Goodbye 2018 it’s been…it’s been…well, I seem to be at a loss for words. I am really not quite sure how to sum up 2018 as a year. It’s been a hustle, it’s been liberating, it’s been full of creation and it’s been rewarding. What a year!
Let’s start with hustle. Very early in the year, January 12th to be exact, I stumbled upon an amazing thought leader in the digital and entrepreneurial space. My life was forever changed that fateful day that I was guided towards Gary Vaynerchuk’s first YouTube video. I ended up starting to consume his content and did not stop for months. He shared advice and knowledge with honest to goodness common sense in a way that no thought leader (that I have listened to) ever has. Mind blown. I started learning and taking insane amounts action. Before I go on, a disclaimer. For those of you don’t know me, Even before this period in my life I was no couch potato. Even before this tipping point, I can honestly say that I outworked 98% of people that I knew. I did not build one of the largest agriculture media publishing companies in Canada by surfing Netflix and living a life of fun and leisure. I have always been all about the hustle. So when I say that I implemented massive hustle, this disclaimer will give you some context for the extraordinary amount hustle that I implemented.
This year has been also been liberating. More than it being about hustle, it was more likely more about giving myself permission to be me and live the life I was meant to live. As I listened to Gary’s content, I completely divorced myself from the “9 to 5” way of thinking and I stopped listening to the crap about work-life balance. I was 80% there already on the subject. Gary’s words just pushed me another 10% and lifted 1000 lbs of weight off my shoulders. You may have noted that my math adds up to 90%, and yes, that was done intentionally. I don’t think we are 100% ever there on anything. Leaving 10% gives me Grace for those bad days in life when I fall a step or two backward on my journey.
See the “problem” is…I love working and I kept listening to mainstream crap about living a balanced life. Then I would feel bad and flawed because all I wanted to do was work. Again, I was 80% there already and accepted myself and my love for work, however, there were those bad days when I just questioned myself and asked: “Why can’t I just be like everyone else?” Every thought leader talks about balance. Gary came in and said a few things that resonated deeply. It was common sense and I like common sense. “A 1% life requires doing the 1% work.” Amen brother.
“A 1% life requires doing the 1% work.” Gary Vaynerchuk
Thank the lord above, I have been blessed with the will, the heart and the mind of an entrepreneur. Bottling it up and trying to act “normal” was killing me. When Gary shared his wisdom it was like the floodgates opened. It was like the reins were loosed on a track horse as it was approaching the finish line, or if you need yet another analogy, I was like a prisoner being released from prison. I think you get it. I was free!
This year has been creative. Yes, you heard me…I am creative!!! I am a very confident person, however, all my life I have never been interested in the arts, crafting or decorating. Because of that, I have always incorrectly believed that I was not a creative person. What a lie. I always have been and always will be. I just created differently. The way Tracy Brunet liked to create….creating businesses and new opportunities for myself, my team and our clients. This year, with the shackles removed, I started to create Mozart style. I actually used an app and created a practice podcast to learn the skills that would later enable me to create and launch “The Impact Farming Show.” I started a “play” social media account where I could test writing styles, memes, and posting techniques. This would help me learn, navigate and create a stronger social media strategy for my companies and my personal brand. By practicing behind the scenes, with an audience that didn’t know me, I was free to learn and make mistakes without my established audience witnessing my every move.
This year has been massively rewarding. Here are my major wins for 2018:
Main Lessons of 2018:
– I started thinking like a 1% er instead of a 10%
– I stopped guilting myself for my insane love of working. I removed the shackles and stopped thinking that I should be like “other” women. “You Do You” became my mantra!
– I rediscovered that I was massively creative.
Main Life & Farm Highlights of 2018:
– All the above of course plus:
– Having our bulls sell at Douglas Bull Test Station. Our bulls did really well.
– Saving my crazy kitten from near death this summer on the highway
– Spending more time at home this summer and enjoying my yard, planting flowers, the farm, and our animals.
– Discovering how much I love taking pictures of cattle, pastures, and sunsets. It’s kind of like my thing now 🙂
– Seeing another great calf crop from our herd sires
Main Work Highlights of 2018:
– Building an A+ Team at work
– Launching “The Impact Farming Show”
– Launching the show generated so much interest in our brand from farmers and potential advertisers alike. This was very nice to see.
– Getting myself and Farm Marketer out there in order to have a presence at the most important Canadian agriculture events across Canada.
– Creating the start of my own personal brand, online and offline.
– Being asked to be a guest on a digital advertising panel for a CAMA event
– Winning two awards at Best of CAMA in Montreal this year. One for our newsletter and one for best of Audio/Video 2018 for “The Impact Farming Show.”
– Navigated a year chock full of agency changes. There were some big mergers and account movements in 2018.
– Drove sales. I personally got National sales back on track and secured the business of a National Agriculture equipment brand that has eluded me until now. Our sales team has also acquired many new clients and strengthened our brand.
