This year is almost over and like everyone, I’m also reviewing the last year and making plans for 2024.
It’s crazy how fast a year goes by, and a lot has happened.
In this email, I’ll summarize my successes, failures, and lessons learned and share my top podcast, book, and authors of the year (I’m not getting anything paid in return for the recommendations, I love to share my favorite things with you).
Successes
Newsletter subscribers: x2,7 / +26
Twitter followers: x3,6 / +210
Instagram followers (since starting posting in July): x1,4 / +165
Medium followers: x2,25 / +320
Income: 60 €
I’m grateful for all the big jumps I had in followers.
My biggest personal success was to take action and start posting on Instagram. I was afraid to publish stuff there, but I figured my target group (young women interested in personal development) would be there.
The big jump in newsletter subscribers is mainly thanks to the 2 freebies I published for you this year. The first one called “7 Steps to Get More Done in Less Time” was popular and it was a huge jump in February.
What kept me motivated was all the great comments I got on Medium from people loving my writing and stories, and also the discussions that started.
I also got some compliments from friends for my stories and posts, and I’m grateful for all of them. Thank you!
In July and August, I participated in a 30-day writing challenge and it was an amazing experience, a great community and I made it! I wasn’t 100% sure because I also had to work and prepare for my semester abroad.
The biggest thing I’m proud of is I established a morning routine this year. As I was living alone in Ireland and only had university I had the freedom to introduce the routine without constraints.
That’s one of the reasons I actually went abroad: to disrupt my old routines and start new ones, and to work on myself.
Failures and Lessons Learned
Of course, I also had failures this year. Without them, I wouldn’t improve or learn.
My second freebie only got 2 downloads. Even though I wrote this story based on the popularity of my post about positivity, nobody wanted or needed it apparently.
What I learned is that my sales and marketing tactics are not really good yet. I will change the guide, and experiment with my strategies.As I left for Ireland, I thought I would leave my volunteering tasks behind too because I don’t have a position anymore. I was wrong. The future of the career fair we organized was still important to me, so I helped a lot. Maybe a little too much.
What I learned is that I had to let go of doing stuff myself. Others will do it differently, maybe worse but they will learn from their mistakes, just like I did.The connections to my family and friends suffered because I was too busy sometimes.
What I learned is to take more time to meet with people to have more in-depth talks.I let myself get influenced by the negativity of my surroundings too much. That’s what I experienced the last months: I complained a lot and always thought of the worst-case scenarios.
What I learned: it helped 0% and actually wasted a lot of my precious time in Ireland. I will rethink what I want to say first, to find a more positive way to say it or to see it.
My Top 3 Podcasts in 2023
I love podcasts.
It’s my 2nd favorite way to learn and gain new perspectives after books.
Why do I love them? Because they are short and easy to listen to on my way to somewhere.
It usually takes me at least 20 minutes to get to an appointment or to meet friends, so I have time to listen to a short podcast.
I want to share my top 3 with you to give you the knowledge too. Please write me a comment with your favorite podcasts, I would love to find other great ones!
You can read the whole story here.
Top Tweet of 2023
As the pinned post for most of the time this year, it got the most views as you can see.
It was also one of the best carousels on Instagram.
Here is the link to the Tweet.
Top Books I Read in 2023
I learned so much about building a brand and living my dream in this book. It’s really inspiring!
This book changed my perspective about money and mindset. One of the books every person should read.
I’ve been re-reading this book this year over and over. There are so many precious tips in there in short stories and sentences.
Robin is one of my favorite authors.
To make this newsletter better I would love to hear your opinions and recommendations.
Please answer the polls or tell me in the comments!
You can re-read all my stories of this year on my website here!
Thank you for reading my newsletter!
I wish you and your family a Happy New Year 2024!
I can’t wait to help you even more next year with my new life lessons and experiences!
Let’s connect! Follow me for daily inspiration, exclusive content, and updates:
All the best and I wish you a nice week,
Karina
Explore my curated book list to feed your curious mind and nurture your personal growth. Discover your next insightful read here:
P.S.: I’m a huge fan of audiobooks as I can listen to them whenever I’m going somewhere or waiting.
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