The Year That Was: Reflections 2021

You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

While we have only just bid goodbye to 2021, there's a frantic energy that I see in the entrepreneurs and businesses around me- they are almost desperate to end the year on a strong note, and thus sort of ensure that they are kicking off 2022 on a solid footing.

And who can blame them? While the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is likely (we hope) behind us, and despite our businesses coming back on track, the trauma of the crisis is still fresh in the minds of most, and we're all still feeling that pressure to make up for the lost time.

But descending into such a frenzy at the end of a year often means that they are not taking the time to ponder over what they have done over the last 12 months- there's no recollection of accomplishments made, nor any thought given to lessons learnt.

Now, dear reader, this is something we at Entrepreneur Middle East would like to discourage you from doing- and this particular feature is our attempt to encourage you to pause, look back on the year gone by, and see how your experiences in 2021 can help shape your future in 2022.

Our hope is that these insights from a variety of voices in the MENA business ecosystem will both inform and inspire you to engage in some active reflection of your own, and then use it to manifest your dreams for 2022. Here's to a great year ahead!

Aby Sam Thomas is the former Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur Middle East. Having started working on the brand in November 2014, Aby was responsible for leading the publication on its editorial front until September 2024.

In his nearly-decade-long tenure at Entrepreneur Middle East, Aby played a key role in its growth and development across the MENA region, with him developing and executing events, programs, and other initiatives under the brand's banner, while also personally representing it through his appearances in conferences, media, etc.

Aby has been working in journalism since 2011, prior to which he was an analyst programmer with Accenture, where he worked with J. P. Morgan Chase's investment banking arm at offices in Mumbai, London, and New York. He holds a Master's Degree in Journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York.

The Year That Was: Reflections 2021 Our hope is that these insights from a variety of voices in the MENA business ecosystem will both inform and inspire you to engage in some active reflection of your own, and then use it to manifest your dreams for 2022.

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