I Only Did One Thing in 2019

I highly recommend a rearview mirror approach to the year’s end, both from a professional standpoint and a personal one.

If you’re a working parent, the impact of your accomplishments at work will be heightened and sweetened when you realize what you also—simultaneously—accomplished and managed for your family.

For example, in 2018, my lookback showed I had taken 16 business trips AND made it both my children’s parent-teacher conferences. On their own, neither of these are a very big deal, but when you realize I managed all that in the same year? Now that’s something to be proud of!

So, as I began my 2019 “lookback” post, I did what I always do—made a list of milestones and accomplishments, in chronological order. It’s a fun exercise.

There was a lot to celebrate on the list— I published my first book, Retrofit: The Playbook for Modern Moms.
I visited the Grand Canyon with my sister and Niagara Falls with my daughter. I launched a website and marketing for my workforce consulting company, a’parently. I ran 700 miles, including three half-marathons.
I keynoted at Mother: The Summit, and taught at The Ohio State University John Glenn College of Public Affairs. I was interviewed for three podcasts, and spoke at local employers Continental Office, MidOhio Foodbank, Wendy’s, and Worthington Industries. My list went on.

Most of my 2019 ta-da moments had one thing in common. They had at least one moment where it looked like all was lost. Either something happened, or my own internal confidence faltered.

The book? It had to be completely redesigned with just 6 weeks to go before the publishing date. And then I had to change printers at the last possible moment to fit a new size dictated by the redesign.

During those 700 miles of running? I took two falls—one pretty spectacular spill and one humbling little tumble.

The website and marketing launch for a’parently? In the past year, I have written and re-written the site, with new design and architecture, three times. When I finally had the sense to get help, we had to put the site on a new Squarespace template so the ecommerce connections could work.

As for the rest, there were moments of confusion and concern, moments of worry and complete overwhelm as I navigated the first year of my business, the launch of the book, and some big changes on the homefront as well.

When I started to write this, I realized all I did—all year, every day—was one next thing. I took one step forward toward those many milestones as often as I could. I simply kept goin. That’s not to say there weren’t some really long pauses in the progress. I was turned down for speaking engagements, and I was passed by for opportunities along the way.

But I just kept doing one next thing. Sometimes it was big, sometimes it was small, sometimes it was right and sometimes it was another mistake, I mean, learning opportunity.

No matter how you feel about your year, you can probably say the same—you are here, reflecting on it, because you didn’t give up. You showed up, instead. And you are doing it at home and at work, in your community and in your marriage, for your kids and for your team, and you are making all kinds of good and important things happen.

2020 will be another opportunity to keep going.

Happy New Year!