This was one of the longest years I have ever experienced. I can’t believe that it was just April when I drove west from Chicago to Sonoma County. Seems like a million years ago. This year sure has had its share of wild rides, although that particular one was quite fun and very scenic.
I feel compelled to share some of the highlights and challenges of the last year. I spoke 20 times in 2014 if you count podcasts with the speaking gigs. Not bad!
Winter 2014
I had a place to stay in L.A., but instead opted to spend the coldest winter in 45 years in Chicago. And I didn’t mind somehow. As a friend of mine described it, it was kind of “winter wonderful.” I found that waterproof, super-warm boots are key to winter bliss.
On March 13 I had a lovely birthday celebration with friends at Lady Gregory’s in Chicago. Yum!
On March 23 I attended Michael Port’s first speaker training event in New York. It was a life-changer and a game-changer for me. This training is now called Heroic Public Speaking and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
At the end of March, I started publishing on the LinkedIn platform. I have to say that more people read / share / engage there than on this blog or Carol’s blog. The bulk of my job search content is there. Take a look! https://www.linkedin.com/in/pointatopointb
Spring 2014
Road trip! The terrible winter was incentive enough for my friend to move to Sonoma County. I offered to drive with him so I could check an item off my bucket list. We had a blast.
I then went south to L.A. to catch up with friends and clients and do some speaking. I met some great professionals, several of whom became clients.
I got quoted in Forest & Bluff Magazine and was on the podcast with Jill and Brad.
Summer 2014
I was a live music fool. I was at a street festival every weekend soaking up tunes. No joke.
I finally got to be on my friend Barry Moltz’s Business Insanity Talk Radio show. That was a great time.
And I wrote some posts I am really proud of for Carol Roth’s blog.
BUT the thing I am most proud of is my eBook Re-Launch You: Discovering Your Point B and Embracing Possibility. The reviews were amazing.
Fall 2014
I did a ton of promotion for my eBook, including several guest posts.
One of my favorite clients (and a dear friend) re-launched himself into his dream job. What a difference a year makes. You really should check out his story Cranking Up the Volume of You.
AND I finally got some professional videos made! Check out my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/CatherineMorganTalks
Holidaze 2014
It’s no secret, I don’t love the holidays. I hit the skids just before Thanksgiving wondering what the heck I had accomplished this year. The days were dark and so was my mood.
I took it as an opportunity to discuss some yucky things and wrote Depression and the Small Business Owner for Business Unplugged. It really struck a nerve. This post generated amazing sharing and comments. People came out of the woodwork to thank me for having the courage to write it and publish it under my name, not anonymously.
Then I went back to my New Year’s Verbs and started writing down what I had accomplished. Actually, it was kind of an amazing year. I produced the best work of my life with my eBook and my speaking videos.
I had a fun time finishing out the year with an interview on Brian R. King Intl‘s podcast. Brian is a real smartie.
Conclusion
So, I decided to change my thinking about 2014. There were some very big accomplishments to put in the “win” column. Sometimes it is valuable to go back and get the facts straight. More happy, less crappy.
What did you do in 2014?