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Happy New Year y’all! I’m late, I know. As my husband would tell you..story of my life.

The Holidays and end of the year were crazy for me. I’m looking forward to this year and what it will bring. 2018 was not the best year for me. It wasn’t exactly terrible but it wasn’t good either. My main goal for the year of 2019 is Exceptional.

Do you ever just set out do something..then get sidetracked by a million and one things? That sums up the whole of my 2018. I had so many things that I wanted to do and I really overwhelmed myself.

My Day Job

Back in September, we learned that one of the partners at the firm was planning to leave at the end of the year. It was a smart decision for him health-wise but left us scrambling for the past several months.

Plus there were a couple months that I thought I was going to be unemployed come December 31st. Don’t get me wrong, my dream has always been and still is to be a full-time entrepreneur. But I always thought I’d go about it on my own terms.

When you read about other people’s stories and they’re let go from their job it’s one thing. And then they say that working for yourself is safer than a traditional employer these days. But until you’re faced with it, it just doesn’t seem real.

This reality that I found myself in forced me to face something. I didn’t do anything in 2018 to move that dream forward. Then I kicked myself for this.

My Goals for 2019

Moving forward in 2019, I’m setting goals to move this dream forward. There are 3 aspects to this goal.

1. Being more consistent with my blog. I plan on posting every Thursday. Eventually, I would love to make a living from this blog but for now it’s a fun space that I get to share with all y’all.
2. I want to start selling my graphic design work. So I’m launching an Etsy Shop on February 1st where I will sell digital downloads. They will mainly be invitations and things for parties.
3. Finally, I want to begin freelancing. I haven’t decided if I want to give freelance writing or freelance designing a go yet so this goal will be more focused on in Q2.

I think my biggest problem last year was that I tried to do all the things, all the time. So I’m trying to pace myself more this year. I’m starting at the beginning of this month with my blog. Then in February, I’ll be ready to launch the Etsy Shop.

My Health

Last year I tried to make my health a priority. And I failed. I broke so many promises that I made to myself. I was so ashamed of myself for continuing to self-sabotage myself by not eating right or being serious about being healthy.

Then I finally sucked it up and went to the OB/GYN. You see, I’d felt like there was something wrong for a long time but I didn’t want to face it. Andrew and I weren’t planning on having kids right away when we first got married, so I figured I’d just cross that bridge when I’d come to it.

After several tests, I was officially diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS. This is a disorder that is not curable but can be managed. A major cause is insulin resistance which I also have. So basically my body has been fighting against me this whole time when I thought I was eating right for it.

Now that I know what is wrong, I’ll be able to better combat it head-on.

My Goals for 2019

In 2019 I went ahead and spent the last few weeks of December mentally preparing myself for what I needed to do. I tried to train my mind that I will be getting healthy, not depriving myself for weight loss. So here are my goals for this part:

1. Get healthy instead of focusing so much on weight. I want to feel better and have more energy.
2. Being nice to myself because ya know, I’m human. That includes when I bash myself in self-talk, recognize what I am doing and redirect the behavior to create positive changes.
3. Teaching myself that exercise is my friend. I have a plan in place that will get me up to 5 days per week. But to start, I will work on 2 days per week so I don’t burn myself out.

Because of the PCOS, I started on the South Beach Diet this week. It’s been a brutal first couple of days but I know that once I come out on the other side, it will be for the better.

My Creativity

I highly enjoy graphic design and the concept of creating something with my hands. One of my biggest loves is hand lettering.

I want so badly to be able to freehand those beautiful letters and create stunning pieces of art. I tried to force myself into a drawing practice in 2018 but for all the wrong reasons.

My Goals for 2019

Since I’ve tried to learn these new skills in the past but under the guise of “I’m going to make money with it”, I plan to just have fun this year. I want to enjoy these skills so I will teach myself that I am enjoying the learning process as well.

1. Have fun learning a new creative skill or two. Do it for the love of the craft that I have and not to make money.
2. Use my iPad to draw more. I want to learn how to draw and I have a book to go through that will help. I also have a skillshare membership that provides tons of classes that will help me get better.
3. Learn to use procreate like a PRO. I’ve had fun using it in the past so I really want to learn how to use it to the fullest of its capabilities.

2019 will be the best year yet

This year I plan on intentionally setting about my days and my life. I want to live life to the fullest and begin to grow my business and life. My word of the year for 2019 is going to be just that “Build” because I plan on starting this journey and building from the ground up.

What goals do you have for 2019? Any big journeys we can follow along with? Leave them down in the comments below.

Thanks for joining me and we’ll talk again soon.