'22 in Review...and a New Focus for '23

I've procrastinated writing this article (evidently) because I kind of felt like I didn't accomplish much ~professionally~ in 2022. There were a couple of things I was proud of, sure, but I didn't feel they were enough to write a whole 'year in review' newsletter about.

It was only when I looked back over my LinkedIn posts (in order to create the cheesy photo collage you see before you) that I realised I actually did quite a lot. Crazy how quickly we forget, hey?

Anyway, I don't want to stray too far down memory lane, so I will keep this portion of the newsletter brief - promise!

What I wanted to do

1. Work on my public speaking and presentation skills
2. Attend State of Social for the first time
3. Write more

What I did

Well - all of the above, I'm happy to report!

1. Over the course of the year, I presented four times at work - to a couple of our interstate clinical teams (while isolating with COVID , no less), and to the team I'm part of. Additionally, I also shared a story at the inimitable Perth Unfiltered event in November, which was an unforgettable experience!
2. Thanks to my amazing workplace, I was able to fulfill this goal as well - enjoying a super inspiring day at the State of Social conference in August.
3. This is the biggie. Writing is my passion in life; my 'why'. Last year, I knew I wanted to write more often, and for fun. I also wanted to experiment with what I wrote. So, I:

• Wrote this article in January, my best performing on LinkedIn to date
• Launched my newsletter in March, releasing five editions over the course of the year
• Did a bunch of copy-writing for work, Northbridge Common , and even my mates' burger joint (can you spot the bit I wrote?)
• Penned four short stories
• Wrote a deeply personal piece over on my blog that ended up being my most successful piece of writing in years. It was beyond scary to share it to my social network, but I knew it was worth it the minute someone told me I'd helped them. In fact, I still receive messages about the piece to this day.

This is of course all leading to my ? new focus ? for 2023, but I'd be remiss to neglect mentioning these highlights first!

• I shaved my head for the World's Greatest Shave in February, raising over double my goal of $1000 for life-saving cancer research. My hair has since been a rainbow of colours, and I am now the proud owner of a mullet.

• I celebrated five years at Guardian Exercise Rehabilitation! ??
• I enjoyed working with the best team imaginable, growing as both a teammate and (baby) leader.

What's the new focus then??

After all my experimenting last year, I've come away with a clear idea of exactly what I like to write. I'm someone who always wants to try lots of things and - if you'll forgive the gross expression - have my finger in many pies. This attitude has helped me in life, and is not something I see changing anytime soon.

However.

I believe there comes a time where you need to knuckle down and channel your energy into the thing that brings you the most joy. We've established what that is for me.

So this year, I will:

1. Submit at least one piece for (attempted) publication, with my deadline being EOY. I have actually been published before, but not since 2015. It's past time.
2. Work on a monthly blog series called 'Slice of Life'. I linked my blog before, but here it is again if you'd like to follow along. Keep in mind this is my personal blog, so the gloves will be off! (Although maybe 'business attire will be off' is a more fitting expression in this context?)
3. Release a poetry chapbook. Yep. I write poetry too.

In addition to the above, I would also love to do a copy-writing course...so just gonna put that out there as well. ??

Not a goodbye, but a see you soon

With all these lofty goals, I've realised I'll need to retire this newsletter. No doubt I'll still write the odd article, but I can't commit to a regular posting schedule anymore. So I just wanted to say a massive, MASSIVE

To those of you who subscribed, read every edition (or even just one!) and liked, commented etc. In our current landscape of short form videos and rapid-fire posts, I know the time commitment it takes to read an article is a lot - so really, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

There would be no point in me writing if no-one else read it.

Speaking of, that's quite enough for now! Best of luck for the year ahead - let's make it a stellar one ??