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Today – December 1st – marks the one-year anniversary of my leaving Russia for the US.
It feels like it’s time, therefore, to do a little review of the first 11 months of 2009.
First Thing’s First
The thing that I’m proudest of and most grateful for is the fact that I started 2009 homeless and penniless, and am ending the year with a home, a business, and a network of wonderful friends and acquaintances.
These 11 months have been a huge roller-coaster – and I’m very, very thankful for all the friends, clients, and circumstances that have led me (and inspirIT!) to this place. If you’re reading this, you’ve given me hope, support, encouragement, or good energy somewhere along the way. And I can’t thank you enough!
Now… to answer some of Gwen’s questions!
Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?
Building inspirIT. I had absolutely no ambition or intention to be an entrepreneur in January. Or February. Or March. Entrepreneurship snuck up on me, and learning how to build and grow a business (with all that entails) has pushed me into places I never knew I could go. I’ve felt elated, gutted, terrified, joyous, and… just about everything else in relation to this project. Often in the same day – or even hour!
Shop. Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year?
Etsy, totally. I love handmade things – and supporting the artists who make them! If you’re doing holiday shopping, please consider supporting one of the artists on Etsy.
Project. What did you start this year that you’re proud of?
Besides inspirIT, the project that I’m most proud of is my NaNoWriMo novel, Violante. It’s based on an idea I had when I was 12… and it’s been burning to come out since then. I’m so proud that I’ve started making that happen this year. I firmly believe that everyone is a writer and everyone has a beautiful novel in them – and I’m currently hard at work on a sooper sekrit project that (if you write) you’re going to love.
Word or phrase. A word that encapsulates your year. “2009 was _____.”
Better than I hoped, expected, or was ready for.
Giving Back
I’m not 100% sure yet, but I think 2010 is going to be the Year Of Giving Back. (I think it was Chris Guillebeau who first put into my head the idea of naming a theme for the year. Thanks, Chris.)
There’s no reason to wait until January 1st to start giving back, however. So here’s what I’m doing:
First, I’m giving back to the world. I’ll be volunteering at Charity: Water’s Charity: Ball on December 14th. If you’re in New York City on that day, come on out! It’ll be a fantastic event. I’ve also started lending to other entrepreneurs on Kiva – and it’s a fantastic feeling to be able to help someone in a less-developed country really make a go at building their own business. Oh, and – last but not least – some of my friends are going to receive farm animals from me this year. The animals will come from Heifer International, and be given to a poor family in my friends’ names.
Second, I’m giving back to our clients. You can still get 20% off on all our technology biggification consulting until 11:59pm tonight! It’s a great way to put your technology problems to rest in 2009 and start 2010 off with a clean technology slate.
Third, I’m giving back to all of you – or trying to. When you look back on 2009, please do it in a loving, supportive way – even if you had a bad year. If you’re here now, and in one piece, you’ve done a fantastic job this year. If you remember that you’re a sovereign, luminous, potential-packed human being, you’ve done a fantastic job.
With that, have a wonderful December and an even better 2010!
