Hello 2019!

I’m claiming this right now…2019 will be the year I take my blog and social media presence to the next level!  I have no idea how this will happen, but I’m stepping out on faith and trusting it will.  I am determined to CRUSH it and grow in all areas of my life this year.

I’ve never been a big New Year’s Resolution person, but rather a goals oriented person.  I don’t think you should have to wait for a new year in order to make changes in your life.  If you know without a shadow of a doubt you want to make a change you just do it and figure out a way to get it done.  Am I right?  At any point in the year you can revisit your vision, habits, and goals, and set some intentions for what you want to improve.

This year I’ve decided try something new and BOLDLY share my list of goals for my blog.  While I don’t really subscribe to making New Year’s Resolutions, I do I love using the New Year as an excuse to start a fresh with a new boost of energy and motivation.  I’m setting myself a lot of goals this year for work, my personal life and my personal development and I’m really excited to see where the year takes me!

Here are my blogging goals for 2019 as they currently stand (in no particular order):

• Grow my blog traffic to 20,000+ unique visitors a month (Blog Traffic/Followers)
• Attend 2-3 blogging or book conferences or events for FREE that I don’t have to pay for
• Be a guest on 4 podcasts (one podcast per quarter)
• Launch an e-book (Topic to be determined)
• Work on 1-2 Instagram social media takeover for major brands/companies
• Provide more useful content to my audience (printables, worksheets, etc.)
• Participate in more PAID/sponsored post/brand collaborations (Blog Monetization)
• Sign up for and participate in additional affiliate programs (Blog Monetization)
• Create an organized master content list filled with content ideas for blog and social posts (Content Creation/Organization)
• Focus more on Pinterest to increase and drive more traffic to my blog
• Incorporate more lifestyle, family and travel content into my blog and social posts (Content Creation/Organization)
• Revive my newsletter and publish content more consistently for my subscribers (Content Creation/Organization)
• Write blog posts at least 2-3 times per week (or more when my schedule permits) (Content Creation/Organization)
• Reach 50,000+ Instagram followers (Blog Traffic/Followers)
• Increase my Pinterest followers to 2,500+ (Blog Traffic/Followers)
• Increase my Facebook followers to 2,000+ (Blog Traffic/Followers)
• Increase my Twitter followers to 5,000+ (Blog Traffic/Followers)
• Track ALL of my income and expenses so I’ll have a clear picture of how much my blog/social income was this year.
• Connect with a small tribe of like-minded, goal oriented bloggers to share ideas with and support
• Use a photographer for some of my photos

I already have all of these goals (and more) written down in my 2019 journal, but sharing them somehow makes me feel even more committed to them.  Note: The goals listed here are just general goals I jotted down, but in my journal each goal is a S.M.A.R.T. goal with timelines/deadlines against each one.

If you have a blog or are thinking of starting one this year, I hope this post inspires you to set some goals for yourself.  Go on, give it a try.  Write down your goals somewhere where you’ll see them regularly, for example on your blog notebook or on a memo board in your office. Seeing goals regularly and thinking about them often, will help you stay on top of them.  Cheers to a fantastic and productive 2019!

Your turn: Do you write all of your goals down at the start of a new year and reflect on them throughout the year?  Feel free to share in the comments.

I cannot believe today is the last day of 2015!  Where did the year go, seriously?  This morning I spent some time writing down my goals and dreams for the new year ahead in my new journal.  I also chose two words to help me focus and realize my goals.  I chose two words because it was really hard for me to narrow it down to just one.

If you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed I posted my favorite adult book of 2015 a few days ago.  I chose The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo.  In this book, the author suggests you should only be surrounded by things that spark joy in your heart.  Therefore, the first word I’ve chosen for 2016 is joy.

I want to create more joy daily in all areas of my life.  I’m only going to focus on each day one day at a time and those things that bring me joy right that very moment. Because I don’t know how my life will be a day from now, 30 days from now or even 5 or 10 years into the future.

But I do know that waking up an hour earlier helps me prepare better for the day ahead. I do know that when I force myself to exercise before work I’m more productive.  I do know how I love seeing the look on my kids’ faces when they learn something new or accomplish something on their own.  I do know how much I love having clean and organized spaces.  I do know that I love to eat delicious food.  I do know that I love technology (most of the time), writing code, and solving problems.  I do know that when I put my phone away at home I’m more focused, less distracted, more present to enjoy my husband, our home, and the kids.  I do know that reading, writing, and blogging bring me joy.  I do know how beautiful I feel when I let my skin breathe, free from the make-up, free from the grime. I do know that I love discovering and learning new things.  I do know that smiling at strangers and giving to others has never made me feel worse, only better.

I do know most of the things that bring me joy, but I’m sure there are others have have yet to be discovered.  So I’m hoping those things will be revealed to me next year.  Also, for 2016, I’m letting go of wondering when the joy of “success” will make it’s way to me or when it’ll be “my turn” to have or do certain things.  Because there’s no joy in wondering.  There’s no joy in trying to figure out the who, the when, the why and the how.

Really, the only joy is in the now. And that’s where I choose to be.

I understand and acknowledge I’ve already had much success in many areas of my life, but I have other hopes and dreams that have yet to be realized.  I have faith they will come to pass, but I’m simply letting go and allowing them to happen in their due season (still keeping them on my list of dreams and goals though).

The other word I chose is reach.

Next year I want to reach above what I know I’m capable of, beyond even what I think I might be capable of and create some AMAZING things.  I also want to reach out to others more – build networks, create genuine, meaningful and lasting relationships both online and in-person.  I want to reach more people via my blog and social media.  I want to reach for my goals and actually achieve them – not just set them on January 1st and forget about them.  I want to reach above and beyond at work and not just be average or mediocre.  Simply put, I want to reach and stretch myself in all areas of my life knowing what my limitations are so I won’t get burned out.

Cheers to an epic 2016!  Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year.  See you in 2016!

Your turn:  What is your word(s) for the new year?  What are you most looking forward to?  Feel free to share in the comments.