2018 is essentially behind us and I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on one of the most impactful years of my life. Let’s call it my 2018 Holiday Letter.
I look back on the year with great pride in my accomplishments. One of the most pivotal events for me in 2018 was repositioning myself within my real estate endeavors to allow me and the organization more room to grow. This was a big deal for me and the company and I’m pleased with where we are with that now.
I’m also thrilled with the growth of my other businesses, including Christian’s staging business which had a record year. It’s so rewarding to work with my husband to grow his vision and see his talents truly come to life.
I had some very specific financial goals in 2018 and I’d say some were certainly reached, others were not so I’d put finances in the “progress” and “unfinished business” bucket.
I did advance my health goals that have been stuck for a couple years and I’m almost where I need to be at between 18-19% body fat.
I’m also excited that I launched several new social media initiatives which has started a long-term project to get my content out into the world. Speaking of content, I’m excited that I’m back in my manuscript, have hired and editor, and now have confidence it is advancing as it should.
My network of people also shifted a bit in 2018 as I focused on deepening key relationships, expanding the overall network into new spaces, and reasserting purposefulness with the people I am in touch with. Speaking of people, I’m very happy my sister Amber was able to launch a new business and can’t wait to see her grow from that.
And of course, we had an amazing travel year with trips to Italy, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Dubai and the Maldives. Italy was with my parents which was particularly special. And if you follow me at all, you know we’re now a huge fan of the Maldives! I traveled more than 100,000 miles in 2018.
Life wasn’t always amazing though, we did lose Miss Ricki Green, our famous cat, who had been with me for 19 years. That was very hard. Though it opened up space for our two new loves to come to the house, Paris and London and we’re having a wonderful time with them!
I’ll also add that while all of this change and repositioning has been very positive, it has also been hard at times as I was faced with having to deepen my sense of self and some of this change caused some relationships that were close to me to move away into new things. I have mixed emotions about some of that, though I know those people have successfully moved on to new endeavors and will grow as a result.
This year I wish to mention special thank you to my coach Steve Hardison, who has been a constant guiding light through this year. I’d also like to thank Stephanie Liotta-Atkins and Katie Heaton who have become great friends and mentors. I also owe a huge thank you to my business partner Bo Menkiti who has taught me an enormous amount about business. And thank you to Dontae Carroll, who came in as our COO last spring and his commitment to advancing the organization has made it so much easier for us all to align around our strengths. And to some new relationships, I want to shout-out Mike Silvestri and Brandon Adams, new friends thanks to social media. And to my close in group at YPO (Young Presidents Organization) Tom Coolidge, Ethan McAfee, Jennifer Weng, Stuart Siciliano, Natalia Luis, Tim Springer and Tim Hwang whose guidance this year has been invaluable.
There are many more of course because a successful life journey is not solo one though I must close with a special thank you to my husband Christian Salinas who has been tremendously supportive this year while I’ve been on a listening tour and pivoting forward on an endless journey to become the fullest expression of myself as a human being. Journeying through life with him is so much fun!
2019, bring it on.
