunity to read books. Only things I read was news, articles, financial statements and audit working papers.
02. Write blogs at least 2 blogs per month.
I think this year my writing performance is worst since I started writing. Only 10 post so far. I wanted to rebuild my habit of writing but unfortunately it didn’t happen.
03. Go on travel for relaxation at least 4 times
I didn’t had chance for travelling 4 times. But I took my family to Cox’s Bazar for few days and had an amazing time. Also during the July revolution, we had to remain confined at home without internet. As there were no work without internet, I spent a week in relaxation which I badly needed at that time.
04. Meet with all my relatives at least once a year.
Another failed resolution. I rather lost connection with my relatives. It appears that sometime focusing on self is better than building or maintaining connections.
05. Increase involvement with Rotary and actively participate in social activities
I was already a regular member of the club. But when I took over the club as president, my involvement increased significantly. I had participated in several club projects. Although planned for many projects but had to defer for various reasons.
06. Write at least one article to any professional journal.
This was almost done. I was planning for writing an article on “Challenges of Public Interest Entity by FRC”. But rather I had a meeting with FRC and discussed practical challenges with them. But I am preparing for writing this articles. If everything goes according to the plan, I will try to publish it in 2025.
07. Learn and develop new skill.
No new professional skills were learnt or developed. But I think I have now have requisite skill to babysit, changing diapers, understand baby sounds. đ
08. Do something new and explore new hobbies.
One of my hobby is to socialize and building connections. I have joined Bangladesh MBA Association at the end of the year for the purpose of socialization and building connections. Although no new hobbies were developed, I continued my other hobbies.
09. Strengthen and regularly connect with your professional network.
Yes, I have actively tried to rebuild or strengthen my professional network. I have actively participated in various events by ICAB, ICMAB, CIMA and other professional forums. I have also facilitated a training on IFRS 18 at ICMAB. I believe I was the first one to have such training in Bangladesh on IFRS 18.
10. Improve financial management by developing long term financial plan.
I have some success on this area. Paid off my entire loan. There is no or manageable amount of credit card dues. Made some investments. I am trying to avoid interest bearing investments. But it is really difficult to identify a less risky shariah based investment option. Need to search more on this area.
As I reflect on my resolutions for 2024, I see both achievements and missed opportunities. While I couldnât meet all my goals, I believe what I accomplished this year exceeded my expectations. Hardships pushed me to grow and reshape my life. As a quote from The Legend of Korra goes, “When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change.”