Closing the Curtains on 2016! My Year in Review

As we prepare to say farewell to another year, The Accidental Genealogist is ready to close the curtains on 2016 and review highlights from the 12 months, while looking ahead to new goals and more genealogy and writing adventures in 2017!

Image credit: Pixabay, with edits by Lisa Alzo

2016 Highlights

In my end of year post for 2015, No Looking Back: Why I’m Choosing Myself in 2016, I wrote about how I planned to “choose myself” in 2016 and focus on some specific areas: 

  • Downsizing my physical living space and possessions.
  • Choosing work that fulfills me rather than just taking on any project or doing work for little or no payment, or that doesn’t fit my current business model. 
  • Focusing more on my own writing (including more posts to this blog) and self-publishing 
  • Expanding my work inspiring genealogists and family history writers by offering more personalized instruction through online courses and virtual learning experiences. 
  • Making more time for personal genealogy research and for enjoying life.
If I had to give myself an overall grade, I would probably go with A- because I believe that I was successful in each of the areas I listed. I especially tried to make decisions that were good for my business and focus more on my own writing. I made good progress in clearing out personal clutter and moving towards another goal of eventually changing my living space and location (priority item for 2017).  I also expanded my online educational offerings through webinars and online courses. 

Professional Growth and Satisfaction

One thing I learned in 2016 is how much I truly do enjoy helping others learn how to research their roots and share their family stories.  A few of the professional highlights for me included:

Writing, Writing, and More Writing!
Speaking and Teaching

In 2016 I spent a good bit of time on the road and online delivering lectures.


Online Coaching

One of my favorite jobs during 2016 was as a genealogy and writing coach.

  • I worked with aspiring family history writers through two sold out sessions of The Write Stuff Genealogy Writing Intensive online workshop (in partnership with my friend and colleague, Thomas MacEntee over at HackGenealogy).  And we are about to start a new sold out session on 2 January 2017!
  • I joined the team at GenealogyDOTCoach to help coach those who need help starting their genealogy research or breaking down brick walls in their current family history work.
  • There were other projects as well, making 2016 a year with plenty to do!  

Unfortunately, my own genealogy research was mostly put on hold, but I did make time to search some new online record sets and investigate the possibility of connecting with newly found cousins through DNA matches and contact through social media.


Onward to 2017

Image Credit: Pixabay

I am looking forward to taking on 2017.  It promises to be another year of getting to do what I love–writing and genealogy! 

I have several ideas for books I hope to publish.  I will be working on yet another special issue for Internet Genealogy, and will continue to develop online courses and webinars. Travel will once again fit into the mix.I am excited to be a speaker at a number of conferences again. 

I am especially honored to be the Keynote speaker for the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International’s 16th Genealogical and Cultural ConferenceOctober 17-21, 2017 (in my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA). The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel – Pittsburgh International Airport.  I will also be giving three other talks at the conference.  For more information click here.

Finally, each year I select a “theme” that serves as a guidepost for my personal and professional life.  For 2017 I have selected “Brave/Bravery” as my theme.  I want to be open to new possibilities, try out new ideas and throw a number of things out to the universe and see what happens, and not be afraid to take some risks.  

I would also like to thank all of you who follow this blog.  In June 2016 I celebrated 10 years of writing as “The Accidental Genealogist” – thanks for coming along for the journey!

Wishing you a peaceful and productive 2017!

[Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. This means if you click on a link and make a purchase I will receive a small commission]

Copyright 2016, Lisa A. Alzo 
All Rights Reserved







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No Looking Back: Why I’m Choosing Myself in 2016!

Well, here we are again, saying goodbye to another year. I would say that 2015 was not the best year for me, but not the worst year either. 



For the past several years I have done some “Year in Review” posts reflecting on happenings and accomplishments, and outlining goals for the New Year. I went back and read my post from last year, “2014 Year in Review: Looking Back and Moving Forward,” and overall I did a pretty good job with what I outlined for 2015, coming up short really in just one area: Location (I wrote, “One of my hopes is to relocate somewhere other than where I currently reside. I have one specific locality in mind, but am leaving my options open”). For a whole host of reasons that did not happen, and so it stays on the list for 2016.

I am grateful for many blessings in both my personal and professional life. In 2015 I traveled a lot. I had plenty of opportunities to speak about genealogy to wonderful groups in Salt Lake City, Indianapolis, Fountain Hills Arizona, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, and Iowa. I also presented a number of webinars and coached family history writers in two Genealogy Writing Intensives. I wrote my tenth book (I can’t say much about it because it has not yet been officially released by the publisher, but it is on genealogy and a subject I enjoy writing and teaching about). I worked hard in 2015 and I anticipate doing more of the same in 2016, but with one big change:  I am choosing myself!

What exactly does that mean? Well, I recently read a book called Choose Yourself! by James Altucher and it really opened my eyes. It talks about how we’re all suffering from “post-societal traumatic stress disorder.” The global economy has shifted and society is changing and we need to be able to make that shift to succeed. The basic premise is to shake off what we are taught–that “we are not good enough” and about having the confidence to make things happen for yourself, not waiting around for things to come to you, and not asking permission. There is so much in this book about exploring our creativity and using our entrepreneurship muscles. 

And, this is exactly what I want to do in 2016. I am not being selfish when I say this (trust me, anyone who knows me well knows that I am not a selfish person–this is evidenced in the fact that I spent 14 years as a primary caregiver for my parents during major illnesses, making many personal sacrifices and passing up a number of professional opportunities. And I have no regrets–I would do it all again in a heartbeat). But it is time for me to make some real changes in how I live and work.  

A few areas I will be working on include:

  • Downsizing my physical living space and possessions.
  • Choosing work that fulfills me rather than just taking on any project or doing work for little or no payment, or that doesn’t fit my current business model. 
  • Focusing more on my own writing (including more posts to this blog) and self-publishing 
  • Expanding my work inspiring genealogists and family history writers by offering more personalized instruction through online courses and virtual learning experiences. 
  • Making more time for personal genealogy research and for enjoying life.

See you later, 2015. I am so ready to start choosing myself in 2016!


©2015, copyright Lisa A. Alzo. All rights reserved.


[Disclosure: From time to time, I include affiliate links in my blog posts (see my disclosure policy) What does this mean? Well if you click on the link and make a purchase, I get a small sales commission.]





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