Hi friend,
This is it, the end of the year. It's really happening.
In my opinion, 2017 didn't always feel like a proper year in its own right -- at times, it was like this weird continuation of 2016 that forgot to end. Maybe you felt it, too.
So, to prove that this year really happened, I'm gonna run us through the numbers. Because, once I counted it all up, quite a lot of stuff happened.
(And the experts all say it's good to acknowledge your accomplishments and your blessings, don't they? Dampens the existential dread, etc.)
Here we go.
82
The number of students I got to personally help this year through #ELB School, The Resume Cure, or private 1:1 career coaching. I love you all to the moon and back, and am grateful that you trust me to be a part of your professional journeys. Thank you for being rad, and congrats on reaching incredible heights in your careers this year.
I can't wait to see what's in store for you, number 83.
3
The number of music videos I managed to release this year (?!), two of which were incredible collaborations with other artists. I am never more myself than when I am singing. What a gift it is to know that.
11,776
The number of YouTube views on Colder Weather, one of those three vids, and one of the only pieces of work I've ever done that I also enjoy watching back myself. (Us artists tend to hate watching back our own work, so that's a big deal.)
4,274
The number of, well, you's in my life. The number of inboxes the #ENTRYLEVELBOSS email hits, every week, as I try to keep documenting the lessons I'm learning in my own career -- and life, really -- and spit them back out to you just as fast as I've got them down.
You are my loyal companion, my diary, my track record, my memoir. Thank you so much for reading, and for every email you've sent back.
176
This one's just a trivia fact: The number of people who read the first #ENTRYLEVELBOSS email in 2015.
3
The number of cities I was mulling over living in back in January, before I ultimately landed in London.
2
The number of neighborhoods I've already called home in London.
7
The number of countries - UK, Germany, France, Mexico, America, Ireland, Italy - that were graced with my presence this year, most all of them more than once. People think I'm a big traveler, but I'm actually just a creature of habit who happens to live in Western Europe. Mark my words and hold me to it: 2018 is the year I see a new continent.
13,42
The amount of Euros (€) we made when Chels convinced me to busk -- AKA street perform -- right underneath the Eiffel Tower in April.
6
The number of times I went back to Berlin this year. Soulmates forever, no matter what my postcode says.
1
New job I started myself -- and the only salaried position I've ever held -- perhaps proving that everything I suggest to you kids is true, because I literally #ENTRYLEVELBOSS-ed my way in the front door, thus confirming all my theories and strategies about employment are right. BAM.
1
One polished resume. One good interview. One person who will take a chance. One great job. One new project. One crazy life.
All it takes is one, you know? One moment, and your whole professional trajectory changes. Your bank balance skyrockets. Your life begins.
I know, in my gut, that you're going to get there.
Happy New Year, darling.
I encourage you to send me back one of your own numbers, from your version of 2017. Dying to know, actually.
Now, if you need me, I'll be burning sage in Santa Fe on NYE with Chels. Follow along on Instagram, so we can ring it in together, okay?
Big love,
xxA