I’ll admit it.
I’m a wee bit tired of the Best Of 2010/Top 10/Year In Review/Round-Up kinda articles. How many “tops” can there possibly be? I swear, I think I saw The Top 10 Small Mushrooms for Omelets the other day. With its companion list: The Top 10 Large Mushrooms for Sauces.
OK, so I got a little hungry reading them – but those kind of pointless, space-filling lists definitely make it on The Top 10 Things That Annoy Me.
And while I’m complaining, let me further state that I am not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions. They just always seem a tad… forced. Unrealistic. Fake.
But, I am a huge fan of learning – the past holds gifts I can use in the present to make the future more full.
So, what can we learn from 2010?
First, there’s this guy named Seth Godin. Seth is an amazing thought leader who tackles how to create success within the new rubric of social media, lightning-fast moving markets and pop-up businesses. [Frankly, Seth is the kind of guy who would have asked me to dance in high school. And I would have said no (thank you), thinking he was kind of nerdy and weird. I’m being honest – I mean, look at the guy. Yet, at our 25th reunion, I would be kicking myself because Seth would be the most intriguing, engaging, intelligent man in the room. That’s the way it goes.]
One of Seth’s key ideas is “shipping” – meaning, an idea or product that sits around waiting for perfection won’t earn a nickel. You gotta get that sucker out the door and into the marketplace. You’ve got to ship.
And how better to review 2010 than looking at what you shipped?
Did you get the big strategic planning memo done? You shipped. Did you build a team? You shipped. Did you hold the team together after the CEO died? You shipped. [And did it very well, I might add.]
Did you get a new job? You shipped. Did you get a new couch (I’m thinking of you, Becky)? You shipped, girl, and be proud of it.
I’m guessing there are plenty of ways you shipped this year, if you just start looking at it that way.
Me?
I was freakin’ FedEx in 2010.
I shipped, baby. Sometimes even on time.
Michele’s 2010 Shipping List
- Worked with great one-on-one clients (I could name names, but you know who you are)
- Ran two “What’s Next?” group coaching programs
- Went deep with the long-standing Washington, DC-based “What’s Next?” coaching group
- Developed a powerful coach mentoring program
- Started my Psychology Today blog and posted weekly
- Published my I Am Not Superwoman book
- Spoke at the International Coach Federation’s DC Conference
- Landed three corporate contracts to work with their executives internally
- Launched the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission as Executive Director (my side job – did I mention that?)
- Taught coaches how to market their practices in the Kick Ass Mentoring Program
- Wrote my own blog and newsletter every week
- Created a whole new website
And, last, but my most important accomplishment:
- I was a present, engaged parent for my children
Yes, I shipped. And it feels pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. And looking at the list in this way points me toward 2011 – because you know the secret to happiness, don’t you?
Do more of what you like, and what you’re good at, and less of what you don’t like, even if you are good at it.
Why not make your own list? What did you accomplish? What did you ship?
What are you good at?
And what does that tell you about what you’re going to be doing in the New Year?