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I’ve never really been one for resolutions so I always choose to make New Years goals instead as I like to create actionable and realistic goals for both personal and professional growth. Recently, I shared my reflection post from 2018 – what went well, what needs to improve and the lessons I learned along the way. It was a rough year to say the least, but I’ve put that all behind me and I’m moving forward into 2019 feeling more motivated than ever (and with no plans to revisit the past). With the new year comes new opportunities and the rebirth of a new self and to me, that is so exciting. This year, I want to continue to grow personally so I can be the best version of myself and help others to do the same — and professionally so I can achieve the dreams I’ve worked hard for and create a life that I truly love (for both myself and my husband <3). Read on to see my 2019 New Years goals 🙂
Personal
Make Health a Priority
This makes me really sad to say this but last year, I really neglected my physical and mental health. I became so wrapped up in everything else that I didn’t leave time to be active….or to relax…or to sleep. I was anxiety ridden over things that were beyond my control, developed frustrating digestive issues and became so overwhelmed to point of extreme burnout. I didn’t make time for myself and I didn’t value myself. This year, I will be making necessary lifestyle changes for my overall health: better diet, more exercise, more time to relax, more sleep, and dedicate more time to things that I love instead of spreading myself too thin.
Find Inspiration Through Travel
I find myself constantly being so inspired when I travel so I want to incorporate more of that into my life. It gives me a feeling like no other! In the past, my travel dreams were met with excuses as to why I couldn’t fulfill them…usually being “too busy” and not having the funds. This year, I want to make it happen! I’m hoping to make plans to travel at least once a month (close by or far away).
Be More Confident
Over the years, my self esteem has really taken a hit. I was told over and over for decades that I wasn’t good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, skinny enough and talented enough by those that were closest to me and after a while, I started to believe it. I felt like I had lost my spark. Currently, I’m going through the process of re-training my brain to recognize the truth (that I am enough) and to BELIEVE it. I feel like confidence is such an important trait and this is what I’ll be working on the most this year.
Kick Out The Clutter
I started doing this in 2018 and I want to continue into this year. Last year, I completely de-cluttered my life – my home, my closet, and my inner circle. I got rid of every single piece of furniture that had been gifted from estranged family members and didn’t fit my style and replaced it smaller items that make me happy when I walk through the door. I got rid of clothing that I had been holding on to years in hopes that it would someday fit again and replaced it with a more streamlined wardrobe full of things that bring me joy. I got rid of the people in my life (no matter how close I was to them) that constantly brought me down with their negativity and toxicity and replaced them with those that truly support and love me.
Be More Selfish
My time is valuable and this is one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn. In the past, I’ve always been a people pleaser and was afraid to say no. I’ve realized that I have to start doing things for myself rather than everyone else because I don’t get that time back. If I don’t have time to do something… or don’t WANT to do something, then I shouldn’t feel obligated to do it, especially if it’s for someone else. This year, I’ll be doing things for me 🙂
Professional
Put 110% Into My Business
I’ve always been an overachiever and sometimes that can be a detriment. I tend to take on more than I can handle and this year really showed that. For the first time in my life, I experienced extreme burn out and it wasn’t pretty. As a result of doing too much, I ended up not doing enough for things that needed it the most. I stopped subbing this year so I could concentrate more on my business and while it did free up more time, I still felt overwhelmed. I felt like I had so many ideas and not enough time to actually follow through with them. In 2019, I’m planning to scale back on my other endeavors so I can concentrate all of my efforts and put everything I have into this.
Get More Organized
I’m usually such an organized person but this last year was anything but. I was overwhelmed with everything and time management went out the window. As a result, I felt disorganized in every aspect of my life. The irony is that I get stressed out when things are disorganized or cluttered to the point where I feel like I can’t function. It was like a never-ending circle that I couldn’t seem to get out of. I’ll be cutting back on quite a few of the things I’m doing in an effort to make life more manageable. I also created and bought a ton of tools to keep me on track with all of my goals for the year, including my Erin Condren planner – check out the giveaway below to get a jumpstart on organizing your New Year!
Expand my Creativity
I feel like I have all these creative ideas but not enough time to actually execute them. This year I want to step out of the box and try new things. I want to try out different poses, different edits, and expand our shooting to different locations. I want to finally create the beautiful imagery that I’ve always had in mind for the blog and expand my photography skills so I can create beautiful imagery for others as well. The thing I might be most excited about though is creating video. I have been wanting to do it for the past two years and I’ve been terrified to start due to my perfectionist nature and out of fear of what people might think of me. 2019 is the year this becomes a reality.
Don’t Be Afraid to Take Risks
I’m definitely not afraid of taking risks…I mean, I’m a rollercoaster enthusiast, have been skydiving 7 times and pursued electric guitar as a female in a male-dominated space. With that being said, there is one risk I’m afraid to take and that’s to go all in with my business. I’m scared to not have stability, to not know how this will work out in the long run and in a weird way, I’m scared of both failure and success. But to be honest, this is the thing I have been working toward my whole life and every single decision I make is to get closer to my goal. Anything worth having involves taking a risk and as exciting as it is, it’s also hard. This year, I want to see what happens when I step away from comfort and stability and jump in feet first to the unknown – fingers crossed!
Be More Intentional
I want to be more intentional with everything this year, but especially when it comes to my writing. For a while, I felt like I was sharing just whatever so I could get a post up but what I’d really like to do is share things that are more insightful and have purpose. I want to share more of my experiences, more of my wisdom and more of myself in my posts (both on the blog and on Instagram). I want to write about things are truly helpful for others, whether that’s sharing a personal story, inspiration, knowledge or a lesson learned. I want to connect on a deeper level with all of you in a comfortable, supportive space and I want you all to feel like you can share your stories as well. I truly hope that I can help someone else (even just one person) by sharing less of what’s on the surface and diving deeper into more important topics. Isn’t that what having a platform should be used for?
Outfit Details
Cece Dress c/o | Chi Chi London Coat (old – similar here) | Anthropologie Heels (old – similar here) | Kate Spade Handbag | Alexandre de Paris Headband c/o (similar here) | SugarFix Necklace c/o
BE MYSELF
For whatever reason, I have been terrified to share myself and my personality fully, especially when it comes to something like Instagram stories. I feel like the fear of rejection has held me back in so many ways – What if people don’t like my personality? What if they don’t agree or criticize me? What if they judge me? What if they don’t like who I am? And to be honest, I think we all feel like this in one way or another. The most interesting (and ironic) thing is that I was voted “Best Personality” in high school…so WHY in the world would I, of all people, be scared to show my personality? In real life, I’m bubbly, smiley and a big ball of sunshine. The things I share, my style, my words, my thoughts…they are all authentic but for so long I have been hiding behind those things because I was afraid to show the rest of myself. Someone once told me that they liked an influencer until they saw their personality on stories and that’s what did it for me. I didn’t want to be that person. I didn’t want people think differently of me or dislike me because I wasn’t who they imagined me to be. I’m a little quirky. I laugh at my own jokes. I dance in the car. I wear princess dresses. And yes, I’m a grown woman that still wears bows in my hair. This year, I want to pull back the veil and show you my real, true authentic self – unfiltered.
What are your New Years goals?
xo
Shop the Look
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ERIN CONDREN GIVEAWAY
To celebrate getting organized for the New Year, I’ve partnered with Erin Condren to give one of you a $100 gift card! Erin Condren has the most amazing planners and accessories (I’ll show you guys more next week!) to keep you on tracks to meet your New Years goals 🙂 Enter below! Good luck <3
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