2020 Year In Review: 2020 Reflections + 2021 Intentions
Imagine a dumpster fire in the middle of a tropical oasis surrounded by natural disaster. That pretty much sums up my 2020 year in review.
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Traveling Back In Time
In the beginning of 2020, I was extremely confident. I had my yearly meeting with a close friend to discuss our goals, created a vision board filled with positivity and manifestations, completed my 2019 year in review and spent the entire first month planning out my year to be certain that things would flow. By March, everything turned into a “wtf” moment. All my planning had gone to waste, I was furloughed from my job and had no idea what to do next.
During that time of uncertainty, I didn’t even blog. I didn’t use that time to be productive or “build my empire” like many people were suggesting either. Instead, I spent time with myself. It sounds lonely, and it was but it was also liberating. It gave me the chance to learn more about the person I am and the person I am becoming.
The Jump Off
Switching gears. We’re a month into 2021 and I’m not new to this, I’m true to this. However, if you are new to Instyleversity, you probably missed my last year in review post. So, let me catch you up to speed. This 2020 year in review post is me allowing you to see what I experienced, learned and applied within the past year from every angle. It’s giving you a behind the scenes sneak peak into my everyday life as a blogger and an everyday person.
I’m spilling the tea on 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 road-map of experiences. Let’s dive into this 2020 year in review.
Accomplishments + Shockers
Blogging Consistency
I finally figure out how to do something consistently. Even though, I wanted to be consistent on everything, I’ll content with managing to stay consistent on at least one of the 5 platforms I buy myself with on a daily basis.
RewardStyle Acceptance
I can’t believe I’m saying these words but “I got accepted into RewardStyle!” I’ve been applying to this program for years so when it finally happened, I turned into a kangaroo. Lol! Moral of the story, be consistent!
Pitch Emails
I’m a little embarrassed to say that I did not know what pitch emails were until 2020. After 4 years, of blogging and collaborations you’d think I’d know., but I definitely didn’t waste time researching after I found out. If you’re a blogger, influencer or digital creative, I definitely suggest taking a look into this and how you can leverage them.
Blogmas
Were you here during the holidays? If you were then you witnessed the first ever blogmas and a whole holiday page dedicated to that special time of the year.
Mistakes, Hardships + Lessons
Video Shy
With TikTok emerging stronger than ever during the pandemic, I found it extremely difficult to transition into providing more video content. It’s easy for me to take photos and post them because it’s only taking that few seconds in time and freezing it. However videos, aren’t just freezing a few seconds in time. It’s documenting minutes, sometimes hours while capturing every facial expression and movement in the process. After spending a couple a months getting the hang of it, I can say that I’m getting better at it. As long as I’m being true to myself in front of the camera, all that stuff doesn’t matter as much.
my hidden agenda
In 2020, found it easier to fall of the grid. And by fall off the grid I mean disappear from social media for weeks at a time. Doing stuff like this is rumored to hurt your engagement and overall presence on social media, but my sanity appreciates the distance. I’m not saying that I won’t go MIA (missing in action) from social platforms whenever I need a break, but I am going to try to be more considerate of my audience when I do it.
procrastination
The only person holding me back was myself and 2020 showed it to me plain and clear. I had almost the entire year to get it together and I slipped on my own.
Reflections
What kept me motivated?
Staying motivated is tough. Especially when you’re the only one holding yourself accountable. At one point in time I was even thinking about stopping because it felt like my blog wasn’t going anywhere. The numbers didn’t reflect everything that other bloggers and influencers were talking about and I was frustrated. I’m thankful for my support system, my patience, daily reminders, and the tips and resources that I received from other bloggers and influencers to stay motivated throughout the year.
How do you prevent yourself from experiencing burnout?
I am the kind of person that will continue to do something nonstop until it is completed. So burnout normally slaps me… hard. However, I have learned to incorporate things into my day such as regular breaks, exercise/yoga, reading, mindfulness, and even some of my other favorite activities to nurture my mental health. Unfortunately, I still haven’t quite mastered burnout prevention, but I have managed to always make sure I do a little bit of what makes me happy everyday. In this case, a little truly goes a long way.
How have you changed over the past year?
I’ve never truly been a “go-getter”, but in 2020 there really wasn’t any other option. It was the first time I ever started reaching out to brands instead of waiting for them to reach out to me. I even started interacting with people on social media as if I was attending a networking social event.
Intentions
What will taking from 2020 and applying to 2021?
Pressure. I’m taking the pressure that I felt in 2020 and applying it in 2021. After all, pressure makes diamonds. More specifically, I’m taking things slow and being a bit more precise. Last year taught me that timing really is everything. Even though, you can’t plan for every little thing that might happen, you can predict based on history and act accordingly. Another thing I learned is that there is also always room for error as long as your rebuttal is detailed and precise.
What is this year’s theme?
Progression over perfection. I waste far too much time contemplating my content because of doubt and over analyzing my work because of opinions that haven’t even had a chance to develop in the minds of other people yet. Quite frankly, none of that even matters. This year I am working to improve my content, blog, and overall brand by following the realistic ideology of progression instead of the idealistic notion of perfection. I’m no longer claiming to be a perfectionist, I’m a progressionist.
What are you working towards this year?
This year I’m working towards building my career as a blogger, influencer and most importantly a digital content creator. I’m moving towards closer and closer towards the bigger picture.
Where do I want to be this time next year?
Normally I would start this off by saying “I want”, but we are speaking things into existence in 2021. So in an effort to speak things into existence this time next year “I will be securing my role and career as a blogger, digital content creator and influencer. I will have a continuous flow of income from blogging and digital content creation. I will continue to creating high quality content for your favorite brands and businesses.” I’m setting the bar high because if I aim to low it feels like I’m settling.
2020 Year In Review
2020 was many things. Some say that it felt like an episode of Black Mirror. Most call it a a total wreck. You might even agree with bmotheprince and call it a dumpster fire. I often refer to it as one of the worst years that I have ever encountered. All in all, I think we can agree that 2020 was a challenge that forced each and every one of us to step outside of our comfort zones and grow. Kind of like those wild dandelions and weeds that somehow manage to grow through pavement. The best part about 2020, is that we survived. Even though it may not feel like it, we’re stronger because of it too. So here’s to another year to grow through what we go through. Let’s kick 2021’s ass!
