How to set goals and make them stick in 2019-Alle Abroad

Okay, let’s talk about your 2019 goals

Anyone else set a million of them and then accomplish none of them? Lol, raise your hands high people, we’ve all been there. I know the new year is all about resolutions and goal setting and it all sounds SO GREAT! Until you fall off the wagon and then beat yourself up about it while eating an entire bag of sour patch watermelons (been there done that…).

So I did some googling, as one does, and found some helpful tips to help me stick to my goals this year. Want to know what they are? Sorry can’t tell you, it’s a secret. JK JK JK. I’ll list out some tips to help you create and stick to your goals AND BONUS I’ll share mine with you so you can keep me accountable!

LIMIT THE NUMBER OF GOALS YOU SET

Lol, this is where I failed last year. I think I set 35. I’m not joking. So don’t do that.

Instead, set 2-3 professional goals and 2-3 personal goals. These should be big picture, crazy goals that make you think ‘MAN LIFE WOULD BE GREAT IF I COULD ACHIEVE THESE’. While these goals should be big picture, they should also be focused. For example don’t say you want to grow 10,000 followers on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Instead choose 1 or 2 channels you really want to focus on.

BREAK IT DOWN!

Not on the dance floor, although that would be much more fun

Take those 4-6 goals you just wrote down and figure out how you’re going to make that happen. I like to split up my goals into quarters. So one of my goals is to travel to a new place each month. So my quarterly goals would be to plan these trips, book my flights, come up with an itinerary, schedule my next trips, research where I want to travel the next few months etc. I’m a box checker so if there’s actual steps I can check off on the way to achieving my goal it makes it more realistic and achievable.

TELL ME WHY….

Ain’t nothing but a heartbreak, tell me why! Oops sorry got distracted by the Backstreet Boys, but they were onto something.

When you write down your goals, you need to be clear on why you want to achieve them. For example: I want to understand my camera better this year. I want to do that because, one I sound like a total idiot when people ask me if I like to shoot manual, raw, jpeg, what lense I use and I kinda just give them a blank stare. More importantly I want to understand my camera so I can take better photos, put out better content for you, possibly land more brand partnerships and eventually MAKE SOME MONEY HONEY! That’s my why. Be clear on yours

STALK YOUR GOALS LIKE YOU STALK YOUR EX’S NEW GF

Okay that got extreme, I don’t do that, but you get the point

You simply can’t just write your goals down Jan 1st and then ghost them. No you need to stay on top of that sh*t. So set check ins with yourself AT LEAST once a month. If not more than that. Who’s going to hold you accountable if you’re not holding yourself accountable? It’s also important to track what’s working and what isn’t. Or if you need to reevaluate your goals as the year goes on. Maybe you said you wanted to lose 10 pounds but you haven’t been to the gym once since January. I’d say it’s time to get honest and figure out why you’re not sticking to your goals.

GIVE YOURSELF SOME GRACE

Let’s be real...All this sounds well and good but we’re all human and we’re gonna F it up somehow

We can set as many goals as we want and have the best intentions but sometimes sh*t happens. AND THAT IS OKAY! Truly, the most important thing you can do is be kind to yourself. I’m not saying tell yourself it’s okay to eat an entire pizza each night for a week straight (who does that? Oh me right) But if you fall off the wagon, acknowledge it and get back on that horse cowboy!

Okay enough analogies. Write down your goals, stick to them, it will all be good!

Here’s my goals for 2019:

TRAVEL: Visit a new city/state/country each month

Mini goals:

Go on a solo trip
Visit a new continent
Travel with other travel bloggers/influencers
Attend a blogging retreat
Launch Gals Abroad Getaways

BLOG: Grow awareness around my blog

Mini goals:

Blog consistently 2-3 times per week
Make a packing list freebie for people who sign up for my newsletter
Post all of my 2018 travel content
Batch my blog posts
Come up with a Pinterest strategy
Start to pitch brands ideas

BUSINESS: Match the salary I was making at my TV job with my new business

Mini goals:

Hustle for more freelance gigs
Make sure my current brand partnerships are happy & go above and beyond for them
Look for new ways to diversify my income
Keep track of business expenses and create systems to make that easy
DON’T SHOP FOR CLOTHES.

PERSONAL: Make choices that will make me the healthiest version of myself

Mini goals:

Meditate every morning when I wake up
Work out 4-5 times a week
Start to journal at least every other night
Hit my daily water intake goals

SOCIAL: Grow my Instagram to 25K

Mini goals:

Try to engage with my followers for an hour each day
Engage with new accounts 1 hour each day
Understand my camera more so I can create better photos
Make my own Lightroom presets

NETWORKING: Meet at least 5 new people each month

Mini goals:

Make time to meet with other Chicago/Palm Springs bloggers
Attend a Style Collective event
Attend another Fohr event
Attend a Create and Cultivate event
Reach out to 10-20 brands a month

Well there you have it folks, my 2019 goals! I would LOVE to hear yours! Be sure to leave a comment below or shoot me a DM. I’d be happy to connect and keep each other accountable!

Now go out and chase those dreams babes!