In Jan 2018 my friend Jadayah and I became accountability partners using the CoJourn Accountability system. CoJourn asks you to set a “Theme” and “intention” for your year. My theme was “Year of the butterfly” because my intention was “Coming out of my cocoon and back into the real world on my terms”. To better understand that I have to take you back to December 2017.
In December 2017, I was in a very dark place. I felt overworked, lonely, unappreciated, and as though I was existing on the terms of others instead of living a life of my own. I had graduated from college, become a 2nd-time mom, and moved over a hundred miles away from most friends and family. I could feel the essence of myself slipping away each day. I didn’t want to get out of bed much less leave my room, new projects didn’t excite me, I was just not the same “Georgie” anymore.
Silently I was waiting for someone to come and help me find myself again. But deep down I knew the only person who could help me, who could SAVE me, was… ME.
Slowly I started to get out of bed more, started to search in old journals and blog posts to “find myself”. While reading my old journals I reflected on how much I had changed over the years and I realized that I’ve also matured and grown. Unfortunately, this led me to the conclusion that I wouldn’t find 2018 Georgie in these books, I would only learn about who I used to me. I could though, look at the patterns, and trends of when I was the BEST Georgie, what circumstances ( both good and bad) and environments produced the BEST Georgie’s. This new approach helped me to discover a pattern.
When I put myself out into the world on my own terms and just unapologetically asked questions, explored, gave value, took chances, and had fun. I was the BEST Georgie for not only myself but for the others around me. I started with a vision and then created an execution plan of HOW I would reinvent myself and bring forward the best possible Georgie.
Vision Board for 2018 Some key elements to this included:
- Getting my finances in order -> I started consciously saving and financial planning
- Getting my mental health in order – > I got a therapist through Talkspace
- Saying no to things -> “Not because I can, means I should”, became my new motto
- Removing things and people who were no longer a good fit in my life -> I unfriended IRL and unfollowed some friends and FAMILY who simply put… just weren’t good for me or to me.
- Love Myself out loud and FIRST -> Practicing self-care and what that looked like for me was Reading, Working ( Yes work makes me happy ), learning, dancing, eating more yummy foods
- Forgiving everyone from my past who have ever hurt me physically, mentally, or emotionally -> I realized I was carrying around a lot of baggage from the past and it seeped into my present day. It was as if the people who have hurt me put a stamp on me stating I was “Damaged Goods”. I am my experiences and my journey, it was far from perfect but this is my story and I own it. I refuse to give my power to anyone and anything that does not serve me well.
I often silence my wins. The next part of this post is my attempt to share my accomplishments this year with the world.
Books I Read: 24.5 ( Haven’t finished Becoming.. YET!)
- I’m Judging you – Luvvie
- The One Thing – Gary
- You Need More Money -Matt Manero
- Year of Yes – Shonda Rhimes
- Don’t dumb down your Greatness – Anthony Frasier
- You’re not that great – Elan Gale
- David and Goliath – Malcolm Gladwell
- Awkward Black Girl – Issa Rae
- Black Privilege – Charlemagne the God
- Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
- The four agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz
- What I know for sure – Oprah Winfrey
- The subtle art of not giving a fuck – Mark Mason
- Yes Please – Amy Poehler
- So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y’all Don’t Even Know – Retta
- The Defining Decade – Meg Jay, PhD
- Unfu*k Yourself – Gary John Bishop
- Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
- The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – Marie Kondo
- The Last Black Unicorn – Tiffany Haddish
- Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? – Seth Godin
- We’re going to Need more wine – Gabrielle Union
- Self Inflicted Wounds – Aisha Tyler
- The mother of black Hollywood – Jennifer Lewis
- Becoming – Michelle Obama
Classes I’ve taken: 2
Udacity – Front End Developer
HBX | Harvard Business School – Entrepreneurship Essentials
Interviews & Talks: 7
Carry On Friends BEING CARIBBEAN IN TECH WITH GEORGIE-ANN GETTON MCKOY & MALCOLM PAUL http://www.carryonfriends.com/being-caribbean-in-tech-with-georgie-ann-getton-mckoy-malcolm-paul/
Young Boss Media Master Plan Season 2 Episode 4: Georgie-Ann Getton Mckoy of Get Shit Done Summit https://www.facebook.com/youngbossmedia/videos/1608107565974772/
Blacks In Tech Interview “Building A Startup While In College” w/ Georgie-Ann Getton-McKoy https://www.blacksintechnology.net/bittechtalk-ep-114-building-startup-college-w-georgie-ann-getton-mckoy/
Secret Birds Caribbean Interview Podcast Episode 68 with Georgie-Ann in the USA via Jamaica. Being a Young, Black, Caribbean Woman in Tech & Entrepreneurship https://secretbirdshq.com/podcast-episode-68-with-georgie-ann-in-the-usa-via-jamaica-being-a-young-black-caribbean-woman-in-tech-entrepreneurship/
Maven.io Conference Digital Storytelling & Disruptive Hacktivism Panel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnar_JzzrKM&t=64s&index=6&list=PLz3QkMgjk_qDFinQ6HD97IoI-U39PXoM-
East Bronx Academy for the Future Graduation KeyNote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyP4YOTtxKI&t=224s
Awards: 3
Echoing Green Future of Work Competition – Top 8
Ebay Startup Cup NY – Top 25
Ignite Caribbean 30 Under 30 – 2018 30 Under 30 Honoree
WHAT’S NEXT?
Goals 2019
15 Speaking Opportunities
Read 30 books
Take 3 Classes/Educational Opportunities
5 Awards
by Georgie-Ann Geton © All rights reserved