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A new year comes with a fresh start. A renewal of who we are and a step forward to becoming who we want to be. It’s a chance to reevaluate our lives and create new goals for ourselves. Setting such intentions can be created at any time of the year, we are free to change directions and elevate our current circumstances whenever we see fit. But with a brand new year, especially a new decade, it feels almost obligatory to throw out the old and create space for the new.
I have to be honest, I have been struggling these past few days of the new year with keeping such a faithful enthusiasm for a new beginning. Usually, at the start of the year, I am riding the new year, new me mantra. I have high hopes and excitement for a future unknown. Yet this year I am starting kind of lackluster. I do have moments of go-get-it, but my motivation has been less than subpar. Maybe it’s due to having a shorter holiday season and my mind still wants a few more days off. Maybe it’s because the holidays really are not a vacation and I am still feeling overly stimulated. Maybe I am holding fear of the future and allowing that fear to take over hope and faith. Or maybe it’s because I do love my current life and who I am; although I know there is always room for improvement and there are definitely a lot of things I have yet to achieve. Let’s just say my pep talks to myself this year have been on repeat as need be….and it has been needed.
I had to take a step back and be ok with the fact that I wasn’t feeling 100% motivated to do anything– workout, write a blog post/post on IG, read my book, etc. For some reason, the only motivation I have is to clean my apartment. I find myself constantly cleaning, then cleaning again. I am taking this as a good sign that I want to achieve something, and cleaning is objectively easy to accomplish. As the days have come and go I do find myself getting back into the swing of things and feeling balanced and determined again.
With that being said it was easy for me to write down my 2020 intentions and goals for the year, both big and small. I have even started my vision board for the year. So maybe I am not as unmotivated as I thought. Anyway, each year I pick a few theme words that I want the year ahead to be. My words for 2019 were courage, love, and experience. I think I covered all of that pretty well. This year I want to continue with love and experience but add manifestation. This is the year I actually manifest the things I desire. I also want to tag on faith as a theme. I am going to live by “Let go and let God”. To not hold on too tightly to the end result and continue to have faith in God, knowing he is working it out for me. Love, experience, manifestation, and faith are my words for 2020. But besides my theme words, here are my 2020 intentions and goals.
- Know that I am worthy and good enough for all that I desire: This is part of my self-pep talk. I am a big believer in what we think comes true. When I am trying to achieve a goal or something good has happened to me, I try to get rid of the negative self-talk that I don’t deserve it. When I do deserve it– we all deserve to have everything we ever hoped to.
- Triple my income: This is something I have to dive deeper into HOW this goal can manifest. Write out a business plan for month to month and the entire year. I also need to reevaluate what has been working for me and what has not.
- Keep pursuing love with myself and others: Part of this piggy-backs on intention #1 with the positive self-talk. When days are not so great or I am feeling like a failure, I need to keep pursuing love for myself. With others, to continue to be open to receiving love and to give love in my relationship and friendships. And to always believe that I am loved.
- Travel: This is always a goal of mine. I want to explore the world. I am hoping this is the year in which I finally visit Paris and London. Fingers crossed!!
- Increase Instagram following to 70K: I know the value of my blog does not depend upon the number of followers I have. Yes, it looks better to brands and outsiders if I have a ton of followers, but with the ones I have, they still make a great impact on me and me to them. My reasoning for wanting to increase my following is first of all- more people I can connect with and reach, and second of all, it coincides with my goal #2. The more followers I have the more brands are willing to work with me on paid collaborations. It’s the name of the game. This goal also includes increasing all realms of social media- Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Tik Tok (which I recently joined @blushandblooms).
- Double my blog viewers: Social media has been wonderful for bloggers in terms of increasing exposure, opportunities, etc. However, blog traffic can waver in views. My blog is what I actually own- who knows what will happen to these social media platforms. As long as there is the internet I will have a space where I can fully control my business. My blog is my number one priority- writing and publishing blog posts is what I want to do and what I initially started with. This year I want to focus on driving traffic back to my blog– which has a lot more insights, outfit ideas, and where I share my personal life. It’s where you will get to know me better.
- Attend my dream fashion shows: After 8 fashion week seasons, there are STILL a ton of dream brands/designers I have yet to see. I want to manifest those this year. The ones I want to get into: Kate Spade, Tory Burch, Tibi (been once, trying to get back in), Ralph Lauren, Brock Collection, Self-Portrait, Lela Rose (been 3 times and want to continue to go back), Milly, Zimmermann, Veronica Beard, Alice + Olivia, Ulla Johnson, Carolina Herrera. I am sure there is more but forgetting a few.
- Be a guest on a podcast: THIS is my ultimate dream that I am trying to manifest. I am dying to be on a podcast of some sort– I can talk about whatever; blogging, fitness, life, The Bachelor, any TV shows or movies, books, pop-culture, relationships, etc. If you have a podcast I am willing and open to being on it!! Email me: maggie@blushandblooms.com
- Stick to a morning routine: My ideal morning routine looks something like this; wake up at 7:30 am, read the day’s excerpt from Journey To The Heart, meditate for 5 minutes, drink lemon water, eat breakfast, go workout, then start my day. Unfortunately more times than not I reach for my phone upon waking up. I do end up doing all of the above on my list, but not necessarily first thing in the morning. Sometimes I drink my lemon water in the afternoon, read my book before I go to sleep, hit snooze one too many times. It’s starting the day on a productive note that I am after.
- Strengthen and rebuild friendships: This goal I am sad that I have to put on here. There are some friendships that have gone on the back burner of my life and I am on the back burner of their life. From childhood friends to ones made here in New York, we all live busy lives. Sometimes it is really hard to get a hold of someone or to get together and catch up. Over the holidays I had a hard time getting friends together for brunch or coffee due to family obligations (both mine and theirs). I am also not the best at communication and reaching out to say hello. Now there are friendships that have passed its course and I am grateful for the time I have spent with them, but we both have moved on with our lives and have grown apart. I am not trying to beat a dead horse, I’ve learned that lesson the hard way. The relationships I do know will forever be there, I want to continue to make an effort. Even if the effort does not go into fruition, meaning a get-together/text/ phone call, email, DM, etc, they at least know I want them in my life still.
- Get more creative with my blog: A fear of mine, insecurity, since starting my blog, is really going after it and putting myself out there. I think it may stem from the fact I am kind of not a fan of taking pictures of myself for my blog… I know, I know, but I am not a model- never think of myself as one, so sometimes it feels awkward. Anyway, I am way more creative than what I have been putting out– I want to tell a story. Sometimes that creativity comes through with videos, my movement, the location I choose. Unfortunately, it’s easy to stand in front of a pretty building instead of telling a story. And there is NOTHING wrong with that– I will continue to do that, but I want to incorporate more creative imagery; really put myself out there and give it my all.
- Go out, be social: When did I become such a homebody? I used to (and still do) love to go out and socialize. I also really love my alone time. But I, unfortunately, tend to choose to stay home more often than going out. It has to do with my age and not really wanting to spend a Friday night fighting to get a drink at the bar. It also has to do with the fact that I spend all week-long networking, going to events, drinking (sometimes), that the thought of socializing on the weekend seems like a headache. I want to make more of an effort this year to go out, non-blog related, more often.
- Fitness: I talked a little about my fitness goals, or more like my confidence while working out, on yesterday’s post. But on top of my activewear, my fitness goals are to continue to push myself, try new workouts, not workout as much/smart recovery days, have a healthier relationship with food, love my body more, tone my muscles and finally get abs. It seems all pretty doable, especially the 6-pack abs part.
- Cross off one or two items from my NYC bucket list: I have a running list of things I want to see and do in NYC. I know I will be here in the city for a long time, but I do not think it will be forever. When, and if, I finally leave the city, I want to leave knowing I saw and did everything I could. That I lived my life to the fullest here. I have a lot on my list but a few I want to cross off this year are Shakespeare in the Park, helicopter ride around Manhattan, see Billy Joel in concert, go to Coney Island, boat ride in Central Park, ice skate, attend a taping of a show like SNL or Jimmy Fallon, see the Symphony Orchestra, and much more.