A year and two on

I'm reading through my previous blog entries and it is clear that the last 3 years can be broken into 3 distinct pieces: pre-INSEAD, INSEAD and post-INSEAD. The first two were definitely great. 2008 is the first post-INSEAD year and now that it's drawing to a close, I'm reflecting on just how good of a year it has been. Though I'm back in London, I now live in a world I never dreamed of pre-INSEAD. To any outside observer, 2008 must have been a great year for me. Old friends, new friends, family and colleagues all concur. Unfortunately, the feeling inside couldn't be more different, for in post-INSEAD, I have been humbled. While I generally regard being humbled as a good thing, my humbling also came with an unhealthy dose of shattered confidence. Where do I now find the strength to rebuild the confidence I once had? Is it in my heart, my gut or my mind? Wherever it is, I have a feeling the success of 2009 will depend heavily on me rediscovering it. Let 2009 be the year I reinvent myself...again.

Tomorrow I leave for a week in St. Petersburg and Moscow for a long overdue trip to see Tchaikovsky's home and visit some friends. A long needed break. Hopefully I'll get alot accomplished in the 5 hours of sunlight and freezing weather.