If you’re the only woman in the room, I see you. If you’re fresh off a promotion and feel paralyzed about your next step, I’ve been in your shoes. If you know you must give intense feedback to a member of your team, but you keep avoiding him, there’s a way through this. If you’re the one senior leader on your team without an advanced degree, your knowledge base may feel oh so small compared to everyone else (but remember so is your debt!). 

These are the moments we feel the insidious impostor syndrome that tells us, 

"I don’t know what the F I’m doing." 

"I should have partied less in college." 

"I don’t belong here." 

Our desire to belong in a room, on a team, at a company, in a family is core to who we are, and yet we confuse belonging with fitting it. In her latest book, Braving the Wilderness and in an article for Oprah.com, my spirit guide, Brené Brown, digs into the difference between these two concepts. 

"Belonging is not fitting in. In fact, fitting in is the greatest barrier to belonging. Fitting in, I've discovered during the past decade of research, is assessing situations and groups of people, then twisting yourself into a human pretzel in order to get them to let you hang out with them. Belonging is something else entirely—it's showing up and letting yourself be seen and known as you really are—love of gourd painting, intense fear of public speaking and all." 

So, if the impostor syndrome that plagues us is simply a mask for our desire to belong, and our path to belonging is allowing ourselves to be seen as who we truly are, then our task here is straight forward. We must uncover who we are and translate that into the leaders we want to be. Here’s how I work with clients to create a Leadership Statement to do just that. 

1. Define your values
Choose 5 core values that guide your life. If you’re struggling to come up with 5, a simple Google search will provide you some lists of values you can use as a starting point. My values: Courage, Connection, Inspiration, Peace, Fun.

2. Identify your strengths
What are your superpowers? For what do people naturally seek you out? Choose 3-5 strengths—and if you’re in a place right now where it feels like you don’t do anything well—ask 5 people what they see as your strengths. I find these responses both eye opening and validating! My strengths: Motivating others, Storytelling, Connecting people and companies and pets and…

3. Crystalize your Why
Why do you wake up in the morning? What makes you tick? Who do you want to serve? What problem do you want to solve in the world? If you don’t have this nailed down, go to Simon Sinek’s popular TED Talk for inspiration and clarity. My why: Get more women into positions of power. 

4. Put it all together
Now, throw it at the wall and make it stick together. Don’t worry about using every word that came up in the process. You need not be too literal here. 

As a storyteller, connector and motivator, I’m driven by my courage to seek inspiration in all people and to help them become the best versions of themselves. Fueled by words and transformations, I rise each morning to make a more equal world for my two daughters, by amplifying women’s voices and getting more women into positions of power. 

5. Practice
Before that big meeting, critical presentation, negative feedback session, wedding toast—read your statement. Remind yourself of who you are. Be THAT person, unapologetically. 

Once you decide to stop trying to be John who kills every presentation with his hilarious stories or Anna who wow’s the audience with her meticulous data and research—incredible things begin to happen. You begin to lean into what you do best. And people will notice. They will see how comfortable you are in your skin or they will think you look great, but won’t know why. This is what it’s like to truly do you. It’s self-acceptance. It’s belonging. And while impostor syndrome will never completely go away, your access to your true self will always be your path to conquering it. 

If you’d like some extra support in overcoming your imposter syndrome and taking the reins in your career, reach out to schedule a complimentary Clarity Call with me at rachelbgarrett.com/coaching

One beautiful spring day last year, I met up with another coach for a chat in Union Square Park over lattes. She’d been in business five years longer than me, and we began talking through our corporate workshop and training options. I was floored, relieved and grateful when she broke down her costs for a 2-hour workshop, a full day training and multiple day training programs. 

That sunny conversation sparked me to continue to go beyond my learned discomfort with talking through the details of rates and costs, and forge forward with those challenging conversations with other practitioners I trust and respect. Armed with the knowledge of my market value and where I uniquely fit into the spectrum of my clients’ needs, I can now approach my clients fully prepared, confident and ready to help them visualize the ways in which we can work together to change the lives of their employees. 

In my work with individuals interviewing for new roles or on the cusp of a promotion—the value of these candid conversations is immeasurable. 

You must do your research before negotiating. We’re in an environment where companies are committing to gender pay parity. Your most recent salary is NOT the most important variable in this equation. In fact, some states including, New York State, have made it illegal to ask about salary history in your interview process for this very reason. 

Here are the ways you can do your research before you have the conversation about your salary or raise. 

1. Talk to friends and colleagues
When I bring this up, many clients say, “I could NEVER do that.” If you want to make more money and take a leap toward your financial independence, I highly recommend you get over it and learn how to reframe your question with both your male and female friends. You can tell your friend, the following:

“I have a feeling I might be underpaid at my company and I’m asking around to get a range of what other firms would be paying someone at my level.”

“As part of the current conversation about helping women get to pay parity, one step is for us to be transparent with each other about our salary ranges so that we can arm each other with our market value and support each other in being paid what we’re worth.” 

2. Reach out to recruiters in your industry
Connect with some recruiters in your field and if possible cultivate relationships with them. Reach out to them and ask for salary ranges for specific titles/roles at companies of a specific size. Salaries for Product Manager roles will obviously be different at startups than at companies like Google, so be clear about the size of the firm you’re targeting in your research. 

3. Online research
This is typically the only tactic clients take in doing salary research and while I think it’s important, these websites should not be your only sources. Here are some of the sites I like best:

a. Glassdoor.com
b. Salary.com
c. Payscale.com
d. Comparably.com
e. Fairygodboss.com

As you practice talking about money with your close-in circle, you will gain a fluency and deeper comfort that will empower you to engage in important organizational conversations in order to take the salary jumps you desire in your career. If you feel truly stuck and unwilling to have these conversations, I encourage you to begin some deeper reflection on how your stories and beliefs about money may be holding you back. Wonderful resources on this subject are the books, Money: A Love Story (Kate Northrup) and Overcoming Underearning (Barbara Stanny). You have the ability to re-channel the power that money has over you into a power that can work for you. As women striving toward parity, this is our part of the work that needs to be done to get there. 
 

A few months ago, I wrote a piece that was truly resonating with my audience. I was moved and beyond grateful for every personal reply I received from my newsletter and each comment from second and third degree connections on LinkedIn. And yet all of this emotion washed over me while I was staring at a blank screen on one of my scheduled mornings to write. 

I was in my favorite writing coffee shop with a great table and the perfect amount of coffee in my cup—but I fought every word my brain presented before my fingers had a chance to type them. I wouldn’t let them appear on that pristine page. They were both uninspired and grotesque. Since the time I’ve begun regularly writing, my process has been to push through. Even if I end up with one good paragraph that can later be salvaged, even if I check my email (including my promotions folder) a hundred times for a break from the struggle, I keep going. I writhe through and it’s not pretty. 

During this battle, as I checked email after email with kind words about my writing, my panic grew. 

They think I know what I’m talking about. Wait until they see this one. 

I’ll never be able to write anything as good as that last piece. 

They’ll unsubscribe, un-follow, un-like, un-everything. 

After taking some deep breaths and watching a few videos of puppies, I rescued my self-esteem and creativity from the clutches of my inner critic and thought, "maybe this next blog post will suck, but the one after that could be my best yet." 

I became acutely aware that my success was feeding my inner critic Sea Salt Caramel Talenti on a silver spoon—and that broke me out of my moment of paralysis. I quickly downgraded my experience by realizing the level of pressure best-selling authors must feel when writing their next book. This was simply a blog post—why was it affecting me like this? 

I now recognize that when you succeed at something you love and want to continue, it raises the stakes and adds a level of pressure you didn’t see coming. Sadly, we often sabotage that success by doing things like listening to our inner critic voice when it tells us that we’re shit writers or leaders or [insert something you desperately want to be]. In Gay Hendricks powerful book, The Big Leap, he calls it, "The Upper Limit Problem." 

I’m learning to manage my own Upper Limit Problem, by doing a few key things:

1. Remove perfectionism: 
I give myself the room for some posts to be winners and some to be well, not as winning. It’s like when you’re training for a 10K or half marathon. Sometimes you’re going to go out for a run that feels terrible. I had a trainer once call it a "junk run." Even if it felt bad in the moment, I was still proud I finished it and stuck with it. 

2. Acknowledge the fear: 
I spend some time with my fear. I ask myself, "Why is it scary when people appreciate my writing? What’s the worst thing that could happen? What am I afraid to become?" And I see what answers I find. 

3. Switch gears: 
For the next piece I write after a success, I choose a topic that is completely different. If the success was in a personal, vulnerable piece, I write something that is more tactical. By choosing something that is completely out of the realm of my latest success, I can provide myself with a clear canvas to start anew. 

As I continue to practice this approach and move through my fears, I’m also finding relief and renewed creativity by focusing on the work and not the response. Whether it’s positive or negative, the response gives me some data about how my work is resonating in the world, but it doesn’t mean anything about me personally. I practice distancing myself from both the criticism and the praise, so I can give space to the questions that drive my curiosity, as well as the challenges I see come up in my work with clients. 

I’m not going to lie, it feels great to be praised for something I’ve always loved to do, but at the end of the day—that’s not what’s going to fulfill my mission of getting more women into positions of power. It’s the work, the consistency and the showing up in the good and bad moments that will fuel my resolve and progress toward that end. 

If you’re in a meeting-heavy corporate culture, often you’re introducing and re-introducing yourself several times a day. We’ve all seen the variety in how this is done. 

From the under-sell approach:

I’m in marketing. 

I’m on Michael’s team. 

I sit near the women’s room. 

To the overshare: 

In the 90’s I got divorced and…

Oh no, make it stop—we’re here to talk about SEO!

To the memorable gems that are succinct, articulate and clever—often peppered with an on-brand joke or two. First impressions stick, so why not elevate yourself in those first moments with a thoughtful summary of who you are and what you do. Bonus points if you lighten the mood with a tone that reminds people to stop taking themselves so seriously. 

Here’s my framework for developing an Elevator Pitch that feels natural to deliver in a meeting, at a networking event, on an interview or even at a party. 

Sentence #1: The Overview
This is a one-sentence overview of who you are and what you do. Easy right? If you don’t have the opportunity to finish the rest of your pitch, this sentence should be able to stand on its own. An ounce of creative thinking can go a long way here. If you come up with a clever and unique way of describing yourself, you’re buying the time and audience attention to finish your pitch. 

Sentence #2: Time to shine
Use this space to practice the art of authentic self-promotion. Here’s where you can talk about a couple of strengths, passions or a career highlight. If you’re doing this in a meeting, you’ll want to do your best to make it relevant to the topic at hand, but if you’re networking or at a party—the world is ready and waiting to hear about your quirky talents. 

Sentence #3 (optional): For career changers and re-launchers
If you’re using this pitch for networking and interviewing as part of a career change or re-entering the work-force after a break, here’s where you explain that. You can put a neat and tidy bow around it and then MOVE ON. For career transitions, you can explain why transferable skills one, two and three make you qualified for job description requirements four, five and six. When you’re addressing your career break, you can explain that you chose to take three years to focus on raising young children or care for a sick family member, but now you’re excited to use your transferable skills one, two and three at a mission-driven company. 

Sentence #4: The ask
This will vary greatly based on where you are and with whom you’re talking. In a meeting, it can be as simple as expressing interest in the topic at hand, gratitude for the opportunity to share the capabilities of your team or even a request for everyone to ask questions throughout so the meeting is more of dialogue than a presentation. When you’re networking, think of something you can ask that might be easy for a person to accomplish and make them feel good to deliver. Perhaps it’s an intro to someone in their network or to think of you when speaking opportunities in your area of expertise arise. Obligatory coach note: remember to return the favor and be generous with what you have to offer. Your generosity feels good and also demonstrates that you’re someone with value and expertise, a leader. In an interview, the ask is fairly obvious, but it bears repeating—your ask should drive home why you’re a good fit for the job. 

Once you have a working draft of your pitch, give it the seriousness test. Is there a way to add something funny or at least light-hearted in the first two sentences? Now, practice on people (and pets) in your close-in circle. Make sure it sounds natural and feels like something you would say—and not like a thesis recited by the robot-version of you. When you’re ready to debut your pitch at a meeting or an event, know that it will not come out as perfect as it sounds in your head and that’s OK. It’s a place to start and you can build from there. Notice the difference in the response you get from this new declaration of who you are that goes WAY beyond your former, "I’m with him." Take in the smiles and focus of your audience and know that you did that, simply by owning the space to be the best version of you. 

If you’re looking for a little extra support in honing your Elevator Pitch, please consider the Nail Your Elevator Pitch Mini Course!

The Mini Course includes…

Five short videos that walk you through:

• A welcome and setting you up for success

• Identifying your strengths

• The strategy and approach to writing your pitch

• The formula for three different types of pitches based on your situation

• Getting into action with your pitch

Plus, a workbook where you can write the first drafts of your pitch.

All for $60!

Add a 45-minute 1:1 session to workshop your pitch with Rachel for $125.

Let’s get you out there networking with a pitch that will give you the momentum you need to make that next big career move. Take the next step here: https://www.rachelbgarrett.com/pitch

In the past year I’ve coached several junior women leaders who were promoted while we were working together (yes!). Their new roles required them to lead larger teams, become more visible with clients and senior leaders and to step into the ever-elusive title of "thought leader." For most, they had the tools they needed to rise to these expectations. Confidence, know-how, grit—it was all there. 

But for a few, there was something holding them back. 

Loyalty. 

It showed up as: 

• An un-spoken contract that they should not disagree with the very boss or mentor who helped them get where they are

• A strong connection to the work they were doing and the people they were serving before their promotions

Together we uncovered how their understanding of loyalty was blocking them from fulfilling their potential in their careers using the following approach. 

1. Disrupt and redefine loyalty
What does loyalty currently mean and what could it possibly mean to you? Are you defining loyalty as a need to stand by your leader no matter how you feel about his or her approach or opinion? One could argue that loyalty is quite the opposite. Loyalty is when you’re clear about who you are and what you believe—especially in the face of disagreement. When you’re true to yourself, others know they can count on you for opinions and that you can provide safety for when they want to be themselves. Taking this one step further, loyalty need not mean staying in one place for eternity. If you’ve set up the premise that you must be true to yourself, then when it’s time for you to move on—supporting new teams and taking on new projects—others will get on board in time, recognizing these as opportunities for themselves as well. 

2. Communicate your new definition
If you’re working on differentiating yourself from your leader as part of your new take on loyalty AND you have a solid relationship with him or her, now’s the time to share your strategy for growth. Acknowledge your appreciation for all of their support, while sharing that you’re hoping to take ownership of certain projects, lead the meetings and most importantly—share a different point of view. Know that this conversation may be challenging, but in having the conversation you’re exercising the very muscles you’re aiming to stretch. Note how it feels in this moment and expect that feeling again as you begin to spread your wings. And if you’re moving on to new responsibilities, I urge you to avoid becoming the person who has two jobs. Be clear about the projects and tasks you’ll be handing off as soon as possible so you can clear your plate for your new role. Offer up the chance for someone new to take ownership of your former responsibilities, just as you are doing with the new. 

3. Practice and witness new possibilities
Oh how I wish simply saying you are going to do something could make you fully change. As we know, it doesn’t, and you will need to practice stepping out of your old loyalty habit of deferring to your boss when you’re set to take the lead. One way I like to do this is by coming up with a word or phrase that can nudge you out of the comfortable habit in the moment. It could be "soar" or "rise" or "carpe freakin’ diem." Whatever it is, saying something in that moment will give you that jolt you need to be the leader you envision. Each time you step into that role with more visibility and authority, your colleagues will begin to expect that’s how you will show up, and in turn they will call on you for your expertise, your POV and your support. 

When you begin to reframe loyalty in your career, you’ll begin to see other areas of your life where your loyalty definition can be tweaked. Are you giving endless airtime to negative family members who want to use your precious minutes for complaints? Over-parenting anyone? As we say in the coaching world, "How you do one thing is how you do everything." So, when you realize you’re stuck in a habit in one area of your life, it’s a wonderful opportunity to begin investigating other areas of your life where that same pattern may be ripe for a reboot! 

I overheard a conversation a few weeks ago that struck me to my core. I could not concentrate on anything else. I could not write. I could not answer emails. Spotify, where were you when I needed you most? 

An upper middle class white man telling his friend about how hard it is to be him. How much rejection there is in his life. How much pressure. How people don’t understand how hard it is to do the work that he does. And this is the unbreakable circumstance of his life. This is simply how it’s going to be. 

On the surface, you might think—wow with all this white male privilege, why can’t he simply seize the opportunities that are his for the taking? But, that would be a superficial view of the situation and one where we often get stuck. 

Instead, I viewed the situation with empathy. I realized I could not look away because I’ve been him. He clearly has a story about why he is where he is, why his life is hard and why it will always be that way. There is pain and fear and struggle in that story. I was there once too. 

As many of you know, my parents died in a car accident when I was 11. For 15 years after the accident, I survived, I did what I needed to do, but I also created a story about my life that I could use to protect myself from any hint of failure. 

Whether I was facing the consequences of too many absences in high school, not showing up for a final exam in college, or even a tendency to go for the easy job instead of the one that would force me to learn and stretch—when things got hard, I became that poor girl, that story. The girl who wasn’t parented enough, the one who was incomplete, the one who was broken too early. And she wasn’t meant to live a great life, she was meant to get by. I was prone to saying, "I could have been a drug addict or dropped out of life. So, I’m doing ok." 

And then I woke the fuck up. 

I realized that I created the story about that broken girl. And if I did that, then I can also create the story of a girl who had a rough beginning, but so much love and belief in herself that she learned to use that broken-ness as the very wholeness that fueled her to do incredible things with her life. Why couldn’t that story be true? 

With the right support, the momentum of small wins and the practice of moving through challenges as a powerful person—I’ve learned how to choose this story that helps me soar instead of the one that keeps me standing still in life. 

When my clients come to me, they’re also struggling with stories that are holding them back in their lives. 

I’m the mom who took 3 years off to care for my kids. My career wasn’t going that great before that, so I’ll never get back into the workforce. 

I’m the entrepreneur who has been working my ass off in my own business and wishing I had the routine of a day job. I could never make the switch because people will think I failed. 

I’ve never had a role with great leadership or direction, so I have zero accomplishments or results to put on my resume. 

When we work together to break down these stories, debunk their truth and create a new narrative, beautiful things are possible. What’s the story that you’ve constructed about your life and how is it serving you right now? How is it keeping you in everything, ranging from a life of complaints and pity, to just getting by, to living an OK life. Are you really here for something just OK? For me, giving myself permission to go beyond OK was the game-changer I needed to live a life of meaning. And when that broken girl shows up every so often, I show her compassion, acceptance and love, and remind her that there’s another choice that’s within her grasp. 

In the early days of my digital marketing career, I found myself in my mid-twenties leading a large multi-disciplinary team and responsible for a multi-million dollar website launch. It wasn’t a position I’d ever expected I would be in just a few years earlier while finishing up college and changing my major for the fifth time in my senior year (clearly a topic for another post!). I rose quickly and stepped into my role with boundless curiosity and a passion for the work. 

I took to managing all of my direct reports with a fervor and excitement that I now consider to be the early clues of my love for motivating, inspiring and all things leadership. But when it came time for me to report the work of the team and the challenges facing the project to senior leadership, I felt like a teeny tiny person. 

The symptoms of my inexperience were physical and visible. In my status meetings with our SVP, my face grew hot and red. I was holding back tears and I had no idea why. I was taken over by an image that I had done something wrong, I was unworthy of being in the room or that I would need to defend myself. And it didn’t get better when I began to talk. Eyes glazing over. Yawning. Checking watches. These reactions were not going to get me the support for the team or the project I needed. I knew I needed help to fully step into this role by managing up. 

Thankfully, I was able to enroll in leadership training that gave me the tools to build my confidence. I read every leadership book I could get my hands on. Then I practiced, believed I was worthy, made mistakes, learned from them and was honest about areas I wanted to grow. Interestingly, with all my focus and attention in this area, it’s become a great strength of mine, and is something I share with my clients as one piece of the puzzle that can clear the path for them to rise in their careers. Here are three areas of focus for you to practice when you’re managing up. 

1. Heal childhood wounds around authority
For many people, especially for those who are early in their careers, authority figures and hierarchy can bring up a lot of fear. Don’t judge yourself for this fear. We’ve all been yelled at by parents and teachers and athletic coaches and those memories live in our bodies as we sit down with bosses and leaders in our companies. Identify what memory may be a trigger for you, get quiet and be compassionate to the child who was embarrassed or belittled. Do some writing or reflecting on what came up in those moments and remind yourself you are not that child anymore. You are strong enough to deal with whatever anyone would say about you. Most importantly, you can now choose what to believe and not believe. If this seems like an area where you need additional support, it can be life and career-changing to work with a therapist around some of these early traumatic moments that may be holding you back.

2. Less is more
This is a lesson that took a long time for this verbose woman to learn, but once I did, my managing up skills grew exponentially. Your senior leaders do not need to know every detail. In fact, they have no time for those details. You must break down your message to its simple core. What are the high level takeaways and where do you need their support? Wherever you can, make recommendations for solutions instead of dumping problems in their laps. When you come to them with your honed story and clear concise needs, you’re demonstrating that you respect their time and that you have the confidence to take on the details without them. 

3. Authentically promote yourself and your good work
Leverage your time with and your exposure to senior leadership as an opportunity to plant seeds about your pride for how your projects are moving forward, relationships you’ve build and ideas you have that might further the goals of the organization. This is a tough part of the job for many because they feel it’s fake or phony—but truly it’s not if you talk about the things that bring you actual pride and joy. Side note: if you’re having trouble finding those things you have other challenges that you should investigate. When you regularly build the case for the value you’re bringing to the organization, you will be primed to take on more responsibility and clear the path for promotion. Learn more about how to do this with my 5 Commandments Of Self-Promotion. 

The good news is that these are skills that can be developed over time. There are some people who seem to have come out of the womb confidently persuading and presenting cogent arguments to the C suite, but for the rest of us—there’s hope and time to hone our craft. And as with all professional development endeavors, it starts with a mix of self-awareness, compassion and enough curiosity to experiment with a new approach. 

I’ve wrapped up 2017 with a long list of accomplishments. I’ve created my Why that brings me to tears: get more women into positions of power. I’ve rallied my team, which now includes a new mastermind group of KICKASS women business owners who are going to support me in breaking my business wide open—and that’s a good thing! It’s all quite serious and powerful and inspiring. I’ve never been more prepared for a year to start than I am right now. A fellow coach commented, "You’ve been shot out of a cannon this new year." 

Yes, it is true, but immediately it became clear to me: I’m over-indexed on intensity and well, where’s the fun of 2018? I must create a release valve where all of this excess energy can go, as well as a way to celebrate my hard work.

I wish I didn’t need to impart a process for you to add fun back into your life, but if you sat in on as many client sessions as I have, where it is clearly at the bottom of the priority list—I promise, you would do the same. 

But, before I un-fun my fun blog post with homework, I want to remind you why fun is important and why it is not what you may think—frivolous and unproductive. 

Like clean eating and movement, fun is fuel—a renewable resource at your disposal if you so choose. It’s in that fun, that we let go of being stuck, we give up resistance and we experience the best moments of our lives. It’s the stuff that makes us want to keep going and to redouble efforts everywhere else. Who wouldn’t want all that? 

So, where do you start? Here’s a simple 3 step approach to bring back the fun (I feel a hashtag coming on…) and make 2018 the year you remove the stick from an obvious body part. 

1. Make a list of the things that bring you fun and joy
This is not what you think should be fun or what your sister thinks is fun. This is about you. What makes you pee your pants laughing? What brings a smile you can’t wipe from your face? What brings you the kind of joy that makes you feel like a kid? Make a list of things. Remove judgment from all that’s on the list. I don’t care that jumping on a trampoline is your north star! So why should you? 

2. Schedule fun into your calendar and make it a priority
Take a look at your list and choose a couple of things that you want to pepper into your calendar of choice. Treat these appointments like your most pressing, urgent, important meetings of your week. Protect your fun time. When that’s the only time someone else can meet with you, practice saying, "I’m not available." Silence. No need to say, "I can’t because I’ll be sword fighting at that time." They don’t need to know this. That’s between you and your sword. 

3. Notice your resistance to fun
As with everything in life, your resistance is an opportunity to learn. If you’re not able to keep your commitments to your fun practice, reflect on why that is and how a fun-free week is working for you. What does fun bring up for you? Experiment with only scheduling 15 minutes and actually doing it. What did you feel during that time? Were you desperate to be productive? Or did you feel like you needed to be perfect in your fun? Like you’re not doing fun right? Take some notes in a journal about what your resistance is bringing up for you and you may find some answers you weren’t expecting to come out of your scheduled 15 minutes of visiting the dog run sans dog. 

I now sound like my daughters where every conversation is simply a vehicle to bring up our upcoming adoption of the dog that will join our family sometime in 2018. Our dog is part of my 2018 fun plan, along with a week in the woods, more time with friends and dancing. 2018: less sitting, more dancing! And fun. More fun, please!