Emily Ley: 2009 in Review

I've been doing a lot of thinking about 2009 (and 2010 for that matter). What a YEAR it has been. Both personally and professionally it has been a year of so much growth for me. My husband and I celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary - our first full year of marriage. I celebrated my first full year in Tampa. And I completed my first full year as a business owner.

Has any of that been easy? No. Has all of that been amazingly rewarding? Absolutely. First and foremost, my husband. He is seriously amazing. No really. He has helped me fold 300 stardream wedding programs during a Bears/Packers game. That - alone - makes him pretty amazing. But he also makes me coffee JUST about every night as I sat perched in front of my iMac working on this business. Supported/brainstormed/jumpedupanddown/thrownthings with me. Who could ask for more.

Lets take an honest look at 2009 ::

Bryan and I visited NYC for the first time ever. I was enthralled. In love. Sold.
January 1, 2009 - I hit the ground running with ELP. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
Then accounting, trademark law, html, paper weight, licensing . . . what?
iMac. I'm officially an apple snob. And I loving it... so what does an apple snob do? Macbook Air. iPhone. Love love love.
Tampa starts to become more and more of a home. And I learn just how much I love and miss my little hometown of Pensacola, Florida.
I have learned that the relationships you build are so much more important and valuable than the sales you make.
I discovered Twitter. Well, this is still a new discovery for me. If you don't use Tweetdeck - try it. It made all the difference in the world for me.
Making Things Happen 2010 - truly an incredible experience for me. Learned that "getting real" with yourself and facing your challenges head on is actually a huge time saver - as well as a way to find and become your authentic self.

And at the end of 2009, I think the best lesson I've learned all year is one of authenticity. 2009 was a year of discovery - 2010 will be a year of fun (and a commitment to making time for that), of learning and of commitment to pure authenticity. Above is my ELP inspiration board for 2010.