A Year of Learnings

Look, I don’t have to tell you that this has been a tough year. Like, a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year.

(No offense to children’s book author Judith Viorst, but I’m pretty sure the last 12 months have been worse than anything she ever dreamed up.)

Like a lot of us childless types, when the world shut down, I found myself with tons of spare time. I mean, I went from having a crazy demanding job and a 3 1/2 hour daily commute to having no full-time job…and whenever I did have work to do, I only needed to travel from my bedroom to my spare bedroom — a total of about five feet.

So, I tried to fill my time in productive ways. I scheduled video chats with dozens of former co-workers. (And a few people I had never actually met.) I attended workshops. (And I taught a few, too.) And I signed up for CUNY’s 100-day Entrepreneurial Journalism Creator’s program. (And yes, even though the program is long over, I still have to look up the word entrepreneurial every time I want to spell it!)

In one of those CUNY sessions, our instructor was describing how his business had been disrupted by the pandemic. His company’s main source of income had disappeared. And they had to find new ways to bring in money.

But instead of telling us how it had been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year, he instead called it “a year of learnings.”

That phrase really resonated with me. So I wrote it at the top of my notebook, where it would be easier to find it later.

But as I look back over my notebooks (yes, I have filled more than one!) I realize that I have more learnings scribbled across those pages. Some are from the CUNY program. Some are from networking conversations with people in my industry. Some are from my amazing career counselor. (Thanks, Heather!) And some are from a group of job-seekers I meet with every two weeks. (Our meetings feel like a group counseling session. A tiny bit of crying and lots of good advice.)

In short, while other people were baking sourdough bread or building chicken coops, I was collecting advice for journalists, entrepreneurs and job seekers.

So here — in no particular order — is my year of learnings.

Next step. Next step. Next step. Don’t let yourself get freaked out by everything down the road. Focus on what you can accomplish right now.

Build time for risk. Build room for terror. And it will all work out. I can’t imagine a year with more risk or more terror than this one. But, I promise…it all seems to be working out!

You are not falling behind. This is life, not a race.

What feels broken? And how are you going to fix it? This could apply to your work. Or it could apply to your life. Your choice.

Give yourself a vote. In times of uncertainty, I tend to ask everyone I’ve ever met for advice. But the most important person to listen to is me.

When will you take the power to do the things you want to do? Really, my friends. If not now, when?

My game. My turf. My rules. If you compromise too much, you won’t succeed. Stand your ground. Even when it’s uncomfortable.

We know more people than we realize. Boy, howdy. I had no clue so very many people would answer the phone when I called. (Okay, when I emailed. I hate phones. But you get the picture.)

Content is king. But distribution is queen…and she wears the pants. So true. Have you signed up for my free newsletter? My content is great, but I gotta work on that distribution plan.

Are you thinking of writing a book? I wasn’t. But now that you mention it…

Just get paid, girl. Get paid. I questioned whether to include this one, because it might make me look greedy? But the fact is, unless you’re white, cisgender, male and straight, you’re probably underestimating your value.

What does success look like? Is it defined by your bank account balance? Your bylines? How much free time you want to spend with the people you love? Don’t just blindly move ahead. Figure out where you’re headed.

Ask for what you need. Unless you’re negotiating pay. Then, ask for what you’re worth.

What should you STOP doing? The skills that got you here aren’t necessarily the same skills that will help you move forward.

The words ‘yes’ and ‘no’ are equally important. The work you choose will define you. If you have the luxury of being picky, take advantage of it.

Consider what violence can do for your organization. Thanks, JP. I’ll keep that in mind. ;-)

Nobody knows what they’re doing. Really. There might be people who think they know what they’re doing. But we’re all just figuring it out as we go along.

What will I learn over the next 12 months? I have no idea…but you better believe I’m going to need some new notebooks!