A year of enriching and unusual conversations

From humility to staying positive, interactions with strangers, celebrities and poets taught me invaluable lessons through the year

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Am grateful for all the good things the year 2023 brought me. During these 12 months, I lived the 60th year of my life, and authored two books. I worked hard, with satisfactory results (or so I think). I was invited to Cannes, where Forbes recognized me as one of the top 10 influential chief marketing officers in the world for the second year running. Most importantly, this was a year of good health, after a scare two years ago.

There are also things that I failed to do well in 2023, including some important relationships which I did not succeed in. A new book I have been working on progressed only in fits and starts. I did not consistently walk 10,000 steps a day, which had been my absolute resolve at the start of the year. I could not say no to many requests, though I wanted to. This list is long, but I will stop here, because I want to speak about a unique high point of the year.

2023 was the year when unusual conversations enriched my life. We all know that conversations are important in building connections, exchanging information, providing emotional support, expressing love and generating ideas.

Typically, these are conversations with your partner, family members, colleagues, bosses, team members and friends. All these types of conversations did happen during the year, but what surprised me were the many unexpected conversations, each of which taught me something important. Here are some of them.