2019 Review & 2020 Goals

Let Me Start By Saying…

In February of last year, I did my 2018 Review & 2019 Goals on the floor of my blog room at my parents house where both my fiance and I were living while preparing for the next chapter in our lives. This year, I’m doing my second year in review in a home that I own with my fiancé. Needless to say, I’ve come a long way in the past year. I cannot wait to see what 2020 has in store for me!

A Little Preview Before The Review

If you’re new here, you probably missed my last year in review post. So here’s the deal: this post is me allowing you to see what I experienced, learned and applied within the past year from every angle. I’m zooming in, out and around to give you a look at the BIG picture of what happened in 2019 while pulling out all the important details. It’s filled with the good, the bad, and the “did I really just do that” moments that I’m probably still processing! I’m talking about numbers, relationship, life, career, and all that other good stuff.

To say less, I’m sharing my results. Which means I’m uncovering all the layers to show how I accomplished some of my goals and how I am still working on achieving the rest of them! This kind of information is important for me to share with you now because later on in my journey I know someone is bound to ask “How did you get here?”. Well, this is how! So I’m laying out a full 2019 road-map of experiences.

Accomplishments + Shockers

On top of nailing the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year, I also crushed some major life goals.

A 25 Year Old Homeowner

First on the list, I became a 25 year old homeowner! In the beginning of 2019, I was quiet and for a good reason! The home buying process is pretty lengthy, demanding and draining depending on how picky you may be. It definitely took me through the motions. At first I felt like this was something that was too much for me to handle. I was used to renting not owning. All I can say is thank goodness for our incredible realtor and our parents for helping us make it happen.

Connect + Build with a Growing List of Subscribers

I did something that I haven’t been able to do in the past 3 years and that’s connect and build with a growing list subscribers. This is where the truth comes out. For the past three years, I’ve been sending out monthly newsletters to less than 30 subscribers. I’m still incredibly far from my goal of 500 subscribers, but I’m thrilled to know that there are people out there that believe or are even remotely interested in Instyleversity too!

Collaboration Over Competition

This is a biggie. I put an magnified focus on connecting with others last year. As a result, I participated in a giveaways, created business relationships with other creatives, and got into a few brand collaborations. I was in DM’s, emails, and Facebook groups. I hate networking but it all paid off! Most of all, I managed to get some collaborations under my belt with well-known brands like Carefree, and JustFab. I can’t believe I was able to betray my introvertedness and do it! It’s amazing what life has to offer if you just put yourself out there!

Mistakes, Hardships + Lessons

I am my worst critic and I know it. I know I’m harder on myself than anyone else, but sometimes I have to be. It’s how I hold myself accountable for my actions. It’s also how I improve!

C-O-N-S-I-S-T-E-N-C-Y

I cannot say, write, or post about this word enough. I even thought about getting the word painted on my nails but it’s one letter too long. It is extremely easy to remain inconsistent. Especially if you like to go with the flow like I do. So this year, I’m going to make sure I implemented one crucial key factor: a routine. Every day I kind of go with the flow to lessen stress and make my day more enjoyable. However, that also has a massive impact on how productive and, dare I even say it again, consistent I am in life. So here’s to having a consistent 2020.

Expectations + Goals

• CONSISTENCY. There goes that word again. In other words, I’m trying to keep that same energy!
• Plan out content months in advance. Planning apps, weekly glances, planners, all of that. Bring em out, bring em out! I’ve already planned out the entire 1st quarter and that is saying something considering that I’m the same person who has put off her wedding for the past two years. Yes, it’s still happening guys..
• Build + maintain relationships. I’m not bragging in any way shape or form about this, but I am extremely good at disconnecting and not communicating with people. It’s not intentional. I often focus so much on my own situation that anyone who doesn’t place themselves directly in front of me, gets ghosted. It’s a work in progress.
• Reach 2k followers on IG. I’ve been trying to hit 1k for over a year now and the main reason why it didn’t happen in 2019 is because I fell all the way off with my consistency. I’m not letting that hold me back this year! This year the goal is 2k by the end of 2020. Let’s see what we can do!
• Surpass 500k monthly viewers on Pinterest. Pinterest is the only thing currently keeping Instyleversity alive. One of my most popular posts has over 140k views and 28k saves. Safe to say I’ll be investing far more time in Pinterest for obvious reasons. So the goal is to get over 500k by the end of the year.
• Master SEO. I’m 4 years into blogging and I STILL don’t understand how Search Engine Optimization works. This year I’m not allowing any ignorance that hinders the growth of my dreams. So watch me work!
• Share some exclusive blogging secrets. I’ve always held back on sharing everything I do behind the scenes. Not this year. I’m an honest person and I want to give you an honest look at Instyleversity by using my personal experiences to help you build your own blog or business without making the same mistakes I made. This will only be available to subscribers to be sure to join the list to get in on this!
• Generate steady flow of income from my love of blogging. After 3 years of not generating an income, my blog has become a straight up hobby. It looks pretty and polished, but it does not pay the bills… yet! ?
• Launch PSILS. I’ve been holding onto this for a whole year now. Last year I mentioned that I would be launching a business in 2020. It’s coming soon! I don’t want to ruin the surprise anymore than I already have, so all I can say is stay tuned.
• Create my own version of blogging. I want to be able to bring things to you in a way that is more exclusive and convenient to both your lifestyle and my own. I won’t give this one away either because it’s another one of those things you’re just going to have to stay tune into Instyleversity to see what’s getting ready to go down. Be on the lookout though!
• Become officially official. I’m trying to be certified, licensed, trademarked, copyrighted and all of that. I probably don’t need half of that stuff though so first I’ll need to find that out. ?
• And SO, SO, SO much more! But you should probably just subscribe to Instyleversity so that you don’t miss out on anything. ?

The Takeaway

At one point in time I was thinking about stopping because my blog wasn’t going anywhere, the numbers didn’t reflect everything that other bloggers, influencers and small business owners were talking about and I was frustrated. Here’s what kept me going:

1. I had to stop thinking about the numbers. Screw the numbers. The only thing that matters in YOUR buisness, blog, hobby is YOU. You are your own competition. Don’t compare your numbers, Style, or content to someone else’s. It’s stressful! Instead compare your content from last year to what you plan to do or did this year. Focus on you and LITERALLY minding your own business.

2. I got uncomfortable. If you feel stuck in your blog, business or whatever else, here’s a word of advise – get uncomfortable! Step outside of your comfort zone and go to networking events, talk to the competition, build relationships with others in your niche and watch everything change.

3.

Thank You , Next!

The 2020 Theme

Don’t Let Up!

This year I want to make sure I incorporate my reader in my work as much as possible, so I decided to host an extremely short 7 question survey for my readers! That way I’m providing content that my readers are genuinely interested in while, producing content that I thoroughly enjoy. Thank you in advance! – Take The Survey

Cheers to a new year and new beginnings! And as always, thank you for reading!