Goals for 2019 + A Giveaway

Happy 2019! I can’t even believe it’s time to start a new year already. I mentioned it in my latest Instagram post, but I’m not really a fan of New Years Eve. It’s a really depressing holiday for me and that’s probably because I never have any fun plans for NYE. But in general, I always feel like I never accomplish what I want to during the year.

Even though I have those feelings I can still look back on 2018 and feel grateful for all the things I did do. 2018 was a very good year and one of the happiest years I’ve had. I got to watch Harrison grow and learn. I got to stay home with him while I worked on the blog. Also, I got a lot of time to spend with my husband. So I really can’t complain!

Although I’m not a fan of NYE I still like to make “resolutions” – even though I pretty much forget about them by February! Most of my resolutions, or goals, revolve around what I want to accomplish with the blog. Obviously, growth is always a big part of my goals. But this year I REALLY want to shift my focus towards a better connection with my followers. I feel like I really fell short on engaging with people and delivering content that helps people. I’ll always love just posting outfits for the sake of inspiration but I think people are looking for more than just pretty pictures.

2019 Resolutions

So this year my goal is to sort of get back to basics. I started this blog re-mixing a lot of my wardrobe and buying on a budget. I feel like I’ve strayed from that over the years. Part of the reason for that is because my tastes have changed and my budget has gotten bigger. I like investing more in pieces and splurging on designer items occasionally. Also, I kind of got sucked into that blogger mentality of constantly buying new things to stay ahead of trends. I wanted to be a “Liketoknow.it” blogger, if you know what I mean. But I’ve realized that I don’t want to ever make my audience feel like they need to keep buying things in order to be fashionable.

Share How to Wear Pieces Multiple Ways.

I want people to know that they don’t have to buy a lot on new things in order to live a stylish life. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop buying things – I love shopping too much…haha. But I’m going to try to make a conscious effort to share pieces more than once – especially on Instagram. I got it into my head that once I shared a look I couldn’t repeat it. But in reality, I wear the same outfits over and over. I’m hoping to add more video content as well this year that would showcase how to wear pieces in different ways.

Care More About Engagement Than Numbers

It’s soooo hard to not compare yourself to other blogger’s follower counts. Part of me feels like I’m doing something wrong since I don’t have over 100K yet and I’ve been at this for 6 years. But I know that it doesn’t matter how many followers you have if they aren’t engaged. The main reason I do this is to connect with people so I’d rather have 100 followers who respond to me than 100K that don’t care. I don’t have a lot of “real-life” friends so this community is very important to me. And a lot of my Instagram “friends” have turned into real friends along the way which I’m really grateful for. So in 2019 I’d really like to move forward with the goal of getting to know my current followers better.

Create a Better Work/Life Balance

Blogging is really a 24 hour job. Whenever I’m not watching Harrison or spending time with my hubby, I’m working on the blog. My “work” hours are all over the place. And I don’t ever feel like I fully disconnect from my online life to be present in real life. It is kind of a struggle right now because Harrison doesn’t have a set schedule so I really do have to fit work in whenever I can.

So I’m not sure if there’s much I can do about this one other than get better at waking up early before the baby does or figuring out a way that I can get childcare for Harrison a few hours a week so that I can really focus on work. If anyone has any suggestions on how to balance work life as a stay at home mom to a 1.5 year old – let me know!

Be a Better Person

I’m kind of joking but kind of serious about this one…haha. I’m pretty good about practicing self-care. I don’t get stressed often, I know when I need to take a break and slow down, I don’t prioritize work over my health, and I say “no” when I don’t want to do something. I’m grateful that I’ve learned how to take care of myself because I know a lot of people struggle with this. But I think that this has led me to be kind of selfish. I don’t really exert myself to care about other people’s problems (besides myself and my family) and I feel like I don’t really give back or contribute to my community. I think part of the reason for this is just my personality. I’m VERY shy and get anxious and nervous when I have to talk to people (in person or on the phone).

So things like volunteering and being around too many people in general stresses me out…haha. But I’m sure there are other things I can do. Like donating more of my extra “blogger” gifts to shelters, setting aside some of my blogging income towards charity, or even just taking more time to connect and care for my friends.

Be Grateful

Instagram can really make it hard to appreciate what you already have. I know that it’s people’s highlight reel and not everything is as it seems. But it’s still hard to not want that designer bag that everyone seems to have, or the huge house with the white kitchen. I’m sooo blessed in so many areas of my life that I don’t want to take it for granted. So I’d like to be more intentional about practicing gratitude this year.

These are the main things I’d like to work on this year. I still need to sit down and actually come up with a plan to implement these things though. I’ll also admit that I don’t have a good track record of sticking with my resolutions past maybe February or March. So we’ll see how long this lasts.

What are your New Year’s Resolutions?

A Silk Blouse with Black Denim

Also, I want to share a little bit about this look. I think the tie neck detail on this silk top really adds a fun element to the look. I have it tied in a bow but you can also leave the tie undone for a cool effect. This blouse is a part of Everlane’s Clean Silk line which produces less waste!

I decided to pair it with all black for a dressier look. This is an outfit I’d probably wear on a date night because I never like to get super dressy. I also would probably add a blazer over it during the cool California nights!

Outfit Details:
Everlane Silk Blouse c/o
Everlane Denim c/o
Marc Fisher Booties
Elizabeth and James Bag via Shopbop
Ray-ban Sunglasses via Shopbop

Target Giveaway

2019 is here and we are celebrating the New Year with a Target giveaway! One lucky winner will bring in the New Year with a Target shopping spree. Woo hoo!

HEARTS OF GOLD BLOG | PRETTY IN PINK MEGAN | STREET STYLE SQUAD | SO HEATHER

SINCERELY KATERINA | FROM THE FAMILY | SYLVIA JADE | RD’S OBSESSIONS

THE CONFUSED MILLENNIAL | L. AVENUE | CUP OF CHARISMA | SHE SHE SHOW

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One lucky winner will get a $500 Target E-Gift Card. This giveaway is brought to you by the talented influencers you see above, be sure to check out their websites for some fun New Year’s posts! Enter by performing the actions listed in the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

Make sure to do the actions in the Rafflecopter before marking they are done! Marking done doesn’t automatically perform the action. Good luck! Winner will be announced in the Rafflecopter on this blog post.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One winner, giveaway runs from January 1, 2019 to January 15, 2019 (concludes at 11:59 PM on the last day). Open to the U.S. and Canada only. Void where prohibited. By entering you are agreeing that you are performing the actions in the Rafflecopter that you have marked as done. By entering you acknowledge that you are agreeing to the newsletter subscriptions and all other terms & conditions of the giveaway. More giveaway details can be read in the terms & conditions here. Winner will be announced within 14 days of the conclusion of the giveaway and entries will be verified by the hosts. Thanks for participating, I can’t wait for you to get to know you more as you follow along!