The New Year doesn't magically bring about many changes once the clock strikes midnight, but it does have a way of compelling you to carry out a mental "year-in-review" and to take stock of all that the previous year brought about.

Some years are more difficult than others, and there are events that we'd rather forget, but reflecting and reminiscing are part of life…and growth.

Though it often seems I have a lot on my plate, and there's always another task to add to my to-do list, I'm honestly very grateful for that. Looking back on 2022, it's gratifying to re-examine all the new discoveries I've made about myself, my work, and the fascinating world we live in.

I have my own system of recording these exploits, through my regular client newsletters. It's my first hope that the newsletters are helpful to my clients – that's why I write them – but I'm thrilled that I have these documents for my own perusal and as a reminder of all the Random Things I Learned in 2022.

Here they are, in random order!

Working with clients, colleagues, and creative partners strengthened my sense of community. I've learned how to delegate. Not an easy task for a control freak. So grateful for my virtual assistants and editors!!

I've put "intention" into practice and it has been a powerful tool for me. People have all kinds of ideas about intentions!

Want to know more about the quote, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions"? Read here.

"Leaning in" is a secret to getting out of your own way. Focusing on others, listening to them, and actually hearing them helped me get over myself when I felt overwhelmed and thought I couldn't handle all I needed to accomplish.

After an hour hammering out the subtleties of the direction of a script read with a new client, I/we found a vocal delivery style that was not only what he heard in his head and wanted to hear for his product video, but it taught me the subtlety of what any given client might want to hear.

I was grateful for the opportunity to learn what he was looking for and what he thought was off base for his brand. I was able to deliver once I clearly understood what his direction meant.

A strong sense of self – that is, knowing who you are without the veil of insecurity or an overblown ego – is helping me navigate life and my business more effectively.

My wish is that everyone feels the freedom that comes from knowing we have the power to feel positive, confident, grounded, and content. The only one holding us back is ourselves.

Keep your head down when it comes to staying focused, but keep your head up for everything else. No matter how much of a control freak I am (c'mon, who isn't?!), I'm managing to let life flow a little each day to reveal my priorities and my heart… and put that into my work.

This gave me grace time and time again when playing a very small part of a very big production… and with raising teens.

As a new U.S. business, I learned a small business nugget! Companies are not required to provide freelancers with 1099's if the payment was made through a 3rd party platform, i.e. Paypal, Quickbooks, Venmo (!)

Catch our Speechless Webcast episode with Nic Redman.

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