Last week, I polled all of you with a series of questions on Instagram Stories in the hopes it would help me get to know you better. I asked you all what topics you wished you knew more about, and I was surprised to see many of you responded with curiosity surrounding my goals, both personal and professional.
As a Millenial in my late twenties with no kids, I often find myself dreaming really big. I’ve always been a big dreamer, creative, self motivated and I crave challenge. Because of this, I set little and big goals that I feel are attainable to help hold myself accountable over time. With that said, I also set check points to see where I am in terms of those goals. Sometimes strategies need to be altered, and other times I’m right in line with what I thought I was capable of. It is definitely fair to say that I’m really hard on myself. I am by far my own worst critic, and constantly crave being the best version of myself. I feel a lot of pressure to constantly be going, seeing, doing, growing etc. and sometimes that can take a toll on what’s actually important in life, like family, friends, sleep, skincare etc. So with that said, you will see my personal and professional goals reflect a balance between the two, something I am still very much working on.
Fitness // I think my biggest personal goal this year is around fitness. I’ve written several posts about fitness and what it means to me over the years (you can find some of them here), but I’ve never really reached my ideal level of fitness. I came really close in 2017 when I was training for our wedding, and while I felt the most confident I had ever felt during that time, I still wasn’t “perfect“. I put the word perfect in quotations because everyone’s version of perfect is different, and I’m 100% positive there are people out there who think I’m crazy for even saying this – but, to each their own. I don’t place all too much emphasis on numbers on a scale, but I do have a vision in my head of what my ideal body looks and feels like – and that’s what I’m working towards this year. And if you’re wondering: why do I care so much? Valid question. I believe that self love is the core of wellness. Fitness is more than just physical to me, it’s healthy, its confidence in my own skin, it’s consistency, its happiness from a mental standpoint, it’s a coping mechanism for stress, and so much more.
Work Life Balance // The biggest caveat to full time blogging is the fact that it’s 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. I haven’t taken an actual vacation free of social media in three years – including my own honeymoon. I feel a great deal of pressure to constantly create, answer emails, read contracts, post pictures, engage with my following, edit photos, write blog posts, and upload Instagram Stories. With the ever changing Instagram algorithm and the hustle and bustle of all that goes into this job, taking true quality time off seems impossible, and I fear falling behind or hurting my business if I do so. But in all reality, I know I need time off. I know I need a mental break from it all in order to continue at this pace. I crave uninterrupted time off with my husband, not caring about my hair or makeup for the day because I know I have to take photos, time with my mom just enjoying each others company. It’s so hard to separate this job from life at home because this job is sharing life at home. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do and I feel so very blessed to get to wake up and do what I love daily — but I know my body is telling me it’s time to slow down, and take a break. So another personal goal of mine this year, is to truly separate work trips from personal trips, and use personal trips to re-center myself, relax, unwind, and come up for air so that I can continue to create and inspire in an organic way.
Spend less time on those who don’t matter // Last year, for the first time in my life, I felt the need to get rid of anyone and anything that wasn’t lifting me up. I’m one of the happiest people you will ever meet, and the name of this blog is representative of just that. However, I ran across a couple people who tried to “dim my light” so to speak. You see, there are people in the blogging industry who befriend you in the name of getting ahead. As a natural giver who only tries to see the positive in everybody, it was easy to look through my fingers at the in genuine behaviors for a period of time because “#networking”. People see your followers, the community you’ve built, and your brand network as an easy wave they can ride for their own social gain. So, I’ve been burned a few times and I’ve learned my lesson from it. I’m happiest when I’m surrounded by the 7 girls I’ve always called my best friends. The girls who don’t care about how many followers you have, how many likes the last photo got, what city we are in, what you’re wearing etc. because your company and the good times to be had are all that matter to them. It’s exhausting when your entire life is consumed by blogging, and in a way – these girls humanize me and let me remember what life is like outside of social media. I’m a firm believer that every relationship comes with deposits and withdrawals, and you should always be depositing more than you are withdrawing. So alongside my husband and my immediate family, these are the people I will be placing my “deposits” in this year – because they do the same for me, time and time again.
Span into video content regularly // I’m really pushing myself this year to step outside of my comfort zone and provide my audience with more video. This has been a request from many of you over the last year or more, and it’s something I want to be able to deliver on. Topics I hope to cover extensively are travel vlogs, beauty tips and tricks that work for me like skincare and makeup application, healthy eating and recipes, and all things fitness. So, with that said – I recently launched my YouTube channel with a “What I Eat In A Day” video and would love for you to subscribe to it here. By subscribing, you will be the first to know when a new video has been posted! Your support, feedback, and encouragement in this space means more to me than anything — it helps fuel my fire, and motivation to continue to create.
Start a podcast // I have no idea if this is an attainable goal for 2019, but it is 100% a long term goal of mine. I am completely enamored by the podcasts I listen to regularly, and constantly have so many meaningful conversations with friends, family, and strangers alike that I wish I could have recorded for you to hear. I love the power of a podcast, and the ability to listen to it while driving to work, working out, putting on your makeup etc.
Connect with you on a more meaningful level // I was a psychology major in college, and my passion for helping others via my own life lessons started with an internship in counseling. While the medical field wasn’t the perfect medium for this, my blog was. The idea to start this journey began with the desire to talk about my own mistakes, life lessons, tips and tricks, etc. for women to read and share around the world in the hopes it would highlight or provide helpful advice to those seeking it. As my business evolved, I also started noticing a huge lack in genuine women empowerment – especially amongst the blogging community. So this year, my focus is to bring you more than just outfits. I want to talk about real life struggles, insecurities, and things that truly impact your day beyond the cute outfit. Let’s peel back the layers, get to know each other, and create a community where we feel safe, beautiful, and uplifted from what society wants us to believe and perceive as “normal”.
