View of one of Taninah's palapas (fab photo by Sean Ogle)

“We show up, burn brightly, live passionately, hold nothing back, and when the moment is over, when our work is done, we step back and let go.”

–Rolf Gates, Meditations from the Mat

Yoga at sunset on top of the water tower (By Sean Ogle)

I just got back from the most incredible week of my life…totally unplugged with 11 other entrepreneurs in a Mayan villa called Taninah, situated in the middle of a jungle near Playa del Carmen in Mexico. We slept in palapas at night under the stars, then woke up to the sound of birds chirping and ducks splashing in the pond. We ate three meals a day together cooked by an incredible staff, and laughed, played and had great conversations all day every day like we were kids again.

It’s funny that just before I left I wrote the post, What’s Your Happy Place? I found it. I found it in physical form (the resort had ziplines, a mini golf course, a game room, a treehouse, hammocks, and a waterslide in a cave) and in my spirit — I’ve never felt such a pure sense of joy, bliss and love for such a sustained amount of time.

This post won’t be a recap of my vacation – there are no words that would do the experience justice. I feel transformed beyond measure, and this is my attempt at maintaining it moving forward, and helping you find that same sense of aliveness in your own life.

My book is centered loosely upon the Wheel of Life (template here), an exercise where you can rate every area of your life on a scale of 1-10 (work, money, friends, family, home, organization, health, personal growth, relationships, fun & relaxation). While that exercise can help you design your life in every area, it doesn’t quite hit on the qualities that bring us alive within that life.

The areas (and accompanying Wheel of Aliveness template) below are based on my trip and are influenced heavily by Martha Beck’s latest book, Finding Your Way in a Wild New World. I believe they can be applied to any person at any time, because they hit upon fundamental aspects of being fully human. If there are any areas that don’t resonate with you, feel free to replace them with ones that do.

12 Ways to Wake up, Come Alive and Find Your Bliss

As you read the list below, consider how each one is showing up in your own life (or not). On a scale of 1-10, how present and full is that element? How do you feel when you maximize each one? What would be possible in your life if you were to increase the areas that are lacking? Feel free to also use the shiny new template for this exercise.

• Movement/play – many of us sit at computers all day and continue staring at screens into the night. How can you incorporate more athletics and movement, even outside of the gym? Yoga in the rain, tossing a football and baseball around, and zip-lining (among many other activities) completely brought me back to my body this week. The owner, Marino, even set-up an obstacle course for us on the last day, and I almost peed my pants watching everyone else go through it! It feels great to sweat and release energy through play. See also: Sean Ogle’s The Importance of Play (about our trip)
• Dance – you may not like dancing, but I believe that there is something incredibly powerful about connecting with music, feeling it in your bones, and letting yourself dance and be free. Sweating in a club, connecting with people around you, or just dancing by yourself when no one’s watching. See also: Where the Hell is Matt? (One of my all-time favorite YouTube videos — you can’t watch it and NOT smile)
• Nature – It was an incredible experience getting to immerse ourselves totally in a Mayan jungle, especially after coming from THE concrete jungle of New York City. A reminder about how powerful it is to be outside, play outside and rest outside. Go for walks, lay in the grass, sit on a bench and people watch. See also: Martha Beck’s Logging Off: The Power of Disconnection
• Water - I thought about combining this with nature, but it’s different. Water has a powerful effect on our bodies — whether it’s a pool, hot tub, bath tub, slip and slide, or even staring at a natural body of water like the ocean or a river. See also: Bon Iver’s incredible Holocene bonus video from his self-titled album, 20 Life Lessons I Learned on the Rogue River
• Community & Connection – there is something magical about sharing meals (3 a day), and finding people who inspire you to be the best, most authentic version of yourself. Consider the communities in your life: are they serving your most authentic self? Are they making your life better? During the trip we would come together for a few rounds of “Ohm” after every sporting event, even in the middle of a restaurant one day. Ohm is said to be the universal sound, and the beautiful harmony reminded all of us that we are connected and we are loved. See also: The Holstee Manifesto: This is Your Life.
• Laughter – laughter is one of the purest forms of joy. Find people who make you laugh, don’t take life too seriously, and let yourself be silly. See also: Top 10 Funniest YouTube Videos
• Learning & Creativity – this entails reading books, engaging in conversation, asking questions, giving yourself space to explore your creative side. Engage your mind, and just as you let your body play and be outdoors, allow your inner creativity to shine through freedom and flexibility. By creating such an incredible place, Marino taught us all to dream big, bigger and bigger still. Never give up on bringing your wildest dreams to fruition.  See also: Live for the Dip
• Challenge – get outside of your comfort zone, tackle big goals and big ideas, undertake projects that bring you alive. See also: Joseph Campbell on The Hero’s Journey
• Commitment – what matters to you? Commit to living authentically, commit to living in accordance with your core values, and commit to projects and people that carry significant meaning. See also: Big Difference by Willie Jackson, about the powerful conversation we had with Marino about the plight of the Mayans (much like Avatar) and his commitment to serving them.
• Gratitude & Positivity - it was amazing to be around a group of people who let all negativity roll right off their backs at any given moment. No sooner did someone state a fear or self-doubt than it was washed away by caring, positive encouragement. This is about maintaining a player mentality (as opposed to a victim role) in your own life, about reframing negative thoughts into positive incarnations, and about constantly reminding yourself of everything in life that you are grateful for, therefore giving it a chance to expand even further. See also: Be Thankful  and Zen and the Art of Happiness Book Notes
• Letting go – resting, relaxing, dropping any thoughts or worries that aren’t serving you, let small infractions in life roll of your back. My friend Mike from the trip uses the motto, “Zero F*cks” — as in, “I have zero f*cks to give” when something irritating happens, or even when going into a situation (like a night out with friends to focus on being carefree). He quickly got us to all adopt the phrase — making sure to clarify that Zero F*cks only applies to stuff that doesn’t matter, so that you can focus your attention on everything else that does. See also: Dancing with Demons and Finding the Light
• Light and love – sending love to yourself first and foremost, then to all others around you. One love. See also: Light, Love and Yoga Money and Expanding Happiness: on Bliss and Fear (with notes from my dad)

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments: What brings you alive?
What do you have room for more of in your life?

Modified pigeon pose at Taninah (HDR photo by Sean Ogle)

“It’s always darkest before the dawn…
And it’s hard to dance
With a Devil on your back
So shake it out…”

—Lyrics to Shake it Out by Florence & the Machine 

Yesterday, as I was transferred for the seventh time during a 15-minute phone call that can only be described as a customer service black hole, my blood started boiling. RAGE.

I’ve had a cold this week, so my normal be a friendly decent human being defenses were down. I hadn’t gone running or to yoga in days. I had a devil on my back (as the brilliant lyric above goes) and I had lost my happy place.

Origins of the Happy Place

After my sophomore year of college, I did a two-month travel study program in Europe. My roommate and I devised a method for dealing with frustration, long lines, angry people and other mood-zappers: go to the happy place.

Mine happened to be on an island with Vin Diesel, and she taught me how to say it in sign-language.

When something would go wrong, instead of reverting to RAGE or complete bitch-mode, she and I would look at each other and sign our happy places. “I’m on an island with Vin Diesel!” I’d mouth while giggling. It might be a complete fabrication, but it worked.

(Consider also Adam Sandler’s happy place from Happy Gilmore for a good chuckle/example…thanks Alex Dea!)

Shake it out. . .

These days, my happy place is my yoga mat. While it helps to have a place that actually exists, it’s certainly not required.

When I feel my patience grow thin or my good-mood resources deplete, I know it’s time to get out of the house and get moving. Fresh air, a walk or a run, and definitely a yoga class. My dad has a theory that unused adrenaline (which we start out with every morning) quickly turns toxic in our bodies if we don’t put it to use within 24 hours.

When you’re in a funk, you don’t always realize that it’s because you’ve neglected your happy place…but it’s never too late to go back. Or to imagine yourself there in vivid detail.

Just as negotiators suggest “going to the balcony” instead of reacting on the spot, the same applies for going to your happy place. The next time you find yourself sad, mad, frustrated or otherwise on a rapid downhill slide into toxic energy, conjur up a place that makes you smile.

What does it look like? Who is there with you? What are you doing? What imagined scenario (or real activity) is guaranteed to lift your spirits? It might even help to make a list or do a free-write so that you have something to come back to when you’re feeling less creative.

I’d love to hear in the comments: what is your happy place?
What person or place (or puppy!) makes you smile just thinking about it?

***

P.S. Two fun features elsewhere on the web today: My “Act as If” story is up on Positively Positive, and the most in-depth interview I’ve done in a while is posted at Idea Mensch. Head on over and check them out — both are great websites that I am honored to be on and look forward to exploring more!

P.P.S. Thank you so much for all of your enthusiasm and kind words about the Mint infographic — it’s been a blast seeing it spread around the Internet!

Click to head over to Mint and see the infographic in full!

Today is a VERY exciting day . . . I’m proud to introduce the newest member of the Life After College family!*

*Oh my . . .now I’m referring to projects as children. You know you’re hopelessly addicted to blogging when . . . 

In collaboration with Mint and Quicken, we’ve released an infographic today called “Your Roadmap to Life After College“ — an eye-candy CliffsNotes version of my book!

Our aim was to create something fun, interesting and useful, in a style that harkens back to the Choose Your Own Adventure books many of us loved as kids. The Roadmap to Life After College covers six major life areas: Home, Money, Career, Health, Social Life and Fun, with tips and statistics sprinkled throughout. A little virtual easter egg: If you look closely, you’ll notice that my dog Patches (may she rest in peace) is in the picture frame at the top

If you’re looking to take the roadmap even further, I encourage you to sign-up for my latest greatest Design Your Life course (inspired by the infographic) — six weeks to help you “stop spinning and start LIVING” in all the areas above. The best part? If you enroll, you get a friend in free. Accountability is sexy, baby! 

Whether you are nearing graduation, a few years out, or know someone approaching this major transition, we hope you enjoy the digital adventure on the Mint Blog!

That’s not it…

You can also purchase this infographic (reconfigured slightly) as a 18×24 poster, which I’m really stoked about. First official JBE merchandise outside of the book! I may be biased, but I think it would make a great gift for any soon-to-be-grads you know

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments here or on the Mint blog, and please share this with anyone and everyone who you think could benefit!

***

Make Sh*t Happen Doors are Open!

Thanks to the awesomeness that is AnyMeeting (h/t Sean Ogle), I was able to record today’s free Make Sh*t Happen Crash Course. View the recording* and set your biggest goals on fire for 2012! In a good way, of course

*If you can’t see the video and PPT, here’s the work-around from AnyMeeting: “Start playing the recordings in question and right click the area where the content is supposed to be playing. Press “Settings” on the small menu that appears and now a Adobe Flash Player Settings prompt window should pop up. Uncheck the “Enable hardware acceleration” box and close the prompt window. Refresh your browser a couple times and that should resolve the issue.” Sorry for the hassle! 

The full course is now open for enrollment, and I’m already in love with the early enrollees. It sold out in less than 24 hours last time, so make sure you get a jump on it if you know you’re interested.

Here’s what one of the participants, rockstar David Geier, had to say about his experience:

“I really knew very little about this course before I signed up. Someone I know tweeted Jenny’s blog post about leaving Google to pursue her dreams, and that post struck a chord with me. I realized that I have had dreams of new pursuits that were just that – dreams. But something about that post made me want to give the MSH course a shot. And I was shocked how great this course was for me, because everything about it is not at all like me (or my past me).

I remember very specifically how nervous I was typing my big goal into the response section, knowing that the other members of the course would soon read it. I had to open a bottle of really expensive wine I had been saving for a special occasion as I typed it. I hit enter with some fear, honestly. But then I read the other responses and I couldn’t get over how amazing everyone’s dreams and projects were. I felt like we were all starting an amazing journey.

Every step along the way – creating our support network, writing our vision statements, creating accountability, discussing our progress with other course members – made the journey more and more tangible. While I still have a long way to go to complete my goals, I am so much more confident that I can do it and that it will happen that it almost feels inevitable.

I can’t say enough how much Jenny and her course have helped me!”

—David G.

Cheers — to geeking out on infographics and to big goal swagger in 2012!

I’ve been in a great mood this week, feeling very optimistic about the present and future; radiant, cheerful, and impossibly gregarious.

But a wave of anxiety swept over me this afternoon. I felt knots in my stomach, tension in my jaw, and had a sad expression on my face. I was grateful to be headed to yoga class because I knew it would force me to breathe, and to let go of this unnecessary weight.

Traveling lightly, I left my purse at home and tucked my credit card, metro card and $10 cash into my vest pocket.

Side note that will be relevant shortly: I taught my first official Geek Yoga class in NYC last night (yay!), and one person paid in cash. A lightly worn $10 bill.

Mood a little low, I headed down into the subway with the thick, warm air that I fell in love with as a kid, and I was immediately taken by two women singing their hearts out into a portable mic and speaker system, in what sounded like a cross between Amy Winehouse and Aretha Franklin.

They were smiling, dancing, and singing with soul. So I started smiling back at them.

Bigger, bigger, bigger still. They literally turned my frown upside down.

They snapped me out of my sadness and brought me pure joy. What could be more worth $10 than that? My $10 came from teaching a yoga class, and it felt right to use that same money to spread a little more love and happiness in the world, as these women had just done for me.

Into their hat it went before I stepped onto the subway car.

My word of the year is Light.

I am pouring my focus into being a shining beacon of light in the world, to bring joy and positive energy to others, uplifting them in the process. To practice, I’ve been smiling at people, complimenting strangers and generally going out of my way to be friendly and strike up conversations.

Though I am succeeding at uplifting others, the more surprising realization has been that it is working on me.

For the next ten minutes after giving the two women my cash, I felt filled with love. Joy. Bliss.

“Yoga Money,” I laughed to myself while walking to class. Of course it should stay in circulation!

And then I proceeded to have an entirely transformative yoga practice.

During class I focused my gaze on the lights outside. I smiled as I pictured them being put there just for me.

By the end of class, I found myself in a yoga pose that I had never done before; one that I thought I would never be able to do in my lifetime. I didn’t even know the name of it until I researched it for this post (a near miracle that I could even figure it out!).

Being in that yoga pose was the most open I’ve ever been . . . and they say that open hips are the way to an open heart.

As I left class, I started typing a reminder to myself on my phone:

Every light is for . . . but before I could type “you,” the word “for” auto-corrected to God. I’m not religious, but that certainly got my attention.

Every light is God.
Every light is for you.
Every light — streetlight, sunlight, night light, invisible light — is a reminder to shine our lights more brightly in the world.

Namaste.

*Yes, I still address my journal as “Dear Diary.” Stop laughing!!! I’ve been writing almost daily since I was ten years old and the name stuck. Before we jump in, I want to extend my deep gratitude to Jade Craven for including me on ProBlogger’s list of 20 Bloggers to Watch in 2012 – I’m beyond honored, and in great company if you’re looking for awesome new blogs to follow. 

I’ve been burrowed away in my apartment these last few days consuming coffee at a pace as close to an IV drip as I can get it, writing, course-creating, working on a super-fun project with Mint (stay tuned!) and wracking my brain for what to say to all of you that isn’t horribly, obnoxiously cliché as we ring in the new year.

Resolutions Schmezoloutions

I don’t make resolutions, I make mind maps of what I’d like to do or be in every major area of life and business, and I’ve made one every year for the last four years. Last year I shared my Passions Mind Map from 2008, along with instructions for creating your own. But I’m not here to preach about whether you should make resolutions or set goals, or even tell you how to keep them or not.

Instead, I just want one thing for all of you this year: to dig deep, find your courage, and pursue with gusto that thing in your heart that you know you must do. That one thing that, upon reflection 12 months from now, you would surely regret not attempting. I don’t care if you’re “successful” or not. I just want you to TRY. And to come alive in the process.

Show not tell: in which I crack open my journal for all to see

My English teachers always said to show not tell when writing. Somehow I don’t think they meant I should bare my innermost thoughts for all to see, but I’m doing it anyway. Last year, the one thing I would have regretted most was not giving myself a chance at running my own business full-time.

This month marks my six-month anniversary of solopreneurship, and I’m breaking even and paying bills with far more ease than I had envisioned. It all happened as a result of someone asking me, “How would you feel if a year from now nothing has changed?” (see the video of me telling this story in my 20SB Keynote)

Rather than just sit on top of a mountain of “yay, I did it!” and tell you about how I got here, I’d like to show you.

With a few caveats:

• Most of my most thoughtful entries happen during flights — you’ll notice that’s where many of these came from. As you can see from my TripIt stats, I had lots of opportunities for deep reflection this year!
• As I mentioned above, I still start every entry with “Dear Diary.” Dear Journal just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
• I never write with the intention to share, and if anyone ever read my journals without my consent I might not speak to them again. Sharing these entries is new for me! Shared without edits, even though there are several places I would have liked to omit a few things

Journal Entry 1: May 15, 2011 – Suspended between two worlds

In this entry I’m scared about the future, but having experienced the joy of being on my own, I start to entertain the possibility that I won’t be as massive a failure as my inner critic would like me to believe.

Journal Entry 2: June 1, 2011 – When it all finally clicks

This is the day I actually committed to moving forward with my great leap. I knew the conversation with Google would be incredibly hard (I haven’t been that nervous in a long-time) but that it was time for my to fly (my theme for 2011). I loved working at Google and cherish my time there, but this is when I realized that I was ready to give myself a chance, and that I would greatly regret not taking that risk.

Journal Entry 5: June 15, 2011 – Pardon my french!

Two weeks later, I made the call. I was sad to leave my co-workers and hated disappointing my manager, director and teammates by not returning, but I couldn’t help but squeal with glee at FINALLY making a decision and betting on myself.

Haha — that’s what pure JB handwritten all-caps excitement looks like

Journal Entry 4: November 30, 2011 – Mantras Moving Forward

Most of these mantras came to me as a result of challenges and emotional pain I was experiencing. They are an attempt at documenting how I want to be and what I want to focus on moving forward instead of fears, doubts and self-criticism.

A Toast: to 2012 with no regrets

I hope that in some way these snapshots have been helpful or interesting (if not just plain voyeuristic!). I hope they help you see that behind every courageous leap lie many fears and insecurities, but that they CAN be overcome.

Whether you write resolutions or not, ask yourself these two questions (and if you’re feeling gutsy, answer in the comments):

What is the ONE THING that you know in your gut you want to do this year?
How would you feel if one year from now if nothing had changed? 

***

Make Sh*t Happen Enrollment + Free Crash Course

If you are looking for extra support as you go after your own “no regrets” year, stick around: the doors re-open for Make Sh*t Happen on January 11 at 3pm ET.  I’m so excited I can barely stand it! Wondering if the course is right for you? Check out what the inaugural group had to say.

I’m also super excited to host a free Make Sh*t Happen Crash Course webinar on January 11 at 1:30pm PT as a fun way to kick-off the new year and provide a CliffsNotes version of what we cover in case you can’t afford the full course at the moment.

I’ll share my 8-step process for going after a massive goal: everything from big-picture visioning to building a strong support network, surviving the dip, and celebrating. At the very end I will answer any questions potential course enrollees may have. Register here, and please note that the webinar will not be recorded.

Cheers — to dreaming, doing and big-goal-swagger in 2012!

FOUR YEARS. I can’t believe that this little project, cooked up on a whim based on a love for writing that started with a family newspaper operation out of my living room at age 11, has turned into the very center of my life and career.

Starting a blog is easy — buying a domain, setting up WordPress, making a few tweaks. Writing quality content week-over-week, cracking yourself open again and again, coming up with original ideas, and exposing your innermost thoughts for public review and scrutiny, is not. But damn is it rewarding.

About this post:

In these round-ups, I outline my favorite and the most popular posts of the year, give statistics about blog traffic, and share personal milestones and achievements. It’s the best way to get a view of the entire blog on fast-forward and the full year in review.

I hesitate every year to publish these because it seems so self-indulgent, but it feels like the best way to honor all the work that goes into the blog. I hope that by the end of this epically long post that you learn something new, feel inspired or catch some helpful content you might have missed.

Previous Round-ups

• First post ever! (December 17, 2007)
• 2008 - Happy Birthday to Life After College: Letter from the Editor
• 2009 – Happy Two-Year Blogiversary to Life After College
• 2010 – Happy Three-Year Blogiversary to Life After College

The 4 Most Important Lessons I’ve Learned in Four Years of Blogging

1. Big projects become successful after thousands of micro-steps taken regularly and consistently over time. Everyone starts somewhere. While some bloggers seem to skyrocket to success over night, I have taken an alternate route with my blog. I have never once had an explicit goal to grow my traffic. Partly because my day job kept me very busy for the first 3+ years, and partly because I don’t like to force things or “over-effort.” My mission has always been to focus on delivering the best content I can muster as consistently as I can each month. When people look at my blog today, they may not realize that it’s has been a four-year process of making micro-revisions, one tiny little adjustment at a time. The first version was a design hack-job I did myself, and it wasn’t until three years later that I paid a professional to clean things WAY up. The categories, format, posts, about page — every single sentence, piece of content, widget and plug-in has been tried and tested and tweaked dozens of times, over time. There is no way I could have done it all at once, and you shouldn’t expect yourself to either. Start somewhere. Then fix while flying.
2. Constantly push yourself to be more vulnerable and transparent than you’re comfortable with. This is the hardest lesson to practice, and though it has gotten MUCH easier over the years, I still have to frequently ask myself what I’m afraid to write about and then GO THERE. My most popular posts without question are the ones in which I reveal struggles, flaws and bumps. We bond through shared struggle, and while that doesn’t have to be the sole focus of a blog, it is a great service to others if you can allow yourself to open up more.
3. Make real connections with people. Blogging should really be referred to as an “insta-friend generator.” Blogging has introduced me to the most wonderful network of friends and readers — I am absolutely rich with relationships because of it. However it still isn’t a magic bullet; relationships — online and off — take work to cultivate. They require setting aside time, proactively reaching out to people, and keeping your commitments.
4. Don’t forget to thank the hand that feeds you. I see some newer bloggers who are hungry to make it big, land a book deal, and/or strike it rich. While those are all nice dreams, of course, that tunnel vision it creates forgets that blogging is really an act of service. It doesn’t often pay well, if at all, and the most successful bloggers remember that their readers are everything. At least to me. You are not a means to an end in my life — you are my life. You are the reason I was able to quit my job at Google and break-even after my first six months of running my own business. You are the reason I got a book deal, and get asked to do speaking engagements and can create meaningful courses and content to help you gain clarity and take action in your life. Don’t forget where you came from, and don’t forget to thank the hand that feeds you — whether you are a blogger, an employee, a company, or frankly . . . a living, breathing human being.

Personal Milestones

• After two years of intense work, the Life After College book was released March 27, 2011! It has 88 reviews on Amazon and has sold about 7,000 copies to-date which is about halfway to earning back my advance (after which point I can start getting royalties).
• It has been such a joy to hear from readers who are inspired to improve their lives after reading the book — I am humbled by and grateful for every reader who has helped bring the book to life.
• I took a three-month sabbatical from Google to go on a self-funded 10 city book tour.
• As part of the book tour, I spoke at spoke at TEDxCMU (April 2011), appeared on the BetterTV Morning Show (May 2011), and delivered my very own Authors@Google talk on 10 lessons I learned during the publishing process.
• When it came time to go back to Google, I realized there was no way I could effectively juggle both any more. It wouldn’t be fair to Google and my teammates, and it wouldn’t be fair to my projects and big dreams. I wasn’t willing to give up the latter.
• I gave Google my two-weeks notice on June 15. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life, but deep down I knew what I needed to do, if only I could overcome the fear of uncertainty and failure.
• I became an official no-strings-attached solopreneur on July 5, 2011.
• Seth Godin mentioned my 15-tab Book Marketing Spreadsheet on the Domino Project Blog; it got over 6K downloads in the first month.
• I moved to New York City on September 11 and haven’t looked back since. I document most of my love affair through Tumblr.
• I launched my first course, Make Sh*t Happen, two days later despite massive fears that no one would be interested and my hopes and dreams as an Internet entrepreneur would be crushed. The course sold-out in less than 24 hours.
• I decided to slow things WAAAAY down in Q4 by saying no more and only scheduling meetings on one day a week. It has worked out so well I plan to keep things this way.
• I’m also excited to share that I’m one of Brazen Careerist’s 20 Brazen Young Professionals to Watch in 2012 (announced today!), one of eHow’s first annual Shift List honorees, and ProBlogger’s (!!) 20 Blogs to Watch in 2012. Thank you so much!

My Favorite Posts

The Life After College Book Journey

• Video: Life After College Book Debut!!
• What I’m Afraid of…and What I Know
• “Failed” Online Date Leads to Friendship…and a Book Trailer
• Life After College Launch: Mid-Week Report
• Life After College Book Launch: Post-Game Analysis (What Worked, What Didn’t)
• Authors@Google Video: 10 Lessons I Learned During the Publishing Process
• Book Tour Kick-off: 8 Days + 25 Moments
• With Gratitude: Book Tour Best Moments (that can’t possibly do the whole thing justice)

Speaking

• 8 Ways to Practice and Improve Your Public Speaking Skills
• 10 Lessons Learned from Almost Panicking in Front of 500+ People at TEDxCMU
• Video: My TEDxCMU Speech (Career in the Age of the App)

Big Goals & Finding Your Path

• Kick-off to 2011: Mind-Maps, Passion and Pancakes
• 6 Ways to Manage a Side Hustle Without Going Insane
• Act As If
• Just because you’re not seeing progress doesn’t mean it isn’t being made
• What’s your soul-on-fire superpower? On Seth Godin, Spreadsheets and Creepy Crawlers
• Caught a Case of The Jealousies? 4 Ways to Do Something About It
• Conquer Your Fear – an Epic ePic by Mars Dorian

Breakdowns & Important Reminders

• Table for Two: Human Magic and a Hot Mess
• Are you a hypocrite?
• You can’t make everyone happy. So stop trying and start LIVING.
• On Habit Change and The Itchy Scratchy Art* of Saying No
• On Not White-Lying by Omission: 12 Mini Confessions
• Courage isn’t always glamorous. Actually, it almost never is.

My Big Leap

• I’m a Free Agent: From Six Figures to Suitcase
• Free Agent Part Two: On Big Decisions & Very Real Fears
• 20 Lessons from 2 Months of Solopreneurship (Part One)
•  20 Lessons from 2 Months of Solopreneurship (Part Two)
• New York, New York + Personal Updates
• The best decision you can make for your business — that has nothing to do with money

Blog Statistics:

• Visits - In the last month I received 21,767 visits (45,959 page views) from 134 countries, about double from last year’s 11,580 visits (20,532 page views) from 110 countries and 2009′s 7,000+ visits (13,500 page views) from 97 countries. The total visits for 2011 was just over 124,821 uniques (365,449 page views) from 180 countries, up from last year’s 100,000 uniques (200,000 page views).
• Top Keywords - In 2010, the keyword “life after college” sent 12,769 visits (up from last year’s 8,773 visits). “Jenny Blake” was the next highest search query with 4,793 (compared to last year’s 1,199 visits).
• Quirky question keywords (always fun) – is female and male viagra the same? (I have no clue), is it hard to date after college? (you are asking the wrong girl), is it normal to be lonely after college? (yes, for sure — we all have ups and downs), is it possible to keep everyone happy? (no!), is it unprofessional to skype interview in your bedroom? (I’m gonna go with…YES), is it worth experimenting after college for your dream? (HELL YES!)
• Best “Jenny Blake” keywords - how old is jenny blake (28 folks!), jenny blake kickboxing free aerobic lesson (ummm…last I checked I don’t offer those), jenny blake millionaire (YES! Where do I sign up??), jenny blake naked (sorry to disappoint…none of that here), jenny blake ninja (::blushing:: I like to think so), jenny gets kicked in the ass (ouch! really?), i love jenny blake (aww, thanks!)

What’s on the docket for 2012?

• In general: to slow down, relax and ENJOY my life. This is not going to be a year of massive striving — any big leaps or opportunities that occur will be nice surprises. This is my year to practice being fully present, grateful, intentional, graceful and positive.
• More freedom– I’m putting the “lifestyle” piece square in the center of my lifestyle business. I want to design a business that is not intended for crazy growth, but rather to allow me to live my days in ways I love (which typically involves reading with a cup of coffee in the morning, going for a run, going to yoga class, doing strategic and/or my best creative work, and hanging out with friends).The parts of my business that I love are speaking, coaching, writing and my new baby, the Make Sh*t Happen course (which will re-launch in January).
• Building out my store page — One important part of a lifestyle business is adding products that will help my audience AND allow me to scale myself and my ideas. In addition to offering services that involve trading time for money (ie 1:1 coaching) I’d like to keep building evergreen products that can sell while I sleep. I hesitate to call this passive income because there’s nothing passive about the work that goes into them, but they do eventually become self-sustaining (if built with adding tremendous value in mind). On that note, stay tuned for another awesome course that Emily Smith (my MSH Angel) and I are putting together based on my book!
• My biggest personal goal is to finish my yoga teacher certification and start teaching Geek Yoga classes in NYC for my entrepreneur friends (and anyone else who would like to join!). I’ve been taking classes 5-6 times a week since I moved here; now it’s time for me to stretch outside of my comfort zone (no yoga pun intended!) and TEACH, even though I’m often intimidated at the thought of it. The funny thing about yoga is that I don’t know exactly what form it will take in my business moving forward . . . all I know is that it is my rock in life. It keeps me sane, grounded, and true to myself, and I am thrilled at the prospect of sharing that gift with others and creating a place for my community to congregate.

THANK YOU EVERYONE for making this such a memorable, incredible year. I look forward to serving you to the very best of my ability in 2012 and far far beyond. Happy holidays, and see you in 2012!