2021 6 month goal check-in
So, we’re 7 months through 2021. I just read the blogpost I wrote setting out all my yearly goals I set in January and well, I had no idea what year this would bring! I thought 2019 was my year for change, and then I changed it all again in 2020, and I thought ok, well that’s quite enough of that. I hate change! I made a huge leap during the pandemic to change jobs, and I mentioned in my 2021 roundup post just how challenging it was. Anyway, I thought things would get easier, that work would be less stressful and change wouldn’t be on the horizon. I guess change is just inevitable, eh? 2021 has actually been another year of huge changes, but this time I know they are wonderful ones.
In February, my partner Mitch and I bought our first home together and we’ve spent the last few months decorating and renovating to make it ours. It feels like such a safe space for us and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved. I also made the biggest leap I’ve ever taken, and went full-time freelance at the end of May. WHAT! I never thought I’d actually take that jump, I really didn’t. It’s been on my bucket list for years and years, but I didn’t think I’d find the courage.
With work pushing me too far and my unhappiness sinking deeper, it was now or never. With the support of Mitch, I took the leap and now, a few months down the line, here we are!
Leaving my full-time job certainly wasn’t on the cards. I knew I always wanted a mortgage before I took the leap but I still thought I was a few years off yet. In order to prioritise my mental health and actually put myself first, I did it. I am still working on my mental health - if only it was a quick fix! I’m extremely grateful that I have the time to work on it by taking life at a slower pace. My mind is still trying to get to grips with it.
I’m battling those feelings of guilt because I’m not working all the time, and fighting off the corporate hangover of working when I think I should instead of when works best for me, but I’m excited. I feel so lucky that I can try this out and I know I’ll get to a stable, happy place eventually. I think this was always meant for me, so although I have wobbly days and most days are difficult, I do have that certainty inside my soul that I have made the right choice.
Now that super deep bit is out the way, I’m going to reflect on the goals I made in January and see how things are going.
One of my goals was to try and work on my ‘end goal’, and take the pressure off - choosing the projects I get to work on and just going with the flow. Back then, I was still solely a product-based business. I pivoted to be service AND product based just before the house move in February, and long before I planned the freelance jump. I feel really aligned with this purpose now, and I’m excited about the work I can and do create. I’ve positioned myself as a content creator for small businesses, focusing on social media graphics. Niching down felt right and, although I started with a bit too many things advertised in my roster, this feels much better now. The things I offer really light a fire in my belly and I can’t wait to work with new clients to help them with their content creation.
I also talked about social media, and this is definitely ongoing. I still want this to continue being a goal for the rest of 2021, and being full-time freelance definitely changes things and helps me with this. Before, I was always feeling guilty for not pushing out ‘enough’ content. I said that I’d focus less on instagram and more on evergreen content, like blogposts and email marketing but, as you can probably tell by there having only been two posts published so far, this definitely hasn’t happened. So I’m going to change this goal slightly.
Email marketing is definitely still something I’d like to tackle, as is blogging, but I want to find it’s need for it. I don’t want to post something just because I think I need to, I want it to be part of something bigger. Email marketing, for example, has been on my list for the last month or so but it’s such a big one that I’ve been putting it off. I need to break it down into manageable chunks, like deciding on my lead magnet and the whole purpose behind it.
Similarly, I’d like to have a really focused and purposeful marketing/content plan. At the moment I am focusing 80% of my time on instagram, and I’d like to have a much more rounded approach. Marketing and working on my content strategy (and with it, more macro content of emails and blogposts) is a definite task for the last half of 2021. I’d like to go into the new year with a really good grounding in what my marketing does. It won’t necessarily be something I will track and see the ROI etc etc, but definitely something that is more purposeful and less reactive. I love planning, so it makes sense if I plan in advance and see the wider picture, rather than fly by the seat of my pants each month.
Youtube! So I started my channel almost a year ago, and yes, growth is very slow. Thankfully I just love making videos and that hasn’t changed. I still notice the numbers and sometimes, on bad days, I wonder why others are finding it so much easier. Thankfully it’s not a big part of my business and I see it more as a personal venture, so it’s easier to care a bit less. I said I wanted to create more helpful and in-depth videos and push myself to feel more comfortable in front of the camera. I don’t think I’ve even made a dent in this yet, so this goal can stay for the rest of 2021 too. It’s still something I’d like to push myself with on a personal level.
I mentioned that self doubt and the lack of self belief is still a big stumbling block. Again, it’s not something with an easy solution and I am currently in the throes of battling with that lack of self belief at the moment, but I did take that freelance jump so there’s obviously some belief somewhere! I want to tap into my confidence and I hope that, by the end of the year, I have grown that confidence and feel a lot more like myself again for 2022.
Reading back on the post I wrote in January, before the big life changes, I wrote that I wanted to let go of the worries and self-doubt that have held me back and I wanted to let my heart lead. I am extremely proud of myself for this year so far, and what I’ve achieved. I don’t let myself feel that emotion often, but I should. I want to feel it more, because I think it’ll help with the whole lack of self belief thing too. I can do this. I will make this my best decision yet. I cannot wait to see how things work out and make big steps towards my future. I think that’s a lovely way to end it.
Like this post? See previous years right here:
