2017 Goals, I’m Ready For You: My 8 New Year Goals

It’s time for my yearly goals blog post, welcome to my 2017 goals!

It may be the second day of January 2017 but does anyone really start their New Year Resolutions on a Sunday?

2016 is well and truly OVER. If there was anything to sum up 2016 it would be Mariah Carey’s New Year’s Eve performance which was just the cherry on top of a godawful year.

Although there were a lot of negatives to take from 2016, for me there were quite a lot of positives. I started this blog, got myself two jobs, landed my placement in London working in beauty PR and finally realised where I want to go in life.

Whether you love or hate the start to a new year, it always brings with it the ‘new year, new me’ feeling. For me, there’s nothing like a brand new year to set yourself some goals.

Although some would argue that time is a social construct, a new year is a clean slate and a fresh start for most people. I spend a few weeks thinking about what I want to gain from the year ahead and reflect on what I achieved the year previous.

However this year instead of New Year ‘Resolutions’ I’m making New Year ‘Goals‘. Once the New Year stops feeling so ‘new’ my resolutions usually go out the window.

The main challenge with making any type of goal, plan, intention or resolution is actually sticking to it and seeing it through.

Setting Short-Term Goals

Setting broad goals that seem too daunting from the outset is why a lot of people give up on their new goals come the second week of the year.

For 2017 I’ve made a vague list of goals but for each goal I’m making monthly shorter term goals within it to help me on my way to achieving the main goal.

For example, if I wish to have 4,000 Twitter followers by the end of 2017 this seems like a long shot. But if I break it down and aim to gain around 100 followers per month it seems reachable.

To be able to tick a goal off and feel like you’ve achieved something, the goal should be measurable.

If you’ve listed ‘be happy’ or ‘get fit’ on your list, what does this mean? How will you know when you’ve achieved this?

Change it up and instead try writing down something positive that happened you every single day and keep it in a journal or aim to run a mile comfortably and increase this to running a half marathon. Something measurable.

My 2017 Goals

1. Read one book per month

I used to be such an avid reader. There’s a library of books at my home in Ireland with a great collection of Jacqueline Wilson books. I used to be obsessed.

However I’ve found the older I’ve got, the less I’m reading. Or the less time I have to read. But this year I’m going to make time to read.

It used to be my favourite thing and I want to get some of that ‘me’ time back. I’m going to start by aiming to read one book per month and if I can increase this then even better!

For January I’m reading #GirlBoss by Sophia Amoruso. I’m already half-way through and would probably be finished if I wasn’t writing down so many quotes from it.

Give it a read. I think I’ve found my new role model.

2. Blog every week

No matter how busy I was last year, I was able to do this. For 2017 I want to keep up with blogging and stay committed.

Each month I’m going to schedule and prepare content so that I keep on track and stick to this goal.

If I prepare ahead of time, I may be able to post more than once a week which would be even better. But for now I’ll start out with one per week.

3. Finish second year with a first 1:1

I feel like I can achieve this if I put the work in. I finished my first year with a first so I would love to keep this up and graduate in the end with a first.

With having two jobs this year and keeping this blog, I was worried that I might falter with my grades, but out of the seven assignments and exams I’ve had to date I’ve achieved six 1:1’s and one 2:1, so I’m more than pleased and will keep the two jobs on in the new year.

Each month I will set myself the goal of attending all of my uni classes and completing some of the reading that is set.

4. Network and interact with more PR students, professionals and bloggers

I want to make more use of my Twitter and Instagram accounts this year and join in conversations.

There are so many blogs out there, I wish I could read them all. I’m going to start by making a note of blogger chats and try getting involved with them as it’s a great way to interact with other bloggers and find new blogs to read.

It would also be nice to have my blog read by more PR professionals and gain feedback from them.

5. Move to London

Well this is a scary one. I’m moving to London in June to start my placement year with Coty. (I’ll finally be able to say ‘I work in PR’ *squeals*).

I have so much to prepare, like getting my accommodation sorted and moving out of Liverpool (cry) and moving everything down to the Big Smoke.

I’ll only have turned twenty by June and I’ll be living in London. Never did I imagine it would happen so soon.

When I was studying for my GCSE’s and maybe even when I was younger than that, I was forever compiling bucket lists.

One of the top things on my bucket list was to live in London. I thought maybe in my late 20s/early 30s but never so soon.

I’m beyond excited and can’t wait to be living in a new city (THE city) for half the year!

6. Make more connections on LinkedIn

Through interacting with more PR professionals, getting some more work experience during the year, attending events and eventually working in PR I’m sure to meet a lot of new people.

I hope make a lot more contacts in the PR world this year.

The more people I meet, the more people I can learn from.

7. Keep a journal everyday

I’ve been keeping journals for a while now but by the second week I usually slack off and only write when something exciting happens.

However I have a feeling this year is going to be an exceptional year and I want to document every day of it. It will also help with my writing as I’m going to aim to write 500 words a day.

It will also be therapeutic to write down my thoughts and feelings so that I’m not bottling them up.

8. Watch something new

This is a tough one for me. Last year I re-watched Gossip Girl, 90210, Game of Thrones, American Horror Story and Suits from the start even though I’d already watched them.

I love the characters but there are so many more other shows out there and other characters to fall in love with.

Over the Christmas break I watched all of the Harry Potter movies and am embarrassed to admit that I can say every character’s lines before they even say them. I’m a Potter nerd.

There’ll be a new series of Game of Thrones, Orange is the New Black and hopefully Peaky Blinders so I have that to look forward to but I can also look forward to watching new series that I haven’t watched before.

Netflix are also in the process of making a series about Sophia Amoruso author of #GirlBoss which I can’t wait for!

So there you have it, some of my 2017 goals.

By the end of this year I hope to have gained more experience in PR, be fully content in my PR job, not be living in poverty (London living costs), still blogging and be able to look back on this year and feel like I bossed it.

Here’s hoping we’re all still sticking to our goals by February.

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How to Make 2017 Your Greatest Year Yet

Get excited about your goals.
Grind like you have a point to prove.
Network with the right people.
Step out of your comfort zone.
Be brave.
Spend less time in bed.
Embrace early mornings.
Feed your mind.
Read more.
Learn more.
Go out there and make things happen.
Complain less.
Let things go.
Stop negative habits.
Surround yourself with positive people.
Inspire yourself.
Inspire others.
Smile often.
Laugh often.
Be kind.
Then be kinder.
Count your blessings.
Be thankful.
Try new things.
Travel.
Spend more time with family.
Eat healthy.
Treat yourself.
Exercise your body.
Exercise your mind.
Be humble.
Be happy.
Stay happy.

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