HELLO 2021

wow! still can’t believe we’re in a NEW YEAR!!!

and I can’t believe we’re already on our second week of the new year!! I know so many of us have been so anxious and just so ready to start a new year after the weird, crazy year we just had! I am in the same boat, and as much as I want some normalcy, whatever that means, but I also know there is still so much going on and so much uncertainty. I am going into the nw year with positivity and hope – hope that even though things are still a bit different, we can do out best to make it a great year. we have a choice to make – for me I am choosing to move forward, to find happiness and positivity, and do my best to have an amazing year, not just for myself but fo my family.

I like to start the year thinking about my goals for the year and sometime it’s super easy to figure out what I want to accomplish, but some years I really have to think about it, especially because I want to be realistic and I also want my goals to be attainable. I like to list out some things I didn’t get to accomplish in the past year as well as things i’ve been thinking about over the last year and see what’s important to me, my life and to my family. I also like to make sure I don’t have too many goals, especially big ones, because it can be overwhelming. I have written some goals for my professional life, and I also have some for my personal growth, especially as a mother and for my family.

MY 2021 GOALS

– PERSONAL –

I thought I would start out with my personal goals – I find that these are a bit easier for me to come up with and some of them are a continuation from last year. I like to make sure I maintain my good habits and stay on track in the new year.

my big personal goal for the year is continue GROWING MY THIRD BABY – and once baby arrives, make sure that baby and I are both happy and healthy. yes, i’ve done this twice before, but every baby and situation is different. I just want to go with the flow and make sure that I am taking time for myself and making sure I can be the best for my baby.

some other personal goals I have are getting back on track with a good morning routine, establishing a good morning routine will help once the baby arrives. I feel like a good morning routine will set the tone for the day, help me feel like I can be more productive and with a a new baby, will make me feel more like myself when it might be a bit crazy. I had a pretty good routine in the beginning of quarantine and it kinda just slipped so I really want to get back on track with that. along with a good morning routine, I would also like to make it a goal this year to get into meditation once a day. I think I am going to start with meditating 15 minutes or so once a week, and pick a day and time where I can really unwind. I have heard amazing things about meditation and I have tried a couple meditation apps last year I enjoyed but never continued. I feel like meditation would be a nice form of therapy that will help me stay focused and balanced. as a mama of two, with a third on the way, working full-time and a wife, life is crazy, its busy and its overwhelming. I need something in my life that can help bring me back to center and I hoping meditating will really help.

It is also a goal of mine this year to get back to a well-balanced diet. I usually have a very good diet, and I try to have what I want in moderation while making sure I mostly make healthy options that are good for my body. after I got pregnant, I let that go mainly because I could barely cook and I was nauseous all day, and then it just became a habit in quarantine to order take out or make easy dishes like pasta. I also have cravings for all carbs and sweets and I just give into those cravings so easily. I have gotten better now that I am in my third trimester but I need to be much better at fueling my body with good nutrients, not only for myself but for the baby.

another personal goal of mine – this is a hard one – is less phone time. I cannot tell you how many times my hubby and I have gotten into heated discussions about phone time. I get it, being on my phone a lot is annoying, some days I find it annoying, but it is hard seeing that a big part of this job I have requires me to be on my phone A LOT! it’s hard to be present with family and I hate that feeling of being attached to my phone at all times. I know that because this is a hard goal for me, I am trying to set boundaries that I feel like I can achieve and not be so drastic about it. I have decided to not be on my phone from in the morning from 10am-11am, and in the evenings from 8pm-9pm, and definitely off my phone during meal times. I am also going to designate some off days during the week, where I am off my phone for most or all of the day to make sure I am present with my family.

I would also love to organize my bedroom and bathroom and actually maintain it all year. I did a major clean out and organization of my room and bathroom last year and while some of it is still in place, i’ve also accumulated more things and over the holidays, our room has also become storage and landing spot for all things that don’t have a home. before the baby arrives I really want to get this underway, especially because the baby will be in our room and we’ll have a bunch of baby items. along with this, I would like to get other areas of our home organized and we have done a lot already in the first week of this new year, but a few more areas need some help. I mean, who doesn’t have organization as a goal for the new year?? I will say that once you start you kinda get on a roll and i’m definitely the type that won’t stop until I’m done. its the maintenance part that gets tricky over the year. hoping this year I will succeed in keeping these areas organized.

a couple goals I have that I feel like will help my family, are patience and more support for my hubby. last year was a very long strange year, it was challenging and I feel like I have learned a lot about myself. I have already known this and something I know I always need to work on, and that’s my patience, or lack of patience. I have always been an impatient person, and with being a mom it comes out even more. the kids are growing up so fast and they have personalities of their own. especially my daughter, who turned 4 in december. she pushes my buttons – so smart but also very demanding and opinionated and can cause me to become very impatient and frustrated. I need to be better at recognizing when i’m feeling this way and find ways to cope with it so that I can parent better. this is huge for me. I want to be the best mom and wife I can be and I know my being more patient everyone will be happier. haha in terms of support for my hubby… he is an entrepreneur and has a few different business ventures and hasn’t fully gotten into them because he stays home with the kiddos when I work and also helps me a lot with my blogging business. he has sacrificed a lot of what he wants to do so that he can be there for the kids and for me. I love that he is able to spend so much time with them and build a strong bond with them but I think that this is the time to to give him the space and support he needs to get to the next level with his businesses. I get so caught up in my own stuff plus taking care and raising young kids and working outside the home I forget that he has needs and goals too. as a wife and his partner I want to make it a point this year to make sure I support him the best I can and let him know he can count on me.

[ shop outfit details ]

sweater // leggings // slippers // mug (old) other cute option, here

– PROFESSIONAL –

ok wow. I know this post is a lengthy one but I feel its important to really have my goals because I think seeing others goals can help with your own plus I like having them all in one place so I can reference it throughout the year and look back when the year ends to see how far i’ve come. time to jump into my professional goals – for my blogging business.

these are usually straight to the point so these won’t be as lengthy. but my main goal professionally, pretty much every year since making this a little side biz, is GROWTH. I want to continue to grow and also try to expand my brand to more than just style. I am not sure where this will take me yet, I am most passionate about style and clothing, that’s why I started this blog in the first place, but I want to add more. I do share my life and motherhood and I want to continue that, really share more on motherhood plus add some of my nursing in there. in case you don’t know, I am a labor and delivery nurse and have been for 9 years. I don’t know if I will ever let that go so I would like to see if I could add it in to my content as a way to grow. last year was a pretty good year for me in terms of the collaborations and sponsorships I had and a way to quantitatively see progress, my goal is to increase my number of collaborations by at least 5 partnerships this year. I want to make sure that with a new baby and all this number is something I can achieve realistically. adding growth in some way, but not feeling overwhelmed. along with increasing my number of brand partnerships, I also want to make it a goal of mine this year to NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR MY RATE. last year I got much better at quoting my rates based on deliverables and the amount of effort it takes to get the job done, but I would say I still had at least a handful of collaborations where I felt I couldn’t negotiate my rate or I was too timid to do so. most people don’t realize the amount of time or effort it takes to get content done and I shouldn’t sell myself short. so this year I am going to be confident in my work and my rates. I also want to make sure that I don’t have to be the YES GIRL. it is ok to say NO. I need to say NO more often. I am usually the YES girl and I feel bad saying NO to different things, but I have to look and see how different collaborations benefit me and if they actually fit well with my brand and if they don’t it is ok to walk away. lastly, I want to keep a schedule and plan for this business. before kids I was really good at scheduling most of my content ahead of time, I wrote new blog posts three times a week and had everything written down in a calendar. after having kids, I took a break then once I got back into it I started winging it and just going with the flow. it is really hard running a business that way plus everything feels so disorganized, I feel rushed and stressed, things get missed and I just lose it. it’s just not good, LOL. I have already started on my planner, notes and doing my best to plan content especially for when baby arrives I want to take some time and not feel like I have a bunch to do to keep up. it is so important I have some things planned and in order.

I know, lots of goals for 2021

but I am ready to make this a great year. writing down my goals and really thinking about them really helps me have a plan and helps me stay motivated. I am so ready for this new year!!

WORDS FOR 2021

I also like to come up with words for the new year. I will keep this part pretty short. I know some like to have a word of the year and I always have a hard time just choosing one word. so I have three and I feel like they go hand-in-hand.

FOCUS

BALANCE

PATIENCE

because last year was so crazy and not what any one expected, I feel like it also gave me an excuse to let things go or cut myself so much slack. I believe in giving myself grace because it was a hard year, but this year I really want to FOCUS – focus on my family, be present with them; focus on my business, have a clear picture of what I want to accomplish and get it done and focus on me, slow down, enjoy the little moments, not feel bad on wanting time to myself and doing things for myself. FOCUSING on all these areas will help me to become more successful in life. along with staying focused, having BALANCE in all those areas of my life are important. I feel that if I can focus on these areas, realize which areas need more time or help, can allow me to feel more balanced. I hate feeling all over the place, feeling like there isn’t enough time in the day or feeling like a chicken with it’s head cut off. so finding a balance between all areas of my life will help me be a happier, more calm person. I need that, and like I mentioned before meditation will hopefully help me with this too. lastly PATIENCE, I mentioned in my personal goals earlier. if we learned anything last year, things can change in an instant, we need to slow down and appreciate what we have and where we are. more patience in all aspects of my life is so needed. especially as a mom, I need to practice patience with my children. understanding where they are in life and being more patient with them will also help me focus on what’s important and also allow me to feel more balanced.

I really hope you enjoyed this post!

I know this was super long and probably a bit too wordy but I wanted to write everything I was thinking and feeling. hope that this gave you a little insight into who i am and some of my plans for the future, and also helped you think about your New year and what you want the year to look like for you and what you want to accomplish..

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR GOALS THIS YEAR?

WHAT IS YOUR WORD(s) FOR 2021??

let me know in the comments! and again HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

xo, steph