The End Always Makes You Think About the Beginning
As 2010 comes to an end I realize it has been nothing short of a whirlwind. For me, I returned home from living abroad for nearly 3 years in December 09, and I didn't know what to expect. The economy was terrible, I was living at home for the first time in 10 years, and quite literally the world was at my finger tips. If I wanted to take off and go live in some random country, I could have, knowing that I'd already done it and could handle it. However, it was the time to be home and enjoy resting a bit with my friends and family - and to settle into some kind of career. I was told to buckle down for a long and difficult unemployed road, but honestly (and thankfully), that didn't happen.
Work, Work, Work
To give you some perspective on a job time line during a terrible economy: I started the job search in January, received a temp to perm job as a recruiter at a firm in New York City in February. The company was very unorganized, and I returned home in March for a speaking engagement at Syracuse University. While I worked from home and waited for this company to get their act together, I found the perfect job for myself in community managing at a very promising national relocation services company right in my own backyard. I turned down the offer from New York City, and started in on my year as a social media professional in central New York.
Things to Take Away from 2010
2010 was a year of learning... a year of creation... and a year of figuring things out and settling back in to life in America. Don't let anyone tell you that reverse culture shock isn't a thing, because it very much is. Knowing what life is like elsewhere is a tough thing to put behind you. For example, I went this whole year without health insurance which is a risky thing to do. That's something I didn't have to worry about in life abroad, because everyone in the country of Korea has nationally funded health insurance (that you also pay into - c'mon, nothing's ever free).
2010 was also a year of development. My new side project and start up company, Eat Your Serial, had a very successful Kickstarter campaign, and has really started to take form. We are looking forward to a launch and very exciting times ahead in 2011. Expect to hear more about that later.
It was also a year of non-stop networking. Thanks to things like Twitter, it has never been easier to create incredibly amazing career relationships. I have no shame in saying that Twitter honestly changed my life as a tool that brought me so many opportunities.
But if I take anything away from 2010, it will be this:
Be realistic about things and take time out for yourself to process events clearly.
All too often I felt burnt out this year and it is because I overloaded myself with expectations. I got overly excited about projects and ideas that would never come to fruition. 2011 will be a year of trimming the fat. This year taught me what's important to me professionally and personally. I want to excel at my job and see incredible results from my professional efforts. Patience has never been one of my virtues, but I'm trying to learn to scale myself back. Sometimes I am my own worst enemy.
What comes from that is also the concepts of making sure I am organized.
For those that know me, you all know that I'm ridiculous about being organized. But I don't mean this in a "my agenda book is color coded" kind of way. What I mean is being more diligent and sticking to schedules. Be consistent with the work I give myself and the goals I set. Be realistic about the kind of time that it takes to complete a necessary task.
2010 threw entirely way too many curve balls at me and that's what life is. What's that famous lyric? "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." There are going to be things you cannot account for that get thrown at you. However, how you handle them, and the organizational system you have in place will make all the difference. The idea is to best prepare yourself for the worst - professionally, financially, and personally.
I have an awful lot to be proud of and thankful for this year, but at the same time I view 2010 as not one of my better years. I can pinpoint an awful lot of mistakes that were made, but that's exactly what makes me excited about 2011. The word I would use to describe this year: Perspective.
Knowing where you went wrong, will inevitably help you do things better in the future. And THAT makes all the difference for 2011.
What are the things you will work on in 2011? What word would you use to describe 2010?
Work, Work, Work
To give you some perspective on a job time line during a terrible economy: I started the job search in January, received a temp to perm job as a recruiter at a firm in New York City in February. The company was very unorganized, and I returned home in March for a speaking engagement at Syracuse University. While I worked from home and waited for this company to get their act together, I found the perfect job for myself in community managing at a very promising national relocation services company right in my own backyard. I turned down the offer from New York City, and started in on my year as a social media professional in central New York.
Things to Take Away from 2010
2010 was a year of learning... a year of creation... and a year of figuring things out and settling back in to life in America. Don't let anyone tell you that reverse culture shock isn't a thing, because it very much is. Knowing what life is like elsewhere is a tough thing to put behind you. For example, I went this whole year without health insurance which is a risky thing to do. That's something I didn't have to worry about in life abroad, because everyone in the country of Korea has nationally funded health insurance (that you also pay into - c'mon, nothing's ever free).
2010 was also a year of development. My new side project and start up company, Eat Your Serial, had a very successful Kickstarter campaign, and has really started to take form. We are looking forward to a launch and very exciting times ahead in 2011. Expect to hear more about that later.
It was also a year of non-stop networking. Thanks to things like Twitter, it has never been easier to create incredibly amazing career relationships. I have no shame in saying that Twitter honestly changed my life as a tool that brought me so many opportunities.
But if I take anything away from 2010, it will be this:
Be realistic about things and take time out for yourself to process events clearly.
All too often I felt burnt out this year and it is because I overloaded myself with expectations. I got overly excited about projects and ideas that would never come to fruition. 2011 will be a year of trimming the fat. This year taught me what's important to me professionally and personally. I want to excel at my job and see incredible results from my professional efforts. Patience has never been one of my virtues, but I'm trying to learn to scale myself back. Sometimes I am my own worst enemy.
What comes from that is also the concepts of making sure I am organized.
For those that know me, you all know that I'm ridiculous about being organized. But I don't mean this in a "my agenda book is color coded" kind of way. What I mean is being more diligent and sticking to schedules. Be consistent with the work I give myself and the goals I set. Be realistic about the kind of time that it takes to complete a necessary task.
2010 threw entirely way too many curve balls at me and that's what life is. What's that famous lyric? "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." There are going to be things you cannot account for that get thrown at you. However, how you handle them, and the organizational system you have in place will make all the difference. The idea is to best prepare yourself for the worst - professionally, financially, and personally.
I have an awful lot to be proud of and thankful for this year, but at the same time I view 2010 as not one of my better years. I can pinpoint an awful lot of mistakes that were made, but that's exactly what makes me excited about 2011. The word I would use to describe this year: Perspective.
Knowing where you went wrong, will inevitably help you do things better in the future. And THAT makes all the difference for 2011.
What are the things you will work on in 2011? What word would you use to describe 2010?