Hello 2020! Let's talk G O A L S!

Hello 2020!

 We're already HALFWAY through January, can you believe that?!

So I wanted to talk about goals! {not resolutions}

I wanted to fill you all in on my 2019 goals (and how I did)

then look at this year's goals

and what I'm doing to achieve them - that you can do too!

My hand-picked top moments of 2019!

*honorable mentions: Who's Bad (Michael Jackson) & Garth Brooks concerts, The Lion King (literally been looking forward to it for yearrss), volunteering at Zoo Knoxville (up close with the elephants!), Halloween as Daenerys Targaryen/Khaleesi, Gatsby photoshoot, writing about my two favorite yearly events - The Oscars and the Met Gala & Exhibit AND getting noticed by Zac Posen both times!), and attending some of the best events (Cinderella, Red Shoe Gala, Lucia di Lammermoor Opera, Junior Achievement Hall of Fame/meeting Bill Haslam, Knoxville Opera Butterfly Ball, Madame Butterfly Opera*

Whew 2019 was SUCH a fun year! 

I set out on a brand new adventure at the end of 2018 with my blog and I wanted to start REALLY focusing on my goals.

My first blog post was about wanting something bad enough because I had learned if I did want something bad enough, I would move heaven and earth to make it happen! If I didn't put my all into it, there was maybe a 25% chance of success.

Why goals?

"Goals are what take you from dreaming to doing." - Christy Wright

Before I get into how I did, I wanted to tell you the biggest thing I did wrong: 

* Not checking in with my goals often (at least quarterly)

  I remembered most of mine so why did I need to keep re-reading them? 

To remind me! 

Reset my focus! 

And to be honest, when I did sit down and re-read them at the end of December, there were a few that I had completely forgotten!

Corporate businesses are constantly reviewing their year goals.

And you MUST too.

So step 1, you need to write them down

and step 2, keep them in the forefront of your day or week!

Step 3: When you read them each day/week, write down what it will take to achieve those and get to work!

 I'm embarrassed to admit that another reason I think I didn't re-read them was: 

I was scared. 

Scared of failure.

I just wanted to keep them in that closed journal and hope I would make it. 

Yikes.

 I've heard this quote at my job, from several speakers and it's one of my favorites because it is so true: 

 "Hope is not a strategy." 

And it is SO TRUE! 

You cannot achieve BIG THINGS if you just hope. 

Your goals "are a dream, with a plan." - Rachel Hollis. 

So how do you start setting a goal?

One of the most important things about making goals for the year is making sure that they are:

-> specific 

-> attainable/realistic 

->measurable

I tried to keep those in mind when setting my goals last year. 

{There are some below that are not really goals because they aren't measurable or specific, but are things I wanted to improve on even if it was the tiniest bit. Things I just wanted to be mindful of throughout the year.} 

Let's check in and see how I did! 

1. Read 6 books

I came so close! I had 5 finished and two more that weren't quite finished by 12/31 but I will be finishing them next week! Details on what I read coming in a couple of weeks! {stay tuned!}

2. Pay off student loan

Check! This was a huge moment for me to check this off!

3. One International Trip

Unfortunately I didn't get to make this happen. I had a few possible trips planned, but for one reason or another - they didn't work out. Definitely will be trying again in 2020!

4. Be a size 6

Check! By the end of my last 90 days challenge, all of my regular size 8s were too big, so while I'm not exactly comfortable in all 6s - I made it! But I'm not stopping there!

5. Cook something new every month

Complete fail. If you know me, you know that cooking is my absolute least favorite thing to do. This is also a goal I completely lost sight of because I completely forgot about it. This is one of the reasons you want to keep your goals front and center so you know what you're working on AND how your doing!

6. Gain 100 followers

Wow - blew this one out of the water. When I set this goal last year, I almost put that I wanted to get to 1,000 followers but I thought "that is shooting too high" set something that is easier and more realistic. Y'all showed me that I need to have a little more faith in myself and helped me more than double my original following to where it is now! I learned that I sold myself short on this one and didn't set a goal that pushed me.

7. Gain 700 followers (wedding planning business)

If you didn't know, I am also a wedding planner/coordinator (for the last 11 years)! I enjoy it and wanted to put some effort in connecting with other Knoxville wedding professionals. I achieved my monthly goal every month until around summer (I did get to 500!) when I shifted my focus. I realized my real love was right here - with blogging and sharing with y'all on my personal blog/Instagram and Facebook! I still love weddings and will still be doing them selectively but my focus will be on my audience & community here!

8. 1 styled shoot (wedding planning business)

Check! This shoot was so much fun and I can't wait to share it with you! It was a vision I had in my head for quite a while. I was so thrilled to find out recently that it is going to be featured so I can't share anything yet - but I will as soon as I can! {stay tuned!}

9. Interview a different local wedding vendor each month (wedding planning business)

Half way check! Another goal I was doing great until summer when I realized I wanted to shift my focus (see #7). There are several interviews posted on my wedding blog here if you planning a Knoxville wedding!

10. 4 Weekend Getaways with Andrew

Another Halfway check - we had 2 weekend getaways (Myrtle Beach & Savannah) and tried to plan a couple more, but didn't quite finish the plans.

11. Learn a skill together

In my head, this would be something like a cooking class, ballroom dancing - didn't quite get this checked off but we'll try again this year! 

12. Try something new together

I don't think we did anything that was new to both of us. We did do a few new things that we hadn't done together (attended two concerts!) but I'd like this to be an activity that is new to both of us. I've got some ideas for this year though!

13. One international trip together

This got delayed because of getting A's passport - which he didn't get until November. We talked about a cruise over New Year's to mark this off but decided to wait. Hoping to mark off his first international trip this year!

14. Run a strength obstacle course (like a Spartan Race or Tough Mudder)

Didn't get this one done. Mainly because, I didn't even try to plan it. I looked at a few dates and then just didn't prioritize it. But it's on the list for next year! I completed a Tough Mudder a few years ago with Andrew and my friend Tonya and it was SO fun (and challenging)!

"Mindful" goals:
These are the ones I mentioned that aren't really "goals" because they aren't specific or measurable but they are things I wanted to be mindful of and improve on. 

15. Decrease alcohol

Hello last 90 days! Definitely check on this one! It might've taken me 10 months to work on this one, but I did it!

16. Drink at least 1/3 of my body weight

I set this goal last year because I had such a hard time drinking 1/2 my body weight in ounces during the last 90 days challenge in 2018, so I thought I'll just try 1/3. That was much easier for me to focus on and by the time October 1st rolled back around, 1/2 my body weight was no problem! Start small and work up to a bigger goal!

17. Consistent morning routine

All my life, I used to say "I'm not a morning person" but I really wanted to be because I did love when I had to get up early for things and I was productive so early on in the day!
It took most of 2019 (with lots of trial and error) for me to figure out what worked and what didn't work for me in the mornings. It wasn't easy, it was frustrating and I almost told myself that maybe the morning thing just wasn't for me - but I REALLY wanted to figure it out so I would start over and try something else. I'm so glad I stuck through it though because I feel like I have finally found a routine that I can stick with!

18. Keep clean car (items confined to box)

Y'all - real life. I struggle so hard with this. So, this one is still a work in progress - I did pretty good at the beginning of the year and slacked off. BUT I will say I did improve vs last year. So while it's not a complete win, there was progress.

19. No phone within first 30 min of waking up

This is another goal that I lost sight of and honestly forgot about.

20. Update wardrobe

This is also another one that is still a work in progress. I wanted to have this as a constant reminder to me to be mindful of my clothing purchases. Making sure I'm taking care of my clothing needs first instead of wants. :)

21. Wear more lipstick

My Nana was who inspired me on this goal. She always wore lipstick and always would mention how that was a staple of hers. With my lips as tiny as they are, I need all the help I can get!

If you're keeping score, that's: 

* 5 out of my 14 real goals 

* 3 halfways out of my real goals

* 5 out of my 7 "mindful" goals

* 8 fails

Does it suck that I completely failed on EIGHT of those goals? Sure. But you know what? 

"You only fail when you stop trying."

So I keep my mindset positive, and try again! 

Focusing on the positive helps! Knowing that I gave 13 of those a good effort, is encouraging. 

Knowing I nailed 10 of those is even better! 

Now that I've learned some important lessons of the past year, here are my goals for this year!

Remember you want your goals to be specific and measurable!

{Any that aren't on this list shouldn't really be considered "goals" but more so things I'm going to be mindful of throughout the year} 

2020 goals:

1. Paid off my car

2. 3 months of expenses saved

3. Traveled internationally at least once this year

4. Read 10 books

5. Completed one strength obstacle course (Spartan/Tough Mudder)

6. Write Gratitude & Read Bible daily

7. Complete 60 days dry

8. Attend NYFW

9. Learn 4 new skills

10. Grow my email list to 1200 subscribers!

11. 10k engaged followers

12. Increase total income by over 70%

13. Learn new skill together with A

14. Cook once a month

15. Comfortable size 6

16. Weekend getaways: 4

17. Try something new together with A

18. Move my body for 30 min every day

"Mindful" goals:

19. Consistent morning routine

20. Keep a clean car

21. Continue to update wardrobe

Goals are a dream, with a plan." - Rachel Hollis 

At the Rise Business conference this year, Rachel Hollis said 

"anything is possible if you know how to get there" 

I strongly recommend you reading her book "Girl, Stop Apologizing" - Part III (pages 157-166) focuses on how to make a road map for a goal - so you know how and what it takes to get there! I also have video post on Instagram stories (or saved to my Instagram Goals Highlights if you're reading this later) of Rachel Hollis walking through exactly how to do this too!

We talked about how to set the goal & what NOT to do...

what do we do to make sure those goals are achieved??

-> Check in with your goals at least every quarter to see how your doing!

-> Create a way to measure or track your progress so you are constantly aware of how you're doing! (I made a binder with sheets tracking each of my goal AND I'm using the new Priority Planner from Rachel Hollis. It's a 3 month planner with detailed focus on specifically planning and achieving your goals throughout the year!) 

-> Ask for help!

-> Be consistent! Think about it... no one ever got better at anything by doing it every once in a while (think about the gym or cooking, or any other skill - you have to keep doing it to get better!)

-> Focus & work hard!

Your goals should not be easy - but they should be attainable. Reach for the stars but also be realistic. You want to be able to accomplish these, not feel discouraged at the end of the year!

"If you want to reach your goal, you need two things: you need to want it bad enough and be willing to work hard enough." - Christy Wright

How bad do you want to achieve these goals??

Leave me a comment here or on my post on Instagram if you've set your goals or 2020! How can I cheer YOU on?!

 Happy Weekend!

I'd love to meet you/interact with you!

Instagram: @itsbrookeallison

Facebook: Brooke Allison

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