How I'm Starting 2019 with a Positive Outlook and Setting Realistic Goals

Happy 2019! Wow, it's so crazy to be saying that and I hate to be the one to remind you, but 2009 was 10 years ago. Take a moment to realize where you were in 2009... What even is happening?!?! When I realized that it's been a D E C A D E since '09 on New Year's Eve, I about spit my drink out. Anyway, I always love and look forward to the holiday season but there's something SO refreshing about the start of a new, 365 day chapter; I know there's some who don't think it's a big deal and stand by saying that you can make changes and goals whenever, regardless of the time of year. True, but the way I see January 1st is a true, fresh new page to write a new story on.
I always like to spend the last few days of the year/first week or two of the new year to reflect on the past year. The positives, what I can and want to work on and even the negatives and how to bounce back or learn something from them. I obviously love to write, so I spend time writing out all of my goals (both short-term and long-term) and split them up by personal goals and business goals. I get detailed in my planner with each, and then have a more simplistic bullet-point list somewhere that I can see every. single. day. That's always my #1 tip when it comes to achieving any type of goal - the more you see it, the more motivated you'll become to be able to check it off! Be it on your bathroom mirror, on the refrigerator or at your desk, let it be something that stands out to you 24/7.
Personally, I prefer setting goals instead of resolutions. I know there really isn't much of a difference and they're kind of the same thing. But in my mind, goals are something you work towards and just have more of a meaning in my case anyway. Something I've learned over the years (that seems pretty obvious, one would think) is to set more, smaller goals that you know you can achieve and then a couple of larger, bad-ass goals that you can work toward throughout the year.

I haven't felt this committed to achieving a list (laundry list, really) of goals the way I am this year in a long time - actually, probably ever. I'm 24 and there's a lot I hope to achieve in the next few years and for me, 2018 felt like a "set up" year for what I know I'm able to do this year. Does anyone else feel that way? It's really motivating and has me eager to get to work!

Whenever I try to choose a "word" of the year, I end up with a handful that all have meaning to me and have trouble picking just one. This year is no different, but the one word/theme I'm really going to focus on is determination. I'm determined to make positive changes personally; determined to continue to grow my business and connect with so many more of you; determined to find self-love from within and expand it into every day life. I could go on and on with words of the year - each could become its own novel of a post! ;)

Here's some of my top goals for 2019 - I have an extended list that I'll share at some point, but these are the things I'm determined to focus on the most and focus on FIRST.

Learn to love getting fit. And that goes deeper than just losing a few pounds here and there; I want to overall increase my quality of living every day in terms of energy, specifcally, and that all starts from what you put in. I take regular walks/runs but I want to get into more types of workouts, take more classes and all of that good stuff. Now that the holidays are over, I'm 100% committed to eating cleaner and know that it'll better my skin and energy levels on top of making me feel better inside.

Be more intentional with my time - and try not to be on my laptop, working and zoned in until midnight every night. The problem with this is, I LOVE to work. I'm a workaholic and love to make plans to make plans. But if the past week or so that I've taken off to relax and be tuned into family and friends for the holidays has shown me anything, it's that taking time for yourself and to be present in the moment is EVERYTHING. The work-life balance is everything - don't really know why it's taken me so long to really realize that, but if I can do one thing to better myself this year, it's to be more intentional with my time during the weekdays so that come 7-8 PM I can completely unplug and recharge for the next day. I know that overall, this will help in so many aspects.

Take a photography class. I'd say about 97% of the time, I'm the one who takes all the photos you see on my blog and across social media. The other 3% is my mom, sister or whoever is around to help me out! I've upgraded my cameras (looking to upgrade? Here's the best cameras out there for beginners and anyone looking to try something new!) a few times and have taught myself SO much about photography. I love taking pictures - on family vacations my parents always laugh at how many pics my sister and I take! Hah! There's so much to learn when it comes to using a camera to it's full potential and how to get the best shots in all different situations and as something I love AND use for my blog, it'd be so beneficial to learn more about an aspect of the business that I use *literally* every single day. P.S., if you've ever taken a photography course and know of a good one, send recs my way please! ;)

Travel and experience as many new things as humanly possible. If you've been around for a while and/or have read any number of my travel blog posts, you know how passionate about this I am. There is NO better experience that you could ever give yourself than exploring this world. Nothing. I am the pure definition of a homebody, but there's no words that could explain how freeing it is to travel and see a sight you've dreamed of seeing.

RELATED: How to Start a Travel Fund

Challenge my self to be more creative and intentional with quality over quantity. In an ever-growing industry that changes as fast as you can blink, you HAVE to be creative. I love my creative side and love to think creatively, but it's also easy to get bored with the norm and want to change things up. I'm always itching to do and try new things and sometimes due to being a serious procrastinator (that could be an own goal of its own - procrastinate everything WAY less!) and time, I find myself just adding the changes I want to make creatively to a long list of things that never seem to get done. For me, creativity = more quality content.

All of that to say, I'm so ready to learn more, grow more and live more starting this year!
It's a whole new year to make new choices, better decisions and achieve more success. You have the power to make 2019 exactly what you want it to be - challenge yourself, be kind to yourself and hold yourself accountable. Make it the year of "you", and do more of what makes you happiest. Life's too short for anything else, and nothing feels better than making yourself proud. In 2019, leave your comfort zone, invest in yourself and reach new heights - you'll be so glad you did and I can't wait to come back and reflect on this exact sentiment with you all next year and put into perspective how the year went. For now, it's off to work! ;) Happy New Year and a HUGE thank you to every single one of you, because as cliché as it sounds, none of this would be at ALL possible without you. I'm so grateful for each and every one of you!
XOXO -A