As 2016 draws to a close, I’m taking a moment to review the goals I set at the beginning of the year. I’m sharing because I think it’s super important to keep it real about
1. Podcast - Produce 100 episodes This was very intentionally my primary goal since the podcast is my central personal project. Hitting 100 episodes was more than a goal, it was an expectation on which I would not allow myself compromise. I ended up producing 119 episodes, and, in the process, learning that I am capable of a work rate greatly superior than anything I’d previously done. As podcasts continue to grow in popularity (we are approaching 100,000 active podcasts on iTunes), differentiation simultaneously increases in difficulty. Consistency provides the foundation for differentiation in a couple of ways;
2. Frisbee - AUDL All-Midwest Team Total fail. As I acknowledged in my analysis of the goal at the beginning of the year, health would be the primary variable to success;
A hip injury in my fourth game of the season put the kibosh on this pretty firmly. I also did not anticipate missing the first two weeks of the season traveling to Asia. This completely disrupted my training, which I had been building all winter. Another two weeks off after my hip injury left me a step behind for the remainder of the season. Interestingly, this was also the only goal I set that was tied directly to external validation. Lesson learned. Only process goals from now on, still had a lot of fun this year. 3. Video - Produce 6 Videos for YouTube I’d say this was the biggest success after hitting 100 podcast episodes. A brief recap; 3 Ultimate Videos - Including 2016 Callahan winner Trent Dillon 4 Live Podcast Recordings - Including Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto 3 Asia Vlogs - South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong 1 Trailer - Filmed at StudioMe As I travel through Asia in 2017, I’ll be doing more travel vlogging. 2016 was great practice for sharpening my skills. 4. Email List - 500 email addresses Failed, but found a silver lining. I did not quite hit 500 email addresses on my email list, but I did get all the basics down. I’m approaching a 2% conversion rate on people who are visiting my site for the first time. Additionally, I’m averaging over a 50% open rate and 10% clickthrough rate on my monthly newsletter. Both are well above average. Definitely making this a bigger focus in 2017. Let me know if you want to get in on the action. 5. Read 30 Books Nailed it- right on the nose. Read my full 2016 reading review. On a more personal note, this year has been amazing and unlike anything I've experienced in my life. Getting to meet so many amazing people and connect around the globe is simaultaneously humbling and thrilling. Thank you so much for checking out the stuff I do and for being involved some way or another. I had a few people connect with me this past year to check in on goals and hold each other accountable. If you'd be interested in doing that in 2017, drop me a line. And from my family to yours, I hope you have a happy, healthy, and successful 2017. - Aaron |
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