2020 Goals & Decade Review

Decade Review and 2020 Goals

January 1, 2020

January 1, 2020

The fact that we are wrapping up and starting an entire decade is both inspiring and daunting. It feels like even more of a fresh start than any other year, but with added pressure like pen to a clean white sheet of paper.

The 2010’s will probably be the most pivotal decade of my life, considering it consisted of high school, college, my first internships, first jobs, quitting said first job and starting my own business, first serious relationships, many many homes and friends I’ve met along the way. It was a decade of very high highs and a low(ish) lows. And though I can’t imagine this new decade will bring quite the rollercoaster the 2010’s did, I can only imagine it will be one of many life changes with hopefully a little more stability that comes from being past my early 20’s (fingers crossed).

I’m actually glad we have this new decade to reflect on more than this previous year, because honestly, it has kind of exhausted me. It was the first full year of running my business full time. It was our first full year in Chicago. And I’m very ready for the comfort that comes with familiarity and a little less change. I’m so excited to go into the new year finally having a better idea of what I’m doing in my business and feeling like I’ve found my place and community in a new city.

I have a good feeling about 2020 and the next decade. So, with the big potential it brings, here are my big goals for the new year.

 

Career

Prioritizing Education and Investing in Myself

I’ve realized that while I feel confident in my skills as a designer, the business aspect is something I’ve felt like I’ve been guessing at since I started freelancing years ago. It’s not something we focused on in school or I learned in a corporate job, and it has made that imposter syndrome feel so real. For this reason, I’m so excited to be starting a coaching program in January with Morgan Rapp called Design Biz Mastery. Being able to get the expertise of someone who has already created a successful business will be the direction I need to confidently refine my processes and work with my dream clients.

Focusing in on my Niche of Working with Brands in the Fitness and Wellness Industry

It’s no secret I’m in love with fitness and wellness, so it felt like a no brainer to narrow in on that niche in my design work. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but I didn’t think I could say it until I already had clients in the industry. However, I had a moment of clarity in the last few months of this year, realizing I needed to create work in this space even if it’s just for fun. So this year I plan to make time for more creative personal projects and pitches to fitness and wellness brands I’d love to work with.

This past year I’ve also developed a lot of relationships in the fitness community in Chicago, meeting so many people through aSweatLife and my regularly attended fitness studios, especially including The Space Between. Whether this industry was my desired niche or not, these are the types of people I truly enjoy being around. I think taking the time to create these real relationships has brought me into a strong, talented network of people with a lot of potential for collaboration.

 

Fitness

Finish an Olympic Distance Triathlon

After training for and completing the Chicago Sprint Triathlon, I was in love with the sport. While the actual race was turned in to a Duathlon due to weather conditions, it was the training itself that I found the most joy in. I can’t wait to train for an olympic distance this year and bring Al along with me on the journey.

Run a 5k in under 24 minutes

I always feel much more motivated to run if I have a specific goal in mind so I’m setting a goal time for my 5k, one that equates to about a 7:30 mile pace. It’s been my goal for a while to get under an 8 min pace, something that I’ve only done a couple times since I really started running the past couple years. But I think if I continue to run this winter and have the extra conditioning of triathlon training I can do it by the fall. Fingers crossed!

 

Self Care

Overall Less Hectic Days

I think there are so many small goals that will lead to this overarching ideal. The biggest thing I think involves being connected all the time. So I’m setting boundaries with myself on work and screen time in order to reduce this stress. I love a good routine so I’m including screen restriction as part of it. My goal is to not check email or social media until I’ve enjoyed my entire morning routine, including a workout and a full breakfast. Then I will stop checking them after dinner, in order to spend the rest of the night relaxed, spending more quality time with Al or other friends. I think this resolution will be both the hardest habit to break and the most impactful so I’m very excited for the change.

 

2020 is going to be a good one! And I can’t wait to share my progress through each of these goals this year.

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