
It’s my favourite time of year, once again. If you’ve been around for a while then you’ll know that I always love January 1st and the opportunity it brings to make new goals.
I’ve made lists of goals for 2019 and 2018 on here and it’s always a good way for me to reflect on what I set out to do at the beginning of the year and how I’ve ended the year. Sometimes what I expected and what I got were two very different things.
Looking back at last year’s list, I definitely think I achieved most if not all of the things that I set out to do. I graduated with a first degree and finished top of my year, I moved to New York and started my first graduate job, I didn’t spend Christmas in Lurgan which is what I had hoped for, I kept blogging and was named the UK’s Best PR Student Blogger for the second year in a row and I read a lot more and also made a lot of new friends and special memories.
When I look at all that happened in 2019 and all that I achieved, it really was a stand-out year and I don’t know if I’m going to be able to top it again this year. I’m in a different continent, no longer in education and no longer taking part in the #BestPRBlogs competition – so what can I achieve?
I still have goals, both personal and work-related and I hope to tick them off as I make it through 2020. I have a very long New York Bucket List that I also need to make my way through and I’m going to be somewhere new by the end of this new year, in a new city, maybe a new country (hopefully) and in a new job.
So here are my goals for 2020:
1. Visit 10 new American states
I managed to tick off five states in 2019 from September to December: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. I’m going to aim high and hope to double it within the next eight or nine months before I’m deported back to Ireland at the end of my J1 visa.
I’m headed to Washington D.C. in a few weeks time, so that will tick off West Virginia. Then I’m hoping to visit Nashville (Tennessee) and New Orleans (Louisiana) in the months that follow. If I visit one state per month until September and then a few extra ones here and there, I should hopefully be able to do it.
My life goal is to visit all 50 states so I would love to be well on my way to that number once my year in New York is up.
2. Figure out what I’m doing after my year in New York
It does seem rather early to be thinking about it but this time last year I knew I wanted to apply for a job in New York and move there. At the minute I’m at a bit of a loss because it is a bit too early to start thinking about my next move, but a lot of other interns have already started applying for jobs and graduate schemes.
My issue is not knowing where I want to go. I know I won’t be moving back to Lurgan, that part is obvious. I preferably don’t want to go back to London just yet, but I would be tempted if the right job offer came along. I would give anything to go back to Liverpool but I know that the career that I want just isn’t there.
I’m hoping I end up in a new country, a new city and maybe even a new continent. Dubai/the UAE is very tempting at the moment and so is Amsterdam, Paris and Australia. If I could, I would love to move to Bali and work remotely there but I know that I’m definitely nowhere near that stage just yet.
If anyone out there wants to hire me, please do.
3. Get a new job in PR or Influencer Marketing
Along with hopefully moving to another city or country or even continent, whatever it is I end up doing in the latter months of this new year, I hope it’s a new job in PR or Influencer Marketing or one that incorporates both.
I’ve currently got my eye on an agency in a specific place, but I just need to figure out how I can get hired there, get a visa and move my life to a brand new place. If I was able to get a job there it would be back working in the area that I’m most interested in and with brands I love.
It would also hopefully enable me to get back working in Influencer Marketing which I miss incredibly. Yes I work in Influencer Marketing at the moment but it doesn’t involve sending products to influencers or creeping on their Instagram stories and posts 24/7.
Consumer PR, I hopefully will be coming back to you very soon!
4. Keep blogging and get back to consistently blogging
This goal always appears on my list for the year as I’m afraid that somehow life is going to get in the way and my blog will fall to the side and be forgotten about. Especially with new places, big moves and new jobs, it’s hard to find the time when you’re trying to do well in a new company and also trying to make a new place a home.
I want to get back to a blogging schedule like I had during my final year at university. These days, I’m posting very randomly and quite ad-hoc. I need to get back to having strict days that I post and make sure that I stick to them. Otherwise, I’ll keep putting off posting and eventually three weeks will go by and there will be no new updates.
5. Visit Liverpool
It’s been five whole months since I’ve been in my beloved city and I miss it so, so much. The other interns in New York are sick to death of hearing me talk about it, but I’ll tell anyone that will listen just how great it is.
I’m hoping that when my visa is up and I’m back in Ireland in September of this year that I’ll get over to Liverpool for a quick weekend or few days before I move on to my next job/new home.
Or who knows, with Liverpool set to win the Premier League this year, I might make a flying visit around the time of their last league game (but don’t tell my mum).
6. Keep reading
Last year I set myself the challenge to read 12 books in 12 months in order to get myself back into the habit of reading and back into doing something that I used to enjoy when I was younger.
I surpassed my goal and ended the year reading 15 books, all reviews can be found here. So this year I’m setting myself the same challenge as I have a lot less time to myself in New York and struggle to find any time to read given my commute is only seven minutes and there’s not even room to scratch your nose never mind produce a book to read.
I’m hoping to read another 12 but my main goal is to surpass last year’s total of 15 as I always want to do better, not worse. And as always, with every book I read, it will be reviewed on here.
7. Learn something new
Another goal I always add to my list but usually never end up achieving as I’m much too vague about it. What do I want to learn, how am I going to go about learning it and how will I know that I’ve accomplished learning something new?
There are only so many times I can download and delete the Duolingo app so learning a new language is out the window. I wouldn’t mind enrolling on an online course for something or taking classes in something while I’m in New York. I think I’ll need to go to the drawing board for this one and get back with some ideas that I have.
8. Do something new each month
I want to challenge myself a lot more this year and see what I am capable of. For example, for January I’ve set myself the goal of not drinking any Diet Coke for the month (yes, we’re trying that one again) and so far so good as I haven’t had one ounce in the past week. I was also trying to go pescatarian for the month but it seems that always slips my mind every time I eat in a restaurant so I’m going to attempt that one again next month.
I’m also attempting Dry January and so far I have been very good with the first weekend in a very long time spent alcohol-free. I’ll definitely struggle when I go to Washington D.C. next week so may end up partaking in Damp January instead.
So January is no Diet Coke (and Damp January), February will be no meat except fish, March may be bring lunch to work every day, April could be be extra conscious of single-use plastics and wastage and I will need to get my thinking hat on for other challenges I can set myself for the rest of the year. Go to the gym four times per week would be a good one but let’s not try to be unrealistic here.
Leave a Reply