122: 8.5 Things I’m grateful for in 2024
How do you find joy and gratitude during challenging business years?
I’m sharing my reflections on 2024, diving into the ups and downs of my entrepreneurial journey while highlighting the unexpected sources of happiness that have sustained me through a difficult period of business uncertainty.
From celebrating my incredible family and rediscovering the magic of reading to appreciating in-person events and my supportive clients, I open up about the things that have kept me grounded and inspired. This episode is about resilience, gratitude, and finding light even when professional challenges threaten to overshadow personal growth.
Topics We Cover in This Episode:
How I’ve been tapping into fiction as a source of unexpected joy
Why community matters more than revenue numbers
Why gratitude isn't just a practice, but a strategic mindset
The hidden gifts within professional setbacks
How personal connections can fuel professional resilience
The unexpected benefits of vulnerability in business storytelling
If you've enjoyed this podcast in 2024, I'd be grateful if you would leave a 5-star rating and review in the podcast app.
Please share the things YOU'RE grateful for with me - find me on social or shoot me an email hello@kimkiel.com
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[00:00:03]
Welcome to ill communication, copywriting tips and sales strategies for small business. I'm your host, Kim Keel. I'm a copy coach, sales strategist, and direct response copywriter. It's my mission to help women leaders and change makers amplify their voices through copy. It's why I'm dishing out all the juicy tips, writing prompts, and sales formulas to help you generate more leads, book more calls, and get more high value clients on repeat. Sounds pretty good. It's time to ditch the overwhelm you might be feeling and find confidence in your copywriting so you can get your message out there and attract more soulmate clients. Let's get started. Hey there, my sweet friend! Now, I don't know about you, but I am feeling a little introspective right now. Maybe it's the changing seasons, maybe it's the geopolitical climate, maybe it's the fact that I'm turning 50 next year, or the fact that it's that window of time between Canadian Thanksgiving and American Thanksgiving. Whatever it is, I'm in a period of reflection and deep gratitude because if I'm being honest, this has been one of the toughest years in my business. My revenue did not recover from last year's drop, and while I'm holding steady at well over 100 K, it's nowhere near the 275 and annual revenue from a couple of years ago. And it's made me doubt myself. Second guess compare and lose confidence. The struggle has been real, and I'm not typically one to dwell too much in these Debbie Downer moments. So instead I want to focus on gratitude and remind myself of the things I am truly grateful for.
[00:02:04]
And so I thought I'd let you in on my little gratitude practice and share 8.5 things I'm Grateful for. These are the things that have been saving my life and bringing me joy in 2024. Thing number one my friends are. I have a couple of circles of friends who have been filling my cup faithfully throughout the year, whether we're going on walks together or sending each other silly memes and reels, it is the support I have needed this year. Not going to go on too long. If you've got bestie girlfriends, you know it. I am so grateful for mine. Thing number two I'm going to sound cheesy and obvious, but I'm actually grateful for my husband and my kids. My kids are honestly the best thing in my life right now. I know a lot of mothers struggle with parenting, especially during the teenage years, but I'm experiencing some of the most enjoyable parenting of my life. My kids are pretty awesome right now, and I know it's likely a temporary season, but I am truly grateful for this season of ease and enjoyable parenting. And along those same lines, I'm totally grateful for my spouse, Chad, who has been single handedly renovating our basement for months while working full time and being a great dad. He's so awesome, but I honestly can't wait for it to be finished so we can enjoy a few more fun times together that don't involve a paintbrush or a saw or something like that.
[00:03:40]
Thing number three I'm grateful for. In 2024 is reading now. I used to be a voracious reader, but when I had kids and started writing full time, I couldn't make time for it. Or any time I did have to read was spent on reading business or marketing books. But more recently I've picked up an old favorite fiction author of mine, Carl Hiaasen. He writes wickedly funny, tongue in cheek murder mysteries that always have an environmental message behind them. The backdrop to many of his novels are in the Florida Everglades, which is like a completely different environment from where I live in the middle of the prairies in Edmonton, Alberta. His characters are crazy and over the top. His writing is laugh out loud. I had read several of his books in the early 2000, and then more recently I picked up Star Island and Skinny Dip, which have been great beachy reads even in the middle of fall. I was so delighted to see that Carl's book was turned into the Apple TV series Bad Monkey, starring Vince Vaughn, and I can say that that has also been one of my favorite things. Carl Hiaasen has Hiaasen's also written a few young adult books like hoot, Chomp and Flush, which you may have seen if you have kids or are a teacher. Anyway, getting lost in the crazy plot lines Carl Hiaasen whips up has been one of my favorite things in something I'm grateful for in 2024.
[00:05:09]
The fourth thing I'm grateful for in 2024 is the return of in-person events. I've had the opportunity to attend a couple of conferences and events lately, and I have loved it. I kind of feel like I'm finally coming out of the pandemic doldrums, so meeting and connecting with people in person, at conferences or local community events has been such a gift. I'm naturally an extrovert. However, over the last few years I've become a lot more introverted, so having opportunities to go out and meet people has reminded me of who I really am. I recently attended the Archangel Summit in Toronto and the Be Bold event in my hometown of Edmonton. Being around other go getters and mission minded folks really energizes and inspires me, and I've loved being able to take advantage of some of those opportunities this year. Thing number five I'm grateful for in 2024 is my clients. This year, I worked on some pretty remarkable projects with some of the best business owners. I wrote pre-launch and sales copy for several Multi-six figure launches this year. In a year when a lot of launches were failing, the folks I write for are all impact driven and true experts in their field, and I love playing a small part in amplifying their expertise and driving impact and revenue in their businesses. I especially want to shout out the members of the Joy of Copy Club, who are the most dedicated and passionate business owners I get to work with every week.
[00:06:54]
They show up and do the work. They are action takers and the work we do together inside the club is truly transforming their businesses and their bottom lines. It's so awesome to witness. I always say Tuesday mornings are the best time I spend in my business, because I get to spend it with such incredible, badass business owners. So inspiring. Thing number six I'm grateful for access to healthcare. I have several family members who have very acute and significant health needs, from Alzheimer's disease to breast cancer to PTSD, and I'm immensely grateful that my loved ones are able to access incredible medical care and community support. And a special shout out to my own therapist, Doctor Erica, who has supported me a lot in the last year. Thing number seven I'm grateful for is actually myself for committing to a fitness routine, and I'm grateful to my fitness coach K of Core Love Fitness for providing a safe and supportive space for me to work on my fitness goals. I can authoritatively say that I am now a person who works out with weights 2 to 3 times per week, without fail. I worked really hard to create that habit and I'm so grateful I committed to it. Thing number eight I'm grateful for you, the listener of this podcast, and I'm grateful for this podcast as well. Just like developing my fitness habit, hosting this weekly podcast has required discipline and commitment, and it's provided me with a much needed anchor every week to show up and express my creativity.
[00:08:38]
Especially in a tough year when I could have just, like, holed up and rolled into a ball and ignored the rest of the world In a weird way, knowing you're here, listening to the podcast every week creates a feeling of community, and I am so grateful for it. I also want to express my gratitude for my podcast manager, Stephanie Judice, and her amazing team, who helped me produce and share this podcast week after week after week. And I'm going to make a request to you, my dear listener. If you have enjoyed this podcast in 2024, if you get value or a little entertainment from it, could you please leave a five star rating and a review? You have no idea how hard it is to get listeners to leave reviews and ratings, and so it would mean so much to me if you could express your gratitude for the Ill Communication podcast by leaving me a rating and review in your podcast app today. I'd be so grateful if you could do that for me. And before I go, I got to share one more thing I'm grateful for. It's kind of cheesy, so I'm only going to give it half a point. It's the new Netflix series, Nobody Wants This. I have watched this series starring Adam Brody and Kristen Bell a couple of times already. I have just loved the love story, the comedy, and that kiss.
[00:10:02]
If you know, you know. I really needed a great rom com and Nobody Wants This has totally scratched that itch. So my friend, those are the eight and a half things I'm grateful for in 2024. Of course, there is a lot more I'm grateful for, but those are just some of the things that have brought me the most joy and delight in the last year. And I'm curious, as we move into the end of 2024, what are you grateful for? And do you have a regular gratitude practice, something that you do every day or every quarter? Please reach out to me and share a few of the things that have brought you joy this year, and some of the things that you're grateful for. Please do reach out to me. I'd really love to hear from you. Thank you so much for joining me today. I will see you again right back here next week. And that's a wrap on today's episode of Ill Communication. Hey, if you're picking up what I'm putting down, I would love if you would leave a rating and a review to let me know. And don't forget to follow the show so you never miss out on the tips, prompts, and strategies I share in every episode. They're designed to make you an ill communicator too. As always, you can check out all the links and resources from this episode on the web page. Just head over to khimki.com/podcast. I'll chat with you again next week.
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