As 2016 comes to a close, I’m looking back at this past year and can’t believe what a whirlwind and blessing it has been. It’s been a year of opportunity, growth, challenges, and firsts.
Today I would like to share with you a personal reflection as well as the best posts from Piano Pantry in its first year.
Goal-Setting
This past year, I decided not to make any “New Years Resolutions” but to instead, sit down and set specific goals for myself. Evernote guru Michael Hyatt wrote a post How Evernote Can Help You Achieve Your Goals in 2015 that I used as inspiration.
Speaking of Evernote if you missed it, check out my post on using Evernote as an independent music teacher.
One of those goals was to start this blog and my studio website by March 1 (the latter of which I accomplished this summer). This site’s first post, “Welcome to My Studio”, was published on March 20, 2016. Check!
There was one person who gave me the confidence I needed to get this website off the ground, and I want to thank her publicly. Joy Morin of Color In My Piano blog and I were acquaintances for years. However, after making a plea on Facebook for a roommate for NCKP 2015, Joy offered that I could stay with her and her friend.
It was at NCKP that we first became friends and I shared with her my ideas and desires to develop this blog. With her encouragement and even several months of putting up with all my technical questions, Piano Pantry was born. She even helped me brainstorm the site name! I am forever grateful for her encouragement and insight.
A Year of Firsts
January, February, and March of 2016 were quite busy as I was not only getting this blog off the ground but prepping for my first-ever national session for the MTNA Conference. I wrote my reflections in the post, San Antonio 2016: A Conference to Remember.
(A more detailed post outlining an attendee’s take-away from that session, The Wild West of Marketing: How Do You Know What Really Works, can be found on 88 Piano Keys.)
It was a dream come true! Not only was it a great experience, but it opened doors in the months to follow.
June – Gave my first Webinar, hosted by Tim Topham which was great fun and an honor.
July – Wrote my first “published” article in the Piano Bench magazine.
August – Used my first MTNA Grant to attend training with the Gordon Music Insititute
September – Released Piano Pantry’s first big free resource: Assignment Sheet Central.
December – Hosted Piano Pantry’s first giveaway.
Don’t Let the World Tell You…
The reason I’m letting you in on my reflection of personal accomplishments is that I know it is easy to often feel like things don’t happy as fast as we want. Do you ever feel that way?
Even just a few weeks ago I was feeling frustrated with not getting everything done I wanted. Suddenly, I remembered some of these things that happened so many months ago – I had nearly forgotten them. It was at that moment I kicked myself silently.
The world tells us we have to do more, more, more. We are so connected and visible to other teachers, it’s easy to feel like what we’re doing isn’t good enough or that we should be doing more – taking on more students – writing more blogs posts – doing fancier and fancier things. I find it very easy to get down on myself for not accomplishing more.
That’s why I realized for perhaps the first time, why it was important to take the time at the end of the year to reflect on the past 12 months. Look at all you’ve done – it IS enough.
Six of my ten goals were solidly accomplished. While that’s not a high percentage, for my first year of goal-setting, I am pleased because I’m happy, I work hard, do my best, learn from my mistakes, and a new year is ahead.
Top Posts of 2016
Here are the posts you, my Piano Pantry readers read the most in its first year.
#1 – Piano Safari: Stuffed Animal Shopping Guide
#2 – One-Minute Club Challenge
#3 – Studio Awards – Policies and Procedures
#5 – Piano Teacher Adventure: MLT in Boston
#6 – Marketing with Postcards – It’s Not What You Think!
#7 – The Email No Teacher Likes to See
Top Friday Finds Post:
Friday Finds: A New Podcast and Password Manager (August 26, 2016)
See you in 2017!
Thank you, Amy for this post! I am currently looking forward to what I would like to accomplish in 2017 & was feeling a bit overwhelmed. Thank you for the reminder that I don’t have to accomplish everything all at once (it’s hard not to feel it needs to be all or nothing) & to look back at how far I’ve come. Have a wonderful New Year, Amy!