Tis the season for reflection – the time when we look back at the past year and think about all the things we did (or didn’t) do… often while frantically wrapping that one last gift before the family gets home, or fighting the glitter that insists on covering every small crevice as it snows off the decorations (or is that just me?).
I must admit, I am one of those people that starts out every year with crazy ambitious goals, some of which don’t make it to February, let alone to the finish line (yes, dining room that is still undecorated, I am talking about you!). However, as I was reflecting on 2018 while hiding the spray glitter where my husband will never find it, I was struck by how amazing and crazy year this has been.
This very long year that went by in a flash often felt like a rollercoaster of ups and downs with plenty of loops just going around and around, and yet… and yet…
We launched the career.place product – the company that has been my heart and soul, blood, sweat, tears and pretty much everything else, since 2016 launched in Q2 of this year. With an amazing co-founder, an incredible team, and a healthy dose of unbelievable stubbornness, we achieved something truly fantastic. My heart felt like it skipped a beat when I saw career.place for the first time, live.
My network exploded with amazing people – as a founder and CEO, I do a lot of networking… a LOT of networking. I spent the year reaching out through LinkedIn, getting introduced to people who know people who know people, and speaking and attending event after event after event… it was exhausting and exhilarating. And through these efforts, I met incredible people doing incredible things. Even more, they have become friends, mentors, and partners in our mutual goals of making a difference. Aaron, Alberto, Amy, Bronchae, Christi, Craig, Laura, Lisa, Mark, Natasha, Paul, Ruben, Tanya, Wendy… to name just a few. Amazing what happens when you say hello!
I finished my novel – okay, so I finished a complete DRAFT of my novel… (multiple drafts, really… depending on how you define ‘draft’). But, still, it is a major achievement and a source of pride. Not bad for someone diagnosed with dyslexia who was told as a kid that reading may not be obtainable. Now I just have to figure out what to do with it… any suggestions?
2018 was an excellent year for reinforcing some of life’s most precious lessons:
Always surround yourself with amazing people because what you can achieve together has no limit – like launching a new product.
Get out there and say hello because there are some amazing people out there that you just haven’t met yet.
Don’t let others tell you what you are capable of (or yourself, for that matter), the only way something is impossible is if you never attempt to achieve it.
So, besides taking career.place to the next level, what’s in store for 2019? What crazy ambitious goals am I planning to chase and achieve? Well, that is for a different blog post.
What about you, what are you most proud of in 2018 or what do you plan for 2019?
Happy Holidays and have a wonderful New Year!