I’ve been trying to come up with a thoughtful, well-written way to talk about the past year. Even though around this time last year, I was writing my #GetGutsy essay about learning to accept that I wasn’t a person who went out and did things, I did a lot of things in 2015.
Sometimes I fear that I’m too “all talk.” I dream and think and plan but do little. But when I list everything out, I feel a lot better. Sure, there was a lot I planned and didn’t get to, but I think it’s just more than I over-plan and try to do too much. But I feel a little better about the fear of not doing enough.
So, I did list it out:
- 1 blog relaunch – Prior to this year, this blog was very meh. It was a B2B marketing blog. But since my day job was as a B2B marketing writer, I always felt like I needed to save the good ideas for other outlets, and ended up rarely posting here. Ever since launching Work Brighter over the summer, and putting a different spin on the blog a few months later, it’s definitely found it’s purpose. 🙂
- 1 new side hustle – After knowing for years that I would love freelancing, but not being able to get started for reasons I won’t go into, I finally got started. I have one recurring blogging client I love writing for and a few other companies I’ve worked with.
- 1 big ass move – Just a few months after moving to a new apartment in the closest thing Delaware has to a big city, I moved to the big city. Yes, that one. The one I’ve talked about living in since I was, like, 8. “New York, New York! It’s a helluva toooooown!”
#NYC #nofilter- 1 romantic reunion – So NYC and Wilmington were only a few hours apart, but when you go from living with someone and seeing them every single day for years, to seeing them once or twice a month, it can be gutting. And since Boyfriend and I had both wanted to live in NYC for so long, it was just such a “it’s all happening” moment that felt like it should be in a romcom.
- 1 dream job – Let’s not forget what brought me here in the first place. 🙂 I was really scared that after so long lusting after this kind of day job, I would hate it. But I’ve learned more about inbound marketing in the past 9 months than the rest of my career, have had so many amazing opportunities, and feel like my work and opinion matters. Plus, I get to write a lot. A lot, guys. It rocks.
- 1 international trip – Since Mention is based in Paris, they brought the 3-member U.S. team to France about a month after I started there. Yikes! I’d never been to Europe, or anywhere, really, and was scared shitless. Between regular anxiety, my complicated food issues I don’t want to go into right now, and a bajillion other things, going to Europe was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done. But those 10 days were awesome, exploring the city, drinking wine, and working side-by-side with my team and getting to know everyone in-person.
- 2 marketing conferences – Over the summer, I got to be an “official live tweeter” for Unbounce’s Conversion Road Trip at their NYC event, and it was basically one big party. They had some of the most entertaining marketing speakers I’ve ever heard, and it definitely felt more like a party than an educational event. It just so happened that you learned a crap load while you were playing games and eating candy. Then this fall, I went to Boston for the INBOUND conference and met up with about a bajillion people I’ve been talking to for years, sometimes for the first time in-person!
- 3 bookish events – I started Book Bumblings in 2014 and went to one signing shortly after that, but it was a small thing – definitely more of a signing than these big, weekend-long events. In 2015, I got to experience the big to-dos where you can really let your fangirl flag fly! 😛 First it was Philly for ApollyCon and meeting other Carmcats on Cora Carmack‘s amazing street team, then attending BEA and speaking at its Blogger Conference here in New York, followed by a huge happy hour with romance authors one Saturday afternoon.
- 3 vacations – this was a record for me. I haven’t gone away for more than 2 nights (and to somewhere very nearby – we’re talking 2 hour drive, max) since before college. But this year, I went to the beach with my family for almost a week, took Boyfriend to the Poconos for his birthday right before Christmas, and then spontaneously flew off to San Diego for New Year’s weekend. Plus the work trips to Paris and Boston, and I probably traveled more this year than in my past 25 years combined.
- 3 Twitter chat interviews – Twitter chats were one of the first things I fell in love with when I started moving from personal to professional social media use. And they remain to be one of my favorite things. This year, I got to be the special guest on #VCbuzz, #BufferChat, and #TwitterSmarter, in addition to hosting the weekly #MentionChat for several months.
- 3 podcast recordings – I have an obsession with podcasts, and have wanted to start a sitcom-themed podcast (sitcomcast?) for ages. Until I have time for that (hah!), I’m more than happy to be interviewed on other podcasts. These haven’t been published yet, but I recorded with #TwitterSmarter, Unbounce, and Rebel Growth about various social media and inbound marketing fun times!
- 4 (?) Broadway shows – I’m pretty sure I’m forgetting one though, and I’m ashamed of myself for it. But off the top of my head, I counted going to the theater 5 times for 4 shows (I had to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch with both John Cameron Mitchell and Darren Criss as Hedwig – I didn’t have a choice!). I’ve always been SUCH a Broadway baby, and I’m not going to lie, that played a big part in choosing where to relocate my entire life.
It’s happening! I’m so excited!
A photo posted by @bberg1010 on
I love being able to swing by the TKTS booth after work, get tickets for 50% off, and go grab dinner nearby before the show! I’ve seen Hedgwig twice, along with Fiddler on the Roof (in previews), On the Town (hence the ‘helluva town’ reference earlier in the post), and Spring Awakening (omggggg so good!)
Total: 24+ things that were kind of a big deal
That was everything I could think of. And since I can’t do anything in silence (silence is the worst, I need noise!), I also racked up quite the streaming history.
I couldn’t find a summary tool for Netflix, and stopped counting the individual activity items (like watching 1 TV episode) when I got to #300 and realized I’d only gone back to October. And that’s on top of the other streaming services and DVDs I watch.
As for Spotify, I listened to 67,000 minutes, which is actually way lower than previous years, probably because I spent more time working at home and therefore replacing some of that time with background noise via TV or Netflix and stuff.
And I spent a lot of time “shoulders movin side to side” and “spinnin, I’m spinnin, I’m spinnin while my hands up.” Because, for at least the third year in a row, my most frequently streamed song was a Beyonce dance track. (#BowDown)
