There’s no reason to wait for a new year’s arrival to make changes in your life. However, there’s something incredible about the fresh start a brand new year brings us.
It inspires us to make changes. It pushes us to become better versions of ourselves. And we feel that motivation to get started and make amazing things happen.
You feel it. And I feel it too.
That’s why I look forward to creating new goals every year, every quarter, and every month.
In honor of that, I’m sharing my goals for 2018 so you can see what I hope to achieve in the year ahead. Plus, I’ve even set individual goals for January that I’d also like to share with you. (After all, I couldn’t break my monthly tradition!)
Business Goals for 2018
For the year ahead, I’ve set some specific goals that I would like to achieve in my business. If you’ve set any similar goals, be sure to share them with me in the comments! Now, I will say that these are just some of my goals for the year. Personally, I don’t like to share financial goals or anything like that because it’s not what I like to focus on with the content I share.
1. Be Consistent With Content Creation
Creating content is sometimes overwhelming. Not only do you need to come up with a topic, you need to write, edit, and so much more. If you’re feeling unmotivated or uninspired, it can be hard to stick to a consistent content schedule. However, it’s something that I truly believe is important as a business owner.
Your content is the key to building that Know, Like, and Trust Factor with your audience. It showcases your knowledge and your expertise. It also provides tremendous value to your readers.
One of my primary goals for 2018 is to be more consistent with my content creation. That means I need to take more time to thoughtfully plan out my content and stick with it. Sometimes I’m great about planning my editorial calendar, but I don’t follow-through on content creation for one reason or another. And that really has to stop.
I want to make sure I’m publishing on my blog every week, always uploading to my YouTube channel, and sending out my weekly email newsletter. 2018 is going to be the year of content for me because I want to ensure I’m providing as much value as possible to you.
2. Focus on Growing My YouTube Channel
A few months ago, I created a for my business. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time. And thanks to my friend, Trena Little, I finally had the push I needed to get started. Although, my upload schedule has been a little sporadic since then.
My initial plan for 2018 is actually to focus more on video than blog posts. Previously, I was the other way around. I was originally uploading one video a week and writing two blog posts per week. Instead, I’d like to do at least two videos each week and just one blog post (which won’t have a corresponding video). I’m not sure how this is going to go, but it’s an experiment I’m ready to try out!
3. Face the Fear & Go Live Regularly
Let’s be honest here… Live videos make me incredibly nervous. It’s not about the fear of people not watching. In fact, if people start tuning in, I actually feel like the pressure is on to do my absolute best. It creates a bit more tension for me, while I’m a bit more relaxed when no one has tuned in yet.
However, live video is an amazing way to connect with your audience. You’re able to show your personality, engage with people in real-time, and nurture those relationships. That’s why it’s so important I utilize it more in 2018.
For a while now, I’ve toyed with (and even mentioned) the idea of having a weekly Facebook Live show. That’s something I want to commit to in 2018. If you’re interested in watching, make sure you . This is where all the action is going to happen!
4. Launch a Group Coaching Program
I’ve long toyed with the idea of launching some sort of group coaching program. I love the idea of being able to work directly with a group of people, as opposed to just limiting myself to one-on-one coaching. My idea is to create some sort of program that will help women up-level their blogs in 2018. This is something I’m still working on, but I’m excited to see how it all comes together.
Personal Goals for 2018
And finally, I’ve set a few personal goals for myself as well. I firmly believe that it’s important to take care of yourself if you want to succeed in business. So, these goals are equally as important to anything I set out to do for Define Your Hustle.
1. Create My Ideal Morning Routine & Live It
Have you read Hal Elrod’s (affiliate link) before? If you have, you’ve probably learned all about the importance of having a morning routine. I’m a firm believer in it, but despite reading the book years ago, I still haven’t implemented a routine that works for me.
You see, Hal’s morning routine isn’t exactly how I envision spending my morning. There are certain elements I like, but others that I don’t. Thing I want to keep from his suggested routine: meditation, affirmations, visualization, and exercise. What am I leaving out? Reading and journaling.
Reading makes me sleepy and I journal at night. So, they don’t have a place in my morning routine.
Instead, this is how I envision my ideal morning… Meditation, affirmations, visualization, exercise, breakfast, and then getting ready for the day. During breakfast and getting ready, I’d like to get into the habit of listening to podcasts. This is the perfect time for it! I’m hoping this will provide exactly the mindset shift I need to start every day.
2. Make My Health a Priority
One of my goals for 2018 is to make my health more of a top priority due to my thyroid condition. Some of you might recall me mentioning I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s in 2016 (an auto-immune thyroid disease). Although that has been sorted out thanks to daily medication, it’s still important that I take care of myself.
I’ve been good about working out daily, so I want to ensure that continues in 2018. Tone It Up’s weekly workout routine and their Studio Tone It Up app are essential for me. I also love (affiliate link)! However, I definitely need to focus on eating healthier as well. I won’t lie, I have a major sweet tooth!
3. Establish Entrepreneurial Friendships
Meeting people in my area who are working in creative fields and who are entrepreneurs has been difficult. I’ve gone to Tuesdays Together meetings in the past for The Rising Tide Society, but my local group fell apart due to inactivity. Fortunately, it’s looking like things will pick back up this year, which I’m really looking forward to.
So, I’m adding that to my list of goals for 2018. I want to attend the monthly Tuesdays Together gatherings. I also want to find other local groups that will allow me to meet fellow creatives.
The reason this is so important is because other friends who aren’t bloggers or entrepreneurs don’t fully understand my work. I can’t really talk to them about blogging, social media, or email marketing. They can’t offer their support or provide feedback on ideas. The ones who can best do this are the ones who are already immersed in this world.
January Goals
Since this blog post is already long enough, let’s do a quick list of my goals for the month ahead. After all, it’s those smaller goals that help keep us on track throughout the year! Here’s what I’ll be working on in January:
- Create an updated vision board. I have a vision board hanging on the wall in my workspace, but it’s in need of an update. This is a task I’ve been putting off because I haven’t had magazine clippings to use on the board. However, it’s on my to-do list for this very week! Having a visual representation of what I’ve set out to achieve is so important in staying motivated.
- Have a clear out of my desk. Is there any better time to do some major decluttering than the start of a new year? Probably not! I’ve accumulated a lot of notepads and notebooks, plus an assortment of other things. All of it takes up space in my desk. It’s time to clear out what I don’t need to make a home for other things that currently don’t have a place in my work area.
- Read at least two new books. Every year, I commit myself to reading at least 12 books. To ensure I start off on the right foot, I want to read at least two new books in January. Since personal development and business books are my favorite, it’s a great opportunity to learn and grow.
- Grow my YouTube channel to 100 subscribers. I’ve been horrible at staying consistent with my YouTube channel since I started it a few months ago. For that reason, I don’t always have new content going up. And I’m not always great about promoting my content there. However, all that changes with my shift to video content for 2018. I want to finally reach 100 subscribers so I can claim that custom URL! So, 🙂