Hi friends!
I was watching Brooke Miccio's Instagram story where she was talking about selecting a word of the year, and I thought that it was such a great idea. What did I want this year's overarching theme to be? What word did I want to come back to when things got difficult or I felt stressed or anxious? What was the word that can help me focus on where to put my energy.
I ruminated on the idea for a bit and then it came to me. I wanted this year to be intentional. I want to be intentional about my time, my energy, my boundaries, and my thoughts. I want 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.
I want to be deliberate, thoughtful, and intentional.
This really helped me find clarity on what I want my goals to be for this year. I broke them down into five categories: personal, professional, financial, creative, and fun. I created a Notion worksheet to organize my thoughts and keep track of all the goals I want to accomplish. It's a great visual for me to come back to when I'm planning my week and need to refocus on what I actually want to spend my time on. Some of the goals are a little vague, I'm omitting certain, specific details that I want to keep private for right now (boundaries, am I right?). Plus, I'm still working through the specifics on others. But, I wanted to share some of the goals that I have this year in hopes that it helps you too!
Professional
Hire additional staff to offload some of what I've been working on, where I've been overextended, and better focus my energy on what is most impactful for the business
Hit major fundraising goals to better support the organization in a time of much-needed growth
Secure our largest grant to date to continue to provide better financial footing and support new and existing projects
Host a gala in New York City. New York City is the home of A Moment of Magic and to host our largest fundraiser of the year here would be a major milestone and dream come true.
Pitch the manuscript of our first book to agents/publishers. One of my biggest dreams has always been to write a book. I am so proud of what we have created so far and would love to have it come to life by being published.
Personal
Trust my gut. I learned a LOT about the power of your intuition in 2021. It was probably the biggest lesson I learned all year. I used to confuse my anxiety with my intuition, and this year, I want to be really clear about listening to my body and exploring these feelings rather than always questioning them.
Increase active days from 200 to 250. I feel my best when I make time for myself every day to move. Even if it's just a 10 minute light weights and arms class from Peloton, something about making that time a priority makes me a better, clearer, more focused me.
Have more time on the calendar to do nothing. I'm an introvert at heart, but there are a lot of days when we are go, go, go. Matt and I lead pretty busy lifestyles and we already have so many big events on the calendar this year. I don't want to lose the time where we can relax, lounge in sweatpants, and do nothing because they recharge me to be at my best when I am at my most busy.
Build in more time to plan, organize, and be strategic. Last year, I really learned that the number one way for me to combat my anxiety is to plan and get things done! When I set up a strategy for the week ahead on Sunday night, it combats those Sunday Scaries. When I take time to set things out the night before or meal prep, I have a better more productive day. I want to let myself create the space to do things that will help me stress less!
GET MARRIED! You guys. We get MARRIED this year!!! Where on earth did the time go? It feels like we just got engaged and set a date (that was 600 days away!) yesterday. I am absolutely over the moon about getting married and I want to do whatever I can to allow myself to enjoy this special time in our life.
Financial
Pay off our wedding. Matt and I are paying for the wedding ourselves, and that's no simple undertaking. Right now, we are about 75% of the way there and I want to squirrel away that final 25% as soon as possible so we can feel prepared and ready to start our lives together.
Hit an emergency savings goal. A big portion of my savings for the last two years went into the wedding. I really want to make it a priority to set aside a rainy day fund that can provide a bit of peace of mind. I've seen experts say to set aside anywhere from 3-12 months of expenses and I would like to work my way up there.
Increase investments. Two years ago, I started learning more about investing my money. From my 401(k), to utilizing apps like Acorns and Cash App, to making private investments in companies during seed funding, I've dabbled in a little bit of all of it. This year, I really want to get a better understanding of these different methods and increase the investments I am making to yield a better return.
Develop a new stream of income. Passive income is wonderful. Last year, I added quite a few between LiketoKnow.It, Tiktok, and several investments. The money I made gave me some more financial flexibility and control. This year, I want to further those and add new streams of income.
Increase revenue YOY. This one is pretty self-explanatory!
Creative
Reach 75,000 TikTok followers. Tiktok is my favorite creative outlet. I love logging on and getting inspired by people's creativity, humor, and skill. I started my TikTok last year and grew from 0 to 54,000+ followers in about 6 months. This helped me grow my community, connect with new people, and provide me with an exercise of showing up creatively every day. This year, I'd love to reach 75,000 followers.
Post 4+ TikToks a week. In order to reach that follower goal, I have to produce fun, engaging, high-quality content. This is why I have a goal to create 4 new TikToks every week. Typically, they fall in the wedding planning or fashion niche, but I would love to keep experimenting and playing around with what I can do and create!
Take 1 new Masterclass a month. I love Masterclass. I love listening to it while I am creating edits, cooking, or even just relaxing at night. I want to take better advantage of my subscription by making it a goal to take one full class every month. Right now, I am taking Hillary Clinton's class on Resilience and it's so good!
Try a new recipe every month. In December, I bought a New York Time's cooking subscription and fell in love. I made about a dozen new recipes between Christmas and New Year's. I want to make time to explore that side of myself more by challenging myself and sharpening my skills in the kitchen.
Explore a new neighborhood in NYC every month. I've now lived in New York for over EIGHT years and in New York City for two -- which is insane to me! I really want to take the time to explore new neighborhoods in the city every week to learn more about them, their history, and find new spots and areas I enjoy.
Fun
Use my new passport! In December, I got my very first passport! I am so excited to (hopefully) travel this year for some exciting adventures, including our honeymoon!
Take an extra-long bath at least once a week. I started this weekly tradition where on Thursday nights I pour a glass of wine, light some candles, and watch And Just Like That... while taking a bubble bath. It's my favorite way to unwind after a busy week and take some time to relax. I want to make this a weekly ritual I stick to.
Read 20+ books this year. Last year I definitely did not read as many books as I would've liked and I really want to change that this year. I am almost done with my first book of the year, The Hive, and I want to make it a commitment to myself to take the time to unwind and read!
Enjoy the simplicities and the luxuries. I love an overly expensive cup of coffee. I love making penne ala vodka at home. I love a candle that can permeate a whole room. I love a pair of pajamas that match. I love donuts with a lot of toppings. I enjoy simplicities and luxuries and want to take more time to indulge and appreciate both.
Make a priority to celebrate friends, family, and milestones more. Life is fleeting at best and sometimes we forget to take the time to celebrate all of the exciting milestones along the way. From job promotions, to weddings, to the simple celebrations along the way, I always want to be the one bringing the confetti.
To help me keep track of my goals, I have everything written down on a list on Notion. Then, every week I pull up my list to break down my week in my 2022 planner (which I LOVE, by the way!). I got this giant wall calendar for my office to keep track of important dates for the year at a glance and I use color-coded post it notes for my to-do lists every day. Would you want to learn more about my organization system? I would love to know your list of goals for 2022! Tell me down below!
Your internet bff,
kylee
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