Well, 2020 certainly didn’t go the way that I’d planned! I didn’t quite accomplish the things I initially set out to do this year, but I did accomplish quite a bit. Let’s look at what I’d planned for 2020 and how I did…
- I wanted to formally relaunch my business. I did!! On my birthday in March, I announced my new business direction, along with a new name and website. What I didn’t realize is that I would pivot again less than a month later. More on that in a bit.
- I intended to publish my first book in 2020. While I have been working on it, it won’t be published until Spring 2021.
- Due to the pandemic, I was not able to attend Gen-Fed or APG PMC, nor was I able to complete the ICAPGen accreditation process.
So, what did I do instead?
- I was able to attend IGHR virtually in July! Finally took Advanced Methodology!!
- I published several articles.
- I pivoted my business (again!). I decided to take the name of my book series and turn it into an overall brand focused on action-based education. Genealogy In Action provides various learning opportunities in the form of courses, books, guides, a blog, and more.
- I launched a new blog! The Genealogy In Action blog provides instructional/informational content designed to get you to take action.
- I successfully launched my signature course Genealogy Problem-Solving Academy in September! Because this is a coaching-led experience, it will only be offered a few times a year.
- I also launched the Genealogy Scavenger Hunt as a one-year subscription, instead of a 5-day challenge.
- I’ve been plugging away on my book Digital Books for Genealogy, which will be published in the spring.
- Perhaps my biggest accomplishment this year was letting go…letting go of perfectionism, letting go of limiting beliefs, letting go of fear, pretty much letting go of anything that was holding me back from achieving my goals. Had I not had this mindset shift, I would not have done any of the things above!
What’s in store for 2021? I’m keeping it light this year. With all the craziness of 2020, I think things are still going to be a little crazy in 2021.
- Attend SLIG and IGHR (maybe GRIP). All will be virtual, so I plan to take advantage of that.
- Publish my first book!
- Keep prepping for accreditation so I’m ready to go whenever testing opens back up.
- Present my very first webinar (which will be more like a workshop) in November for the APG Writers SIG.
- Although most of the focus for 2021 will be on my business, I really want to spend some serious time working on my own genealogy. I haven’t done much of anything since October 2019, other than a 10-minute sprint here and a 30-minute sprint there. So, I’ve gotten some tasks done, but not any serious research for myself (and I miss it!!). I haven’t quite decided which projects I want to focus on, but I’ve got a lot of plans to choose from! I do know that one project I will tackle is my Rottman line. I have some leads through DNA that I want to explore further.
What about you? What did you accomplish this year? What goals are you setting for next year? Please share, I’d love to hear what’s going on with you!
COVID allowed me to do much more genealogy than I ever thought possible this year, but it wasn’t without the loss of people that I know. I intended to go back to work in May after a 6 month hiatus but with the pandemic, I didn’t want to go out. I spent a few months doing nothing but genealogy and my husband suggested I do it professionally. I’ve done genealogy since 1980 but only for myself (mainly). I started looking into it. I’m taking classes with NGS and NIGS and learning how to write research reports and correctly cite sources, not to mention adhering to the GPS. It’s been fun, but also difficult. I started blogging and watching webinars. Next year, I’d like to get my business going, have all my old pictures scanned, go back and check all sources on my own tree, keep cleaning up FamilySearch and adding sources to WikiTree, finish my courses, and just keep learning. I may have to go back to work at some point, but hopefully only part time. I’m looking forward to your Scavenger Hunt! (Sara Martin)
Wow! You’ve been busy, Sara! And, those are some wonderful goals! Best of luck to you as you go down the professional path.