Today is the one-year anniversary of the Life After College Blog - wuhooo!!! It’s been a huge year. I spent some time reflecting on major milestones for me and the blog, my favorite posts, why I started this website in the first place and how it relates to my larger life purpose (as I currently see it). A Few Milestones and Favorite Posts
On a personal level – I launched this website, bought a house, broke up with my boyfriend, completed training to be a life coach, became a manager at Google, held a personal 90-day No Car Challenge, ran a marathon, turned 25, bought myself a diamond ring, and signed on to lead and develop a workshop for women with five other amazing coaches in 2009. Those of you who I’ve corresponded with over email know that my personal mantra is “live big!”...I’m pretty sure this is it!
It’s been a big year for my blog too. It’s the first site that comes up if you Google “life after college” – and I get 500 hits from that exact search every month (not to mention the 500+ variations on that query). In the last month 2,800 people visited the site from over 81 countries, from Canada to India to Malaysia and Japan. In the last year I've gotten over 14,000 visits from 108 countries. I've written 80 posts and have 37 subscribers that I'm aware of (23 via email and 14 through feed readers - now go tell your friends so we can double those numbers!) While these traffic statistics may not be a lot compared to the big boys – I am proud and humbled that people are actually interested in what I have to say.
Check-out a few of my favorite posts if you just started reading (or want a refresher):
- Goals: Big Hairy Scary Goals, Sticky Goals, How to Create a Peer Support Network
- Happiness: Own the Day, Balance Within the Day, Enough, Uncover Your Passions
- Money: Money is a Means, Not an End, Craigslist as an Extra Income Dartboard
- Career/Work: The Power of Informal Interviews, If You're Not Learning You're Obsolete, Stress Happens: Whaddaya Gonna Do About it?
- Personal: Ten Books that Changed My Life, Q&A with Life After College (aka Me!), Lessons from a Day of Bugs
- Other: Workout Battles We Fight, Going Beyond the To-Do List, Web 2.0 Services I Love
Why I Started Life After College
I started this website because when I dropped out of school to help start a company with my mentor and five other college professors, I was clueless. I was smart and resourceful – but clueless, lonely and lost. While I was struggling to understand health insurance, my 401(k) and how to be a good employee, my friends were still partying and taking finals.
So I read and I researched and I set goals for myself. I became a student of personal finance, time management, organization, productivity, website development, career success, leadership, personal growth, goal-setting, vision, entrepreneurship, diet & exercise, learning & development, mindfulness and the art of happiness. I read books and took courses in all of the above. This year, as I went through 116 hours of coaches training, the connection between all of it became clear to me – I am fascinated by human potential. Personal growth isn’t a hobby – it’s a passion.
My Purpose on this Planet (as I Currently See It)
I believe my purpose, and by extension the purpose of this website, is to help others (young professionals and beyond) become their own best selves – to wake up and be fully present and alive in their lives through simple and practical exercises, structures and tips.
My purpose is to help others expand beyond limiting ideas of what’s possible and live big! To share my passion for personal growth with the world so that I can help people lead rich, balanced, happy and fulfilling lives. Per the motto of this website, no one ever said life is supposed to be easy – but then again, neither is anything worthwhile.
With that, Happy Birthday to Life After College, and thank you to all of my precious readers – new and old – for being with me on this journey!
All the best,
Jenny