5 Reasons 2019 Was Transformative

(I have decided to take a queue from my colleague Kristin Neil and share some insights from the past year and my hopes for the future.)

Elizabeth, Where the heck have YOU been?

I know. My emails have been less frequent, my social media posting has been non-existent, and my networking has been less than usual. Well, I made some changes in 2019, not all voluntary, and I have lived to tell about them. Here’s the scoop:

1 | I am no good to anyone unhealthy.

I have had some health issues over the years, none I care to divulge in a business setting as they have no place there, but none the less, I had largely ignored them until 2019 when I met some lovely people who helped me see them differently and how I could change what was happening to me and make it BETTER! I wrote some personal posts about it on my FB page and I hope everyone will respect that privacy. That being said, I focused on my health and stress levels mostly. I was so stressed with getting clients and making things happen, I was off my rocker! (mental and hormonal!) Now that those things are falling into place and back into line, I am able to take some focus off of that while still maintaining a healthy lifestyle for me. How have you chosen to put your health first?

2 | Social Media is a time-sucking awful invention that should be thrown into the depths of the sea.

Yet, it is something that we all need to use for business. Sigh.

BUT there is a way to lessen the impact it has on your psyche and still serve its purpose as an awareness and lead generator. As you know I developed my Social Media in a Day formula to help lessen the burden of constant posting while trying to run a business. In my own business, I wondered what would happen if I took social platforms off my phone, and closed my accounts. In April of 2019, I closed all my accounts or made them dormant. Some closed forever. NOTHING HAPPENED. I noticed no drop in sales or the caliber of leads. No one was paying attention. I kept my FB group and decided to focus my time and attention there. TADA! It worked! I got real engagement and a growing audience. I also kept LinkedIn because who doesn’t love them some LinkedIn. I don’t find the platform as intrusive or addictive as I do Fb. How will you lessen the burden of Social Media on your life?

3 | I began planning a conference, then I began to plan another one.

I had this hairbrained idea that I could get Squarespace (the platform I currently like for Web Design) to become the next Wordpress (my former and sometimes side chick platform for Web Design) and have a conference of their own. (Insert basketball buzzer sound here.) Wrong. Not only were they not open to it, but I was also fighting an uphill battle with sponsors and staff. It just wasn’t working because it wasn’t time for it to work. (You know those things you so long to will into existence, but they just aren’t ready!?) So, I let it go. I then attended a conference put on by one person and she inspired me that I could do THAT instead (I already had the venue booked and paid for non-refundable!). So I set out on a journey to create a 2-day conference teaching my principles and ideas to a crowd of 200 in May of 2020. WE SHALL SEE!

AbsoluteMarketingSummit.com If you care to take a gander at my efforts thus far! Would you like to come and hang out with me in May?

4 | My money can go a lot further than I let it in the past

I have always been a very frugal yet generous person. If I can get a deal, I will hunt for it. If I need to spend a little extra to make someone happy, I will sacrifice somewhere else. But when you realize, you are living Paycheck to Paycheck on 6+ figures a year, that just doesn’t fly! In May of 2019 I read “Profit First” and it changed my business and my life. I have been enjoying greater returns and the BEST feeling in the world. ALL MY TAXES paid for 2020. Ready to go, untouched because I didn’t NEED them! Also, did I mention my husband went back to school and I was able to come up with $4k for tuition/books, etc while still maintaining the household and the business? That’s PF for you Ladies and Gentlemen! (Note this is not to brag, I truly believe in the system and that is why I now teach it!) How will you take control of your money story this year?

5 | Taking time to learn a new skill (Not Work Related)

I have been on the worship team at my church for about 1 year. It has been great. My faith is very important to me. I sing mostly and have wanted to be able to “accompany” myself if I ever wanted to do a special song or something. (Sometimes my guitar and bass players are not always in town!) I decided to teach myself the piano. I can play by ear, and I wanted to learn some proper songs. My hubby got me a piano/keyboard for Christmas and I was able to learn one of the songs I sing already! I am determined to add one to my repertoire as time goes by! By the time this posts, I will have performed it at church! I believe no matter how fulfilling our work is, our brains crave something else creative to work with. Don’t forget that you are human and have/had hobbies. Like Singing, Riding a bike, Hiking, Swimming, Painting, Drawing, Or whatever makes you happy!! What will you try and rekindle or pick up this year?

Thank you for reading this post and I hope you will comment below with your inspirations and ideas. Thank you for following my journey! I hope you will stick around for some awesome strategies and simplifications in the coming days!