December 2024 has blown by, and it’s time to look back. Earlier this autumn, I started doing month-in-picture recaps here at LinkedIn, and December is no exception. Since it also marks the end of the year, I’ve written a summary of 2024 as a whole (in Swedish).
When I sat down to work on my summary, my thoughts were filled with all the hopes and dreams I had during 2024 that didn’t come true (and trust me, there were some big ones). But as I started listing what did happen – the fascinating people I met, the beautiful places I visited, and the unexpected moments – my perspective began to shift. With every revision, I found myself a little more impressed with the year.
In the end, I think it’s a solid summary. A few people have already read it and shared their (kind) comments privately. It’s written in Swedish, but if that’s not your language, feel free to use your favorite translation tool or just enjoy the photos: https://lnkd.in/dWAERumk.
One lesson from writing this summary is how valuable it can be to dive into your calendar and photo archive to get a more balanced view of a year – not just the highlights or the tough moments, but all the small things in between that actually make a year great.
Speaking of lessons, December brought me another one: the importance of facts.
In the middle of the month, I attended a Christmas lunch with IKEM – Innovations- och kemiindustrierna i Sverige (which, by the way, was really nice). Before the meal, we were treated to a presentation by Ola Rosling, and it was nothing short of mind-blowing.
Ola challenged us to rethink our worldview. He reminded us that if your understanding of the world is shaped by the sensational stories in the news, you might – quite literally – know less than a monkey. Using data and statistics, he showed how the world is often better than we think, but also where we need to focus our energy to tackle real challenges. It was a powerful and inspiring reminder of the value of grounding your opinions in facts, not headlines. I will return to it several times this year I hope.
As for pictures, the collage below features the most popular photos from the past year at Instagram – the ones that received the most likes from my followers. It’s always interesting to see what ends up there. The results are a mix of what people genuinely enjoy most among the pictures I’ve shared and what the algorithm decided to favor.
I want to end this by thanking everyone who made this year great. All the people I’ve met and worked with – thank you. I look forward to continuing to work with you all in 2025!
This monthly recap was originally published on LinkedIn.
Science communicator and project manager based in Sweden, working internationally. Montly recaps in English.
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