I know that we’re almost done with January, however I have yet to share my personal goals and resolutions for 2018! I also decided to set a “word of the year” so that I can remind myself of my goals whenever I feel like slacking off. If you’re subscribed to my e-mails you already know my word (and if you’re not subscribed you can do so down below!). I did write a post called Don’t Set Resolutions, Create Habits, but I also think you can do both simultaneously 🙂

My Word of the Year: ACTION

Why? Because I have a number of bad habits (procrastinating, easily getting distracted, doing the easier task, etc.) that don’t help me reach my goals. However, I have lots of ideas, creativity, and value to offer. I just need to take ACTION more often than not. I know I need to just keep creating and working hard.

My Resolutions

*To me, resolutions are general statements that can’t exactly be measured. It’s just things I want to continue improving upon.*

1. Create better habits
-Time management: At the moment my work schedule allows me plenty of free time. I work 3-4, 12 hour shifts each week. Meaning I get 3-4 WHOLE days off. That gives me no excuses to not get shit done!
-Less distractions: I get distracted VERY easily. Some days I’m laser focused, but most days I’ll be trying to write a blog post and I’m like “Ooh let me check my Pinterest analytics,” or “Let me try calculating how long it will take me to get out of debt.” Many times it’s because I’m sleepy or not in the mood/motivated to write, but I refuse to rely on motivation to get me to my goals…I have to create better habits!
-Waking up early every day: I’ve been doing pretty good with this actually! For work I wake up at 6 and even on my off days I ave been waking up at 6. I like to have the time to meditate and read after waking up, plus I can get a lot more done in the day. Once I start getting used to 6 am I’ll wake up at 5:30, then 5, etc.
-Less social media: Oh social media. The thing I hate to love. Social media is great when you have an online business…but also horrible when you’re glued to your Instagram feed for no good reason. I like to see people’s photos and thoughts, but after a few minutes of scrolling I’m like, “What is this doing for me?” I’m not going to miss out on anything important by putting my phone down more often. I want to increase my social media following (because hello I have blogs), but I want to minimize mindless scrolling. It all goes back to time management and distractions!

2. Increase my income
With a Master’s degree I can’t say I expected to be where I am financially today. My income definitely doesn’t make me feel “comfortable” whatsoever, and it’s a bit frustrating considering the time/money spent on schooling (yes I’ve applied to jobs, duh). I also have over $60,000 in debt, which I’d prefer to pay off sooner than later. It’s a work in progress. My income has increased a little bit each year, but not nearly enough. Ideally, I want my online income to increase significantly.

3. Grow my online following/presence
This goes for all of my online/social media platforms. Why? Because I want blogging and YouTubing to be my full-time job! An increase in followers means more exposure and support, ultimately allowing me to make a living from it. It comes down to consistently publishing blog posts, writing e-mails, uploading videos, posting on my Facebook pages, and posting on my Instagram accounts.

4. Practice patience
Maybe it’s the Millennial in me, but I’m not going to lie I’m very impatient with my progress. With an “entrepreneurial” mindset it can be quite difficult for me to swallow where my life is at this point. Working under/for people is not my cup of tea, but it’s what I have to do right now in order to survive. I can’t help feeling like I need to be where I want to be, because time is on no one’s side. I always try to remind myself of the dozens of times I’ve heard Gary Vee preach patience, patience, patience. Really I just want to be super grateful for what I HAVE accomplished, to really appreciate the process, and trust myself that I will get where I want to be.

My Goals

*Goals are measurable actions/achievements*

1. Reach 1,000 e-mail subscribers
My e-mail list has been growing lately and I love it! Living like Leila has been VERY slow growing, which is frustrating for me at times. I love to write and I love what I write about. I personally believe my content is highly valuable and worth reading, so it can be discouraging when my stats say otherwise. The only thing I can do is continue to write and continue to promote!

2. Reach several fitness PRs
-Squat 225 lbs: Over a year ago I squatted 205 lbs x 1. It was terrifying, but I felt SO proud. I know I can do 225, I’ve just got to get past the mental block and increase my strength as much as possible.
-Pistol squat with a 45 lb barbell: I can pistol squat quite well even with a dumbbell on one shoulder, however I can’t pistol squat without reaching one arm out to balance. I want to pistol squat with a 45 lb barbell on my shoulders with both hands on it!
-Complete a 12-week cut: I’ve tried to “cut” several times in recent years. I love food so I always struggle and ultimately fail. This year I want to complete all 12 weeks and see just how lean I can get my body!

3. Reach 10,000 YouTube subscribers
I’m almost half way there. I know that consistency is key with YouTube as well as quality content. I would like to improve my content in general and my editing skills, maybe even get a new camera!

4. Pay off all of my credit card debt
Right now I have a little over $6,000 in credit card debt. I haven’t charged on my cards in over 2 months and I know this is doable for me, especially if I increase my income and continue to save money! You can follow my debt-free journey over at TheDebtChronicles.com!

5. Have over $1,000 in my emergency savings
Another money goal is to create a $1,000+ emergency savings just in case. It’s only January and I’m already 1/3 of the way there so I hope to exceed this and pay more toward my debt once I reach that $1,000 mark!

6. Read at least 12 books
I have a larger goal of reading 100 books from age 24-30! I’m already on book #3 for 2018 so this should be a breeze! I love self-improvement books and I’m always eager to read more.

7. Finish writing my vegan ebook
So I wanted to “launch” my vegan ebook for the first of the year, but I took some advice from my boyfriend instead. He said to wait until I gain a larger following and then launch it, that way it can get the attention I want it to get. As of now I believe I will put a small price on the ebook, which of course helps me to reach my bigger goals. However, veganism is something I’m passionate about and I want to promote and educate on the lifestyle so that more people convert. I could potentially be the reason people switch to a more compassionate lifestyle which is amazing! That means more animals saved and less environmental impact!

8. Do at least one good deed every week
I used to attend a meditation class every Wednesday (which now I don’t as often due to my work schedule) where we would start the class my introducing ourselves and sharing one good deed we did or something we were grateful for. I typically had to opt for saying something I was grateful for because I couldn’t think of a good deed that week. So I want to complete more good deeds! Whether it be volunteering at the animal shelter, donating money, giving a compliment, giving someone help, etc. Anything to make this world a little bit better!

I have quite a few resolutions and goals which may seem overwhelming, however I know I can achieve them and what it takes. If I want to live the life I desire I’ve got to work for it! I’m a very goal-oriented person anyway, I’ve always got to have something to work on or towards. Not much beats reaching a goal and feeling such a sense of achievement. I want to experience that feeling several times this year and I hope you get to as well!!

What is your word? What are your goals??