I've said it before, but I don't set New Year's Resolutions. Good on you if you do it, but I just don't believe in them. My philosophy is: If you want to change something, just change it. Don't wait until January 1. Don't put off whatever "thing" it is you want to start or stop. Just do it!
So, I don't have "goals" for 2020. I mean, yeah there are things I am working on, but they aren't things I started on January 1. I either started them before and am continue my progress, or I thought about them after and am working on them.
2019 was what you might call a transition year for me.
I moved in with my partner after a year and a half of being together as my lease expired. We were basically living together before, but our time was split between our two places. It was so exciting to know we would be under the same single, roof from then on. We ended up in a crunch as I was offered an early exit to mutually benefit everyone. I've posted about not enjoying moving, so I was trying to do it slowly over a month, but the opportunity cam up, I jumped on it, which meant moving in about 3 days instead of a few weeks. Thanks to Mike we got everything moved and the placed cleaned in a weekend.
I found myself hunting for a new job. It was a process that was exhausting and frustrating. Everywhere I looked it said it was a great time to find a new career. Companies were hiring everywhere and unemployment was low, low, low. It was a great time to look for a job, but that also made it a terrible time to find a job. Yes, there were lots of jobs out there, but many were low wage, entry level positions, To find a "skilled" position was significantly more difficult. Correction, finding them wasn't difficult--getting a job was difficult.
Because it was such a great market it also meant competition was fierce. I applied for one positions, the same day it posted. It was a position I felt I was extremely qualified for based on my degree and experience. By the end of the first day over 100 people had also already applied for the position. How do you stand out in a field that crowded? Even getting referrals and recommendations from friends led nowhere.
However, in the last third of the year something actually panned out. It ended up a little delayed based on vacations that were already planned, but I finally landed a job I ABSOLUTELY love. I am doing Marketing and Sales for a Coldwell Banker office. I love the job and the people I work with.
On top of landing a regular 9 to 5 my personal business (Alphomega Marketing) has begun to pick up as well. In the last few months I have built more websites, created more logos, and helped more clients than I have in the whole three prior years of business. The biggest part of this increased business and success is partly because of the ground-work put in before now. It has come from volunteering to help individuals and companies who are high profile which in turn led to referrals for paid work. I volunteered because I wasn't busy, I recognized the need from the clients, and I also gambled on what MIGHT come from it. I was willing to put in the free time for the potential that might come, but also because I truly enjoy what I do. It doesn't feel like work for me. So, the free time was filling my down time, letting me do what I enjoy, AND prepare the way for the work I am getting paid for now.
So... Yeah... 2020 is looking pretty good. It was a rough road getting here, but it seems like the road is actually starting to smooth out and looks even better ahead.