Of course, I had to end 2019 the way I started it: listening to Ari while I write about my 2019 Successes, 2019 Failures, and 2020 Goals. If you’re interested to read about this past year and my plans for 2020, please keep on reading.
2019 Successes
1 | Starting Graduate School | As most of my regular readers friends know, I started a graduate program in January. Although I’ve always been a studious person, this was scary. To go back to school, I left my job and uprooted my life.
Although my school experience got off to a rocky start, I am happy to say that I have gotten more confident each semester. My GPA continues to rise and I am gaining valuable educational experiences.
2 | Securing a New P/T Job | I felt proud of myself when I secured a spot working in one of the most desired centers on campus. No only does this job give me an opportunity keto ep working in the marketing field, but it has been an opportunity to develop management skills and to learn new technical skills.
Exponential Blog Growth: 2019 Yearly Views vs. 2019 Yearly Views
3 | Exponential Blog Growth | By the end of 2018, this blog had 235 followers and garnered just under 2,400 views. My target goal for 2019 was to reach 1,000 followers and 12,000 views by the end of the year. Although I am 120 people shy of reaching my followers goal, I smashed my views goal for the year with 24,000 views.
While these milestones may seem small to some bloggers who have thousands of views a day, I am ecstatic with my growth. I even have blog posts that rank on the first page in Google search results!
2019 Failures
1 | Failure at Proper Self-Care | I’d by lying if I failed to tell you that I initially thought that going back to University would less stressful than working full-time. This year was an emotional rollercoaster that I was not equipped to ride. I neglected healthy sleeping, eating, exercising, and general self-care habits that were detrimental to my emotional and physical health.
2 | Shopping Addition | Let’s call a spade a spade. Clearly, I developed a beauty-focused impulse shopping addiction in 2019 as a coping mechanism for dealing with low periods and extreme anxiety. Despite me chronicling my journey online, I failed because I did not hold myself accountable.
3 | Failure to Reach Follower Goals | In 2019, I fell short of reaching any of my follower goals across all my platforms (WordPress, Instagram, Pinterest). For most of the year, I was on-track to reach my WordPress follower goal. However, my growth stagnated immediately after I upgraded to a plan where the “Follow” button was removed.
Instagram and Pinterest were harder to grow due to my lack of consistency with posting and pining. How could I expect to grow if I was not posting every week?
2020 Goals – Professional Goals
1 | Finish my Graduate Program | One of my biggest goals in 2020 is to finish my graduate program. Currently, I am set to graduate in May and I am excited for what completion of the program will bring!
2 | Secure a Beauty or Retail Marketing Job | If it wasn’t apparent from my blog, I have a passion for retail and beauty. While I’ve worked with retailers and beauty brands through my agency positions, my dream is to work in a marketing or e-commerce role directly for a brand.
3 | Move Out | For six years, I was blessed to be living and working in Boston. However, I moved home last year to save money while in graduate school. Once I secure a job, my hope is to find a new apartment in Boston or in any metropolitan city where I end up working!
2020 Goals – Blogging Goals
1 | Collaborate with other bloggers | In 2019, I did my first brand collaboration and my first collaboration with a friend. However, I have yet to do a collaboration with another blogger. My aim in 2020 is to collaborate with one of my talented blog friends.
2 | Monetize my Site | As of January 1st, my blog has not afforded me any financial gains. I don’t have advertisements placed on site, nor do I charge for my brand work because this blog was born out of a pure passion for the beauty space. In 2020, I want to set up display ads and join an influencer network.
3 | Increase my blog traffic | Part of the joy that I glean from blogging is that I get to connect with others. As such, I want to increase my blog following and double my traffic in 2020. This will require much more keyword research and promotion in 2020, but I am willing to put in the work!
2020 Goals – Personal Goals
1 | Develop a healthy schedule | As my graduate program raged on, I developed an unhealthy sleep and eating schedule due to ever-changing work schedules and a demanding course load. In 2020, I want to get 8-hours of sleep, eat home-cooked lunches every day, and exercise regularly.
2 | Immerse my self in the written word | I love to read and write. In 2020, I want to read at least 12 books, devote time to read the Bible daily, and journal daily. Conversely, I want to watch YouTube and other streaming platforms less frequently.
3 | Develop a Beauty Budget | In 2019, I let stress dictate my spending in unhealthy ways. In 2020, I want to return to the strict budgeting that I followed throughout the years when I lived on my own. To aid myself in that process, I want to partake in a successful “No Buy” in 2020.
K, Bye for Now: Final Thoughts on my 2019 Successes and Failures, and 2020 Goals
2019 has been a major year of personal introspection and growth. I challenged myself academically, personally, and professionally. Despite facing failures and hardships, I was able to look inside myself to understand why I behaved in certain ways.
In 2020, my ultimate hope is that I can lead a happy, successful life.
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Now that I’ve shared my 2019 Successes, 2019 Failures, and 2020 Goals, please let me know about your biggest wins or 2019 and your blogs for the future!