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Can we speak about the truth that 2020 is
ALMOST
OVER?!
The finish of the 12 months—any 12 months—is all the time my favourite time.
Not simply due to Christmas, however the twinkling lights and apple cider undoubtedly assist.
But as a result of we’re about to get a recent begin. A clean slate. A complete new 12 months.
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Heath and I are obsessive about objectives (in case that wasn’t evident already) and these previous couple of weeks in December are an opportunity to replicate. Rest. Figure out what’s subsequent.
I’ve been fascinated about all the pieces that occurred in 2020. The good, the dangerous, the loopy tough, the primary two months of the 12 months, which felt like a unique WORLD than the remainder of 2020.
One factor Heath and I all the time do on the weblog is to share our 12 months in overview on the earlier 12 months and our objectives for the following. (I’m saving the objectives for after Christmas.) Let’s begin with the good things.
OR you’ll be able to take heed to this weblog put up in podcast type:
2020: The Good
Travel
Okay, initially, we spent over a month in Florida final January, and guys, why did we not do that yearly as RVers? It was all the pieces I wanted in life.
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Heath and I switched up our journey schedule this 12 months to suit higher with an lively child. This meant staying in locations for 2-6 weeks at a time and slowly exploring an space.
We LOVED touring this manner, particularly when it meant so many choices for having fun with fall throughout Colorado. I see extra leisurely lengthy stays sooner or later.
Business
The tenting business SOARED this 12 months. Heath and his workforce grew Campground Booking 244%. (I’m about to show 30 and I nonetheless can by no means determine how individuals calculate percentages over 100, however I do know that’s actually good.)
And my e book, printed over three years in the past now, outperformed final 12 months’s gross sales. This may very well be as a result of so many extra individuals purchased RVs this 12 months, however I additionally suppose it’s as a result of I took the time to replace the e book’s content material.
(We have an outstanding visitor put up from writer Lindsey Nubern on the right way to know if you need to replace your e book. If you’ve bought a e book that wants a lift in content material or gross sales, I like to recommend it!)
Heath & I additionally started working with our buddies Kara & Nate to plan and emcee their documentary premiere again in January—a lifetime in the past! Someone advised Heath this 12 months that being an entrepreneur is an excuse to work with buddies. We so agree and love any time we will say sure to tasks with buddies. More of that in 2021, please ????
A great portion of our enterprise vitality this 12 months went towards studying about shopping for and working a campground.
We’ve toured properties, met with contractors, talked to realtors, traders, mentors, buddies—aaaand we haven’t pulled the set off on a property but. We’ve been shut—a number of instances!—however issues hold falling by. So I assume this an excellent factor that occurred in 2020 but additionally a irritating and tough factor.
We have some irons within the fireplace that we’re presently pursuing, however property homeowners don’t need us making something public till the ink is dry, so we’re going to be fairly tight-lipped on any property particulars.
But the precise coolest enterprise factor of the 12 months was in all probability being on the duvet of Rootless Magazine.
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This is a complete vainness factor, however since I used to be a child, I all the time wished to be on the duvet of {a magazine}. I assumed it might be because the world’s first prima ballerina/pop singer however a journal concern dedicated to being an RV entrepreneur is fairly superior too ????
Family
And lastly, just about all the pieces about Ellie. This 12 months she discovered to crawl. Walk. Talk. Jump. Sing. Dance. The different day she walked over to our introduction calendar, pulled out a Hershey’s kiss, unwrapped it, threw the wrapper within the trash, and yelled “more!” earlier than she even ate the chocolate. She’s a genius, and clearly her mom’s daughter.
But as a lot as I like her, maybe the largest win of 2020 was discovering childcare for Ellie this fall from a stay-at-home mother on the town. There’s solely a lot work I can do throughout nap instances and now Ellie has a BFF.
Full-time RVing this 12 months, being a full-time stay-at-home mother and operating a enterprise, AND attempting to purchase a campground…it was rather a lot. And I wasn’t doing something nicely. Now I’ve 20 hours per week that I may be productive on the enterprise, and it feels so GOOD.
2020: The Bad
In comparability to so many others, nothing horrible occurred to us in 2020. But we did have some actually onerous moments and fell in need of objectives, as a result of that’s life.
The largest second was canceling our convention in March, though we already had 100+ attendees on-site for the occasion. What a loopy time.
We talked on the podcast about how we made the fast pivot to a digital occasion, dealt with partial refunds, shipped out t-shirts to attendees, and blazed onward (episode 201).
We haven’t closed on a campground but, like I already talked about, which appears like a serious fail for 2020 since that was our #1 purpose this 12 months. But objectives shift and we realized again in July that we would have liked to discover a home first and a campground second. So we can be full steam forward on a campground in Q1, AND we’ll lastly launch the Campground Startup podcast on February 1st (one other undertaking we have been going to begin in 2020!).
I believe one of many worst elements of 2020 for me was feeling like I couldn’t do something the best way I wished to. And not in an “I want to take Ellie to the pool and teach her to swim, oh wait all the pools are closed forever” form of means.
I began engaged on my subsequent e book this summer season, like actually working. I wrote a number of chapters. Felt actually good about it. Words have been flowing. Post its have been in all places. Stories and reminiscences flooded again to me.
It’s the e book I wished to put in writing again in 2014 after we first began RVing, sharing tales from our travels and what life on the street was like.
But then we have been caravanning with buddies. Ellie switched from two naps to at least one. Heath began working extra hours to lift cash for Campground Booking. Family was driving up from Texas to go to us. I used to be behind on a course we have been launching that wanted consideration. I didn’t have any little one care choices, solely late nights and early mornings.
I didn’t really feel like I had any management over my time.
So I’ve a number of chapters of a e book written that I haven’t checked out in far too lengthy, though I deliberate on publishing it this month.
This was an enormous emotional battle for me and an enormous theme for us for 2020. I couldn’t be a mother, a traveler, an entrepreneur, and a author all of sudden. I wanted assist and I wanted to chop again. (This is one thing Heath has felt too as he’s now operating a 9-person distant enterprise with staff everywhere in the world.)
Which is why childcare felt like such an enormous win for me. And why it was the fitting time for a sticks and bricks.
And so once more I study the lesson, I can do all the pieces, however I can’t do all the pieces on the similar time.
So ending my subsequent e book goes on the listing for 2021 together with our podcast and our campground. It’s going to be a busy 12 months, I can already inform!
2020: Major Lessons Learned
In addition to studying for the millionth time that I can’t do all the pieces all of sudden, Heath and I discovered a number of different huge classes this 12 months.
Life is just too brief to not do stuff you need to do, even if you happen to do them badly.
In November, I partnered with my buddy Barb of RV Foodie Kitchen to host a nightly cooking present. It was a dream come true.
Except I actually tousled cooking ALL my recipes. And I might’ve executed 1,000,000 little issues in another way.
But it was actually enjoyable.
I did it, though it was scary. Extra work after I didn’t have additional time. I used to be under no circumstances outfitted or expert sufficient to do it. Ellie ate uncooked batter whereas I used to be distracted speaking to the digicam. I had 1,000,000 excuses to not attempt (I’m transferring right into a home proper now, we’ve got buddies visiting, I’m not an actual cook dinner, the listing goes on).
But I nonetheless did it. This is a lesson I attempt to lean into slightly extra annually: do the stuff you need to do, even if you happen to’re not prepared. I remorse by no means attempting greater than I remorse making errors as I’m going.
Give your self grace.
I believe 2020 taught us all the right way to give ourselves grace.
How to let go of our fastidiously constructed plans. How to pivot. How to drift. How to not maintain ourselves to metrics or numbers.
But as an alternative, give attention to progress.
I didn’t do yoga 365 instances, however I did 150 instances (due to Yoga with Adriene). And that’s waaaay higher than final 12 months.
Progress > excellent, as they are saying.
You do you.
There was a time after I would reply to emails all the time encouraging individuals to additionally attempt full-time RVing. We beloved it a lot OF COURSE these complete strangers on the web may have the identical magical expertise.
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But over the previous couple of years, I’ve modified my method. Because full-time journey isn’t for everybody. Starting a enterprise isn’t for everybody.
And that’s one thing we’ve shifted on our web site this 12 months. Like extra assets for distant work and being a digital nomad basically, as an alternative of solely assets for beginning a enterprise. You do what’s best for you (and I’ll put up the assets, interviews, and visitor blogs from allllll the touring consultants).
This is one thing I need to do extra of in 2021—extra visitor blogs and interviews with people who find themselves smarter than me.
We are ADULTS.
Heath turned 30 yesterday. I flip 30 in two weeks. (Ellie won’t ever flip 30 as she agreed to remain tiny and cute ceaselessly.)
And we’re embarking on a complete new decade of life.
Our 20s have been superb. We met and bought married. Traveled greater than we ever thought we might. Had a child. Bought a home. Started a bunch of companies. Paid off all our pupil debt.
I anticipate 30 to be chock filled with much more adventures.
More on setting objectives and planning for 2021 subsequent week ????
Until then, wishing you protected travels, good well being, however an unhealthy quantity of Christmas cookies. Tis the season!