Happy New Year, friends!
2022 was a WILD and eventful year that truly passed by in the blink of an eye. It held some incredibly tough moments like dealing with loss, managing my anxiety, and some challenges I never saw coming, but it also had some of the highest moments of my life like getting married, reaching huge goals, and achieving some major dreams.
I always love the promise of a fresh start, a new page, and blank slate. There's something about the beginning of a new chapter that feels exciting and full of potential. So today, I wanted to reflect on 2022 together, how I did on my goals, pick a word of the year for 2023, and set some new goals for this year!
Reflecting on 2022 goals
You can read my full post on 2022's goals and word of the year here. My word of the year was "intentional". I wanted my actions to be intentional in the same way I wanted my rest to be intentional. I want to put thought and care into my decisions and the way I share my energy with the world. This is such a big year for me personally and I don't want it to slip away in an ever growing snowball of stress.
Looking back on my goals for this year, the two areas where I really crushed it were my professional goals and my financial goals, but I struggled quite a bit in my personal, fun, and creative goals. I think that led to a lot of overextending myself and burnout that I could've avoided if I took my "work hard, rest hard" mantra a little more to heart.
This year, I definitely won't be shying away from my professional and financial goals, but I do want to make an effort to be a bit more balanced because the other areas of my life deserve more attention, too!
Professional
Hire additional staff - Achieved, but hiring more!
Hit major fundraising goals - Achieved, but things are definitely more expensive this year so it was hard to feel more comfortable financially
Secure our largest grant to date - Not achieved, but hiring help!
Host a gala in New York City - Achieved!
Pitch the manuscript of our first book to agents/publishers - Achieved!
Personal
Trust my gut. - This is definitely going to be an ongoing lesson. I think this year I am focused on learning the difference between gut instincts and anxiety.
Increase active days from 200 to 250. I unfortunately did not reach this goal this year as I felt SO burnt out after the wedding with working out, but will definitely be re-adding it to the list for 2023.
Have more time on the calendar to do nothing - Achieved
Build in more time to plan, organize, and be strategic. - Still have room for improvement here!
GET MARRIED! - Achieved!
Financial
Pay off our wedding. - Achieved!
Hit an emergency savings goal. - Achieved!
Increase investments. - Achieved!
Develop a new stream of income. - Achieved!
Increase revenue YOY. - Achieved!
Creative
Reach 75,000 TikTok followers. - Not achieved.
Post 4+ TikToks a week. - Not achieved.
Take 1 new Masterclass a month. - Not achieved.
Try a new recipe every month. Achieved!
Explore a new neighborhood in NYC every month. - Not achieved.
Fun
Use my new passport! - Achieved! I visited Cabo, the Canary Islands, and Spain this year!
Take an extra-long bath at least once a week. - Not achieved and need to get into this more!
Read 20+ books this year. - Not achieved. Will tally up and review my full 2022 reading list soon!
Enjoy the simplicities and the luxuries. - Achieved!
Make a priority to celebrate friends, family, and milestones more. - Achieved and will definitely be continuing this!
My 2023 Word of the Year
This year, I've decided that my word of the year is going to be "BOLD". I want to live a bolder, more colorful, more confident version of my life because I've felt a bit frozen in a few areas since 2019. I've had a hard time taking risks, getting my hopes up, or making big moves and this year, I want to embrace taking big steps, being strategic, and spreading my wings! It's time to take up space, be loud, and be bold -- what's a girl gonna do, a diamonds gotta shiiiiine!
My 2023 Goals
Professional
Strategize - there is quite a lot changing at AMoM and I want to make some long-term strategic decisions that I think the organization needs to grow. This includes staffing, diversifying income, and making sound longterm investments! This is going to be a BIG goal, so I'm leaving it intentionally vague enough here to take up space as this is a top priority.
Find a new home - we have outgrown our current office space quite a bit to the point where it's no longer comfortable. I'm excited to explore a new home for the organization that can be more of a communal hub!
Have a long-term project come to life - I've been working behind the scenes for five years on a project that is near and dear to my heart. This year, I am finally going to be able to share it!
Grow my newsletter - I love writing and sharing with my community. Last year, my newsletter grew by thousands of subscribers and it felt like it was my own little space on the internet free from crazy algorithms or fleeting trends. This year, I'd like to grow my newsletter another 100%!
Grow my Facebook group - I want my Facebook group to become a place where people can actually connect! Right now it's pretty quiet, but I'd love to make it another hub for our community.
Make moves! - I love the feeling of being a mover and shaker. This year, we're going to be doing a lot of that ;)
Personal
Ten minute tidies - A ritual I got into late in the year was a ten minute tidy. Before I leave my house, I try to take 10 minutes to tidy up. Making sure my makeup is put away, the counters are cleaned, or the floors are vacuumed make coming home a little less stressful! I want to make this part of my daily routine.
Make recharging habitual - Whenever I get busy, my hobbies are the first things to go. This year I want to be better about giving myself that time like I would to anyone else. Reading, watching tv, taking baths, taking walks, and being around loved ones are all so important to me. I want to make that a priority.
TRAVEL! - Oh my gosh, there are a million places I want to travel to and I have the feeling 2023 is going to be a travel heavy year for me. Between personal and professional, I want to visit at least three places I've never been before!
Don't be inhibited by other people's opinions - I've strayed away from some endeavors that make me really excited and inspired because I was afraid of how it would be perceived. This year, I want to follow that buzz of inspiration more and lean into fear less.
Be more intentional - Carrying my 2022 word into 2023, I want to try to be more thoughtful and intentional in my relationships this year. Making sure I have a birthday card ready to send, doing things that make my husband's life easier, or even just reaching out to check in more is a big priority for me this year.
250 active days!
Financial
Hit an emergency savings goal. - I hit my goal for last year and I want to keep the momentum here to have a rainy day fund! I find I get a lot of anxiety over finances, so this helps me feel better!
Develop a new stream of income - Bonus points if it's passive!
Save for a travel goal for 2023 & 2024 - I have a few milestone travel goals, including a goal location for my 30th birthday, and I want to save to be able to make it possible!
Put the pieces into place for long-term purchases - Next year I turn 30, and I'd like to start setting myself up to reach some new goals for the next decade!
Increase revenue YOY.
Creative
Start a new creative pursuit. - My mind works better in all aspects when I explore new creative pusuits. Making TikTok's makes me more creative in AMoM. Making Instagram posts makes me a better writer. Baking something new makes me get excited to create graphics. This year, I want to find new creative opportunities that allow me to continue to grow!
Bring back the blog & newsletter in a way that is attainable and manageable! - Before the wedding, I was doing a blog post and long form newsletter weekly. This year, I'm going to make it a goal to have one new blog post and newsletter a month and stick to it!
Write more. - Documenting my ideas, how I feel, and what I dream feels powerful to me.
Post on Tiktok 4 times a week! - A rollover goal from last year!
Make my spaces more creativity-friendly! - My mood and productivity is so dependent on the spaces I'm in. This year my apartment got super cluttered with wedding things and my office is pure chaos. I'm excited to make new spaces where I can actually breathe!
Fun
Lean into hygge hobbies. - Honestly, I love a bubble bath, crossword puzzle, fuzzy blanket kind of night. I've rarely met a candle I didn't like and I would live in pajamas if I could. I want to embrace these hobbies more and relish in these moments.
Make lists and cross them off. - I love a list of places I want to see, restaurants I want to eat at, museums I want to explore, and things to do. I want to make it a goal this year to cross just one of those things off my list every month. I keep them all organized in my Out of Office app!
See Taylor Swift in concert. - We got tickets during the last round of ticket sales and it has been a long time coming. It's one of my favorite traditions with my sisters (all the way back to Speak Now!) and I can't wait to do it together again this year!
Continue to make celebrating a priority - I felt like this year, I had a little more financial freedom to actually celebrate the people I love more. But this year, I want to get really organized. I want to send the thank you notes, anniversary cards, baby shower gifts, promotion celebrations, and "hey I just miss you!" messages. Making people feel good makes me feel good. I also want to celebrate the achievements I have because I so often rush headfirst into the next thing. I want to be better about slowing down and taking a moment to be proud of myself before feeling like I have to tackle the next goal.
Laugh - Life is too damn short. If you don't laugh, you'll cry and laughing feels a lot better.
So there you have it. Those are my 2023 goals! I would love to hear about yours!
2023 is ours for the taking and I feel like it's going to be a good one. 🤍
Your internet bff,
Kylee
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