My birthday is coming up on Tuesday, December 1. I’ve been reflecting on the last 365 days or so as so much has happened in my personal life and in my business.
Personal
- December 7, 2019 – My husband Steve suffered a mini stroke and spent 32 hours in intensive care at the local hospital. When he returned home without any lasting health consequences, the decision to downsize his fee-only financial planning firm to allow for more flexibility and set the stage for his glide path to retirement became important. It was time to wake up and realize that the time is now to put more life in our years versus years in our life.
- January 21- My dear friend Dana Hall Kennon succumbed after a brave battle with breast cancer. Together with my high school classmates from 40 years prior, we made it possible for her and her daughter to see the holiday lights at Disneyland one last time before cancer could steal her last breath.
- In February, I joined four of my favorite Gal Pals to attend the Oprah event at the Los Angeles Forum to get inspiration to create my 2020 vision. It was a meaningful, emotional, joyful trip. Who knew that just days upon our return, the world would shut down because of COVID 19. The visions we all had for 2020 were derailed in ways none of us could have anticipated, testing our resilience and strengthening our resolve.
- March — the world seemed to shut down because of COVID 19.
- May – My son graduated from Western Washington University, Bellingham with a degree in chemistry.
- June 21 — My 89 year old mother died just as the homemade chicken parmesan was coming out of the oven to celebrate Father’s Day with my husband Steve and our son. For several years, her dementia was growing worse, she suffered from falls and other issues, and was living in a board and care facility that we were not allowed to visit because of restrictions from COVID 19. Suffering this loss and having to then step up to see about cleaning out and refreshing her home for sale required considerable time, energy, and focus. Life happens while you are making other plans. There is no doubt about that. We’ve all learned that this year.
- July – My sister and I traveled to Mission Hills, CA to clean out my mom’s house, meet with contractors, and begin the process of remodeling it for sale. The first stage of my husband’s business transition came to a close.
- August — My son started his PhD program in chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin, moving far away from home for the first time. Big deal for all of us.
- September — My mom’s house is put on the market in a very strange COVID 19 market.
- In October, I took steps to rev up my exercise and eating habits for better health and released some extra weight in the process. I also played the role of “angel in the outfield” to help raise money to add fuel a GoFundMe campaign for a fellow professional speaker who had the courage to ask for support.
- November — My mom’s estate settled.
Business
- A year ago, I was involved in a conflict over someone else’s inappropriate use of my intellectual property. The amount of time and energy I put forth to fight this battle was greater than I care to confess. When the New Year rolled around, I was relieved to settle and get on with the rest of my life. If I had to do it differently, I would have found the courage to confront the offending party and find a more peaceful way to resolution than involving attorneys. The only folks who win in these cases are the lawyers.
- April – I decided to shift my entrepreneurial focus back to my Get Known Get Paid expertise after toiling for a couple of years to get the Life Goes on Roadmap off the ground. Over that two year period, I had grown attached to the value and the impact of getting personal financial information and documents organized before something random or crazy could stop us. Even during a worldwide pandemic, this offering proved hard to sell. I realized that I didn’t want to live in the energy of prior bumps in the road in my own life. That was an important realization. The product is still available for purchase and there are a number of financial advisors and estate planning attorneys who have licensed this content to serve their clients.
- May – I found myself revisiting work I had prior done in my Get Known Get Paid business. With the pandemic raging, I asked myself what I could contribute during this dire time to serve and make my own best impact. I challenged myself to revisit the first and second editions of the Bye-Bye Boring Bio Workbook through fresh eyes and came to the realization that the work needed a complete and total makeover to be of optimal service and impact to speakers, experts and authors now benched from speaking up via live events.
- July 4 Weekend – The preview for the 2020 version of the workbook achieved Amazon #1 best-seller status in four categories at the Kindle store! I took the steps to finalize the full version of the workbook, secure testimonials from Icons of Influence in my industry, and make plans to debut the work in the fall.
- September 8 – Bye-Bye Boring Bio 2020 Workbook debuted at the same time as I taught the Be the Podcast Dream Guest 5-Day Challenge from within my Raise Your Voice – Make Your Impact Facebook Group. I was on purpose, on fire, and of service to guide hundreds of active participants to welcome the promised outcome and successfully re-launched my Get Known Get Paid business with brand new offerings.
- September 24 – My new website debuted to showcase those new offerings.
- Between July and now, I took my own “speak more” advice and had the honor to share ideas and perspectives on 40+ podcasts, broadcasts, and other virtual stages.
- I also added many treasured Jewels in the Crown to my business network. Among them Cloris Kylie, Holley Mignosi, Debra Mathias, Damon Burton, and David Newman,
- On December 2. I am leading the final Be the Podcast Dream Guest virtual workshop for 2020 with intentions of serving and guiding speakers, experts, and authors to take steps to welcome that outcome.
It’s been a lot to tend to. I am still here, making my best impact with gratitude for the journey and the lessons in resilience I have learned along the way. I truly believe my finest hour of service and contribution is still ahead.
I am grateful for every breath and every moment.
Onward.
