First off, I hope you guys had an extremely safe and glorious New Years 2017. I know I did! This year was much more low-key than previous ones. I guess I’m a grandma an adult now. Secondly, I am really not a person to make goals for the year, because mostly they’re unrealistic and by February I’d forget anyways. This year I thought I’d keep it simple and share a few quick thoughts on the upcoming year and include a few ‘goals’ I hope to achieve. It would be fun in 2018 (wow, that sounds foreign) to look back on and see how much I actually accomplished! I’ve separated my list into two categories: Blogging and Personal. Pretty broad, but very simple. I like simple. If this isn’t your cup of tea, stop reading here as I blabber on. OH! And I’ve also included some upcoming things this year!
B L O G G I N G :
- I think I say this every year: travel more and blog about it. Living in Europe was always a dream of mine and now that I’ve been living here for nearly 3 years, its about damn time! Looking back at the past year I wish I traveled so so so much more. I mean, plane tickets are so cheap to anywhere in Europe. I’ve been stalking the ‘flexible anywhere’ tab on SkyScanner and have found so many amazing deals. I could even travel solo. Why did I never do this? I could literally fly to London for the day round trip for cheaper than buying lunch! I will say I am extremely privileged that my jobs were flexible and give more time off than any job I’d have in the states. I visited the Netherlands a handful of times, along with Belgium, France and adding Romania and Hungary on my list of countries also. I hope that this year I manage to bring my camera around with me and attempt some vlogs on these said trips! I think not only to show everyone what the culture is like, but selfishly for myself to look back on. Memories.
- I’d also like to collaborate more in 2017. I want to find some like-minded bloggers and brands that align with my style to work on some amazing projects. I used to collaborate with a lot of artists and designers while taking classes and I’d say it was the most fun I had. Blogging is something that is personal to me and takes a lot of time and effort – something I do not seem to have much of after working a full-time job on top of it. I’d be thrilled to share ideas and make them turn into actual projects. I could learn a lot.
- Being more consistent with posting on my blog is last on my list. It should be the first item on there to be honest, but I wanted to save the best for last. I typically write a few posts a month and I’d like to kick it up a notch this year. Maybe even just writing one more a month than I usually do is a start. I admire the bloggers that are full-time and this is their career. The ones who post at the same time every week, sometimes everyday. I wish I could be that good, but for me – there really are only 24 hours in a day. The majority of my time is split, but I’ll do my best now that my hours have changed to mornings and off on weekends instead of nights and working every weekend! I just need to carve out a day and do it!
P E R S O N A L :
- During the whole of 2016, I think I read only one book. And thats giving myself the benefit of the doubt, so don’t go asking what book it was because I haven’t the slightest clue. And no, scrolling through the internet reading blogs and watching YouTube videos doesn’t count. Otherwise I’m sure I could say thousands. I want to challenge myself to read more. Maybe even read a book a month if I’m feeling crazy! Shout out to my brother and sister-in-law for hooking me up with a book I put up on Pinterest for Christmas. I guess there is really no excuse not to read this month at least. Then I’d already be doing better than I did last year.
- I’d love to get back into the habit of a nightly sleep routine and I’d also love to see the inside of my gym at least three times a week. I love to make a cup of tea in the evening and unwind using my deep sleep pillow spray. Sadly I’ve not been sticking to either of these routines. I know the Holidays are always a good excuse to stay up late and eat junk food, but now they’re gone. I got asked a lot last year what kept me motivated and honestly it was from purchasing a Fitbit and pairing it with friends. I am such a competitive person, so seeing someone kick my ass in steps was not an option. I recently picked up an Apple Watch, yep nerd alert, so we will see how this compares. Who knows, maybe I’ll even write a post about them!
- By nature, I’m a very detail oriented person. I like to be organized, even though my mom would totally disagree after always telling me I needed to clean my room when I was younger. This year I want to start jotting down my thoughts and ideas in a bullet journal or planner. I always think (think being the operative word) that journaling is such a great idea. I have more notebooks in my life than I do fingers and toes. I just wish I would stick to it. The only time I stuck to something like this was in college when I studied abroad in Rome. We were forced to bind our own sketchbooks and carry it with us the entire time of our trip. At first it was a pain lugging around this bulk of blank papers, however by the end I could not let go of it. I still flip through the pages and look back on the memories I had created.
P L A N S :
- A huge item on my list this year is GETTING MARRIED! Holy crap! I cannot believe I am finally starting to plan this. There are so many things to do and I have no idea where even to get started. I just picked up a book to help myself get organized and plan a killer party. We finally set a date so I’m sure I’ll put together a few pre-wedding posts before that happens. I don’t want to spill the beans too much on this, but be on the look out for a few giveaways in the upcoming months. Head over to my Facebook Page for something special this week!
- I’d also love to take a few different courses to enhance my skills. First up I want to take a photography course. I’ve only taken one photography class and it was ‘Digital Photography.’ At that time, I wasn’t blogging, so I don’t feel like I got too much out of it. Secondly I’d love to pick up a course on video editing. I hated motion graphics in college, but thats where we learned how to use different programs and piece together videos. Looking back, I wish I took it more seriously. Shout out to my Professor Vanessa who put up with my obnoxious projects in class. Laser beam eyes. And lastly, I’d love to pick up watercoloring again. When I was living in Florida, every week I would go to a watercolor class. It was mostly myself and older women just looking for a hobby. I met so many people I normally would have never. It was so relaxing and I really enjoyed it. If you have any suggestions about courses (online or in-person) – I’d love to hear them!!
I’d love to hear your goals for this year! Feel free to share them or catch-up with me on social media! I hope I stay encouraged and I can’t wait for what is in store for 2017.