Year End Look Back 2017
Before the Christmas tree is put away, before the Christmas goodies have all been eaten, before the kids go back to school after the holiday break, I take an afternoon to reflect on the previous year.
As I write this I’m trying to keep the below zero temps at bay by curling up under a blanket in front of the fire. Milo, our 100-pound lab, lies snoring at my feet and piano music streams from Pandora. My feelings were mixed as I flipped through this year’s calendar… sad that 2017 is almost a memory but building excitement as a new year presents wonderful opportunities.
Month by month, I’m reminded of where time was spent either wisely or foolishly... some accomplishments already forgotten and others fondly remembered. I put together a list of prompts I use when looking back over the previous year. Click HERE to download it for yourself. Following are my highlights from 2017:
Speaking
Perhaps the most surprising and humbling thing that happened in 2017 was the invitation to present a BOLD Talk at INBOUND in Boston, MA. I stepped way outside my comfort zone, submitted an application, and was chosen from thousands of speakers to share a 12-minute message of inspiration. You can watch it HERE. I owe a huge THANK YOU to Laura for believing in me!
My goal at the beginning of 2017 was to have 24 speaking engagements. When combining my own events (Fuel Your Success workshops, Leadercast, and leadership workshops) with outside events (conferences, corporate and association events), I reached 96% of my goal. If I were to add my corporate training days, that number would be blown out of the water. I’ll be narrowing my speaking focus for 2018 and a top priority is to send speaking pitches to various conferences on a consistent basis.
One pivotal goal from 2017 that would become the foundation of activities going forward was updating my website. It took a ton of work (I had lots of help) and in September, I launched an updated site. The branding is right on thanks to WebConcentrate.
Inspiring
The Inspired Tour was over two years ago but it seems things just started rolling in 2017. Chad Phillips, photographer and videographer extraordinaire, worked hard on telling the story set in 1915 of Avis and Effie Hotchkiss alongside the modern-day story of Kris and me all while inspiring people to write their own stories. We invited our closest friends for a private showing of The Inspired Tour Movie in June and released it publically the next day. If you haven’t seen our documentary, you can watch it HERE.
Less than a month later, 76-year-old Barbara, the grand-daughter of Effie Hotchkiss, found me via Facebook! This was a blessing I had waited years for! I dropped everything and flew to meet her in California where we chatted for hours about her life growing up with her grandmother Effie and great-grandmother, Avis.
I was honored to continue inspiring riders from coast-to-coast by sharing our cross-country adventure at the International Motorcycle Show in Minneapolis, MN. A big thank you to Tracy and Meredith for giving me this opportunity!
Leading
Leadercast was another great success in 2017. 464 leaders showed up ready to learn how to be Powered by Purpose. My goal for 2018 is to fill our space and welcome 500 attendees. I’m not ready to announce it yet but there are other Leadercast plans in the works for 2018.
The first half of 2017 was filled with finishing up a corporate leadership development contract and launching a public track of my Leadership University program. The LU curriculum is finally done but keeping it relevant to leaders is a full-time job. I might release parts of it online in the coming year.
Coaching
One of my favorite coaching opportunities was to virtually lead a group through John Maxwell’s book, The 15 Irrefutable Laws of Personal Growth. What I learned during this process is that I can’t force anyone to grow but I can create an environment where each person thrives in her own way. I loved seeing this group of women gel every week.
In terms of individual coaching, with my focus on launching a new leadership program, my one-on-one coaching time was minimal. However, the clients I did coach were exceptional with building their businesses more intentionally and creating amazing results for themselves and their staff. Individual coaching will be a top priority in 2018.
Learning
One of the values I live by is being a life-long learner. To push myself and grow my business in the right way, I hired a coach and became an integral member of The Collective. The Collective is a group of driven women aspiring to become thought leaders and sharing their message with the world through speaking and coaching. We’re all over North America and met in person (in Las Vegas) twice this year. Working side-by-side with this amazing group of women has given me the moxie to kicka$$ in 2018! In the next week, I'll share about how you can work with my coach, Lex, too!
One of my goals for 2017 was to write a book about my cross-country motorcycle adventure in 2015. Needless to say, this is where I drastically fell short of my goal. I hired a writing coach to support this effort but I got in my own way and regretfully, didn’t submit any chapters for him to review. I'm going to knock this book out in 2018 if it kills me!
Teaching
One of the things I would do for free (but thank goodness I get paid for it!) is teaching new riders how to safely operate a motorcycle. I have a blast every summer and 2017 was no exception. I taught twelve two-day classes which put 60 new motorcycle riders out there on the road.
Family-ing
Perhaps my greatest accomplishment every year is being the wife and mother I’m committed to being while operating several businesses. I’m blessed to cheer my kids on in basketball, cross country, and baseball. In 2017, I also coached my daughter’s volleyball team. My husband and I enjoyed several motorcycle trips (including Sturgis) and reserved most Friday nights as ‘date night’. Unfortunately, we lost my husband’s father in May, which really brings family, and taking care of our parents, to the forefront.
My favorite week in 2017 was spent experiencing the beauty of Moab, UT with my husband and children. We drove to UT from SD, which was an experience in and of itself. While in Moab, we went hiking, mountain biking on slick rock, river rafting, rappelling off rock bridges, and 4X4 off-roading at Hell’s Revenge. If you ever get the chance to experience Moab, do it!
Wrap-up
I don't share these learnings and accomplishments with you as a measurement to gauge your own success. Far from it! I'm just a regular girl who struggles HARD to stay motivated and disciplined in order to reach my goals and intentionally create the life I want every year.
I share this for two reasons:
- to prove to myself that I DID work my butt off to get where I am today... and despite the things I accomplished (on purpose or otherwise), I've always got more work to do in the year ahead.
- to inspire you to set big goals, go after what you want in your life, stay the course no matter how you feel, and kicka$$ in the year to come.
