2024 Did Not End Gentle

2024 was a year of resilience and adaptation, with ambitious goals in Copilot Studio deployment, Power Platform automation, IT centralization, and cybersecurity expanding beyond initial plans. The year also brought personal challenges, including the loss of my mother, reinforcing the strength needed to navigate the unexpected. As 2025 begins, I move forward with gratitude, focus, and hope for a steadier path ahead.

Dawn Thiart

12/23/20241 min read

Apple MacBook beside computer mouse on table
Apple MacBook beside computer mouse on table

I found myself using words like ๐˜ด๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜บ, ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ, ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ด๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ฆ.

The year began with clear, well-thought-out objectives:

โ€ข Deploy ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ฆ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ผ across multiple internal document libraries.
โ€ข Build ๐—ฃ๐—ผ๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฃ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐˜๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€โ€”travel claims, contract obligations, and beyond.
โ€ข Create a centralised IT Function.
โ€ข Create an L1 support function.
โ€ข Manage the cybersecurity roadmap.
โ€ข And more.

But as the months passed, the roadmap grew. What began as a one-year cybersecurity plan evolved into a three-year strategic initiative, demanding more time and energy than I had anticipated.

Beyond work, life brought its own challenges. This was the year I lost my mom. It was unexpected yet expectedโ€”a loss that still caught me by surprise.

2024 became a year of adaptation, resilience, and hard lessons. It wasnโ€™t what I envisioned, but it was what it was.

As I reflect, Iโ€™m reminded of the strength it takes to keep moving forward when faced with the unexpected. Hereโ€™s to stepping into 2025 with gratitude, focus, and hope for gentler days ahead.