Hello 2020!

It is officially a new year (and a new decade) – Hello 2020! It’s time for me to lay out my plans and intentions for 2020, so I can try to keep myself accountable (and you’re welcome to keep me accountable as well). I’m not really a New Year’s Resolutions person, but I do like the new year time to take a look at what I’ve done and what I want to work on.

Personal

• Health
• Organization
• Giving Back

2019 was a big year for me in terms of my mental health. I switched counselors (praise!), and that opened up a lot of room for improvement. I was just telling my counselor the other day that this is the first time in my life where I’m taking specific pieces of advice that were given to me during counseling and putting them into action almost every day. It’s a great feeling!  Something I want to continue in 2020 is being aware of my anxiety and stress and controlling it. In the last few weeks of the year, I realized that meditating, moving slower, and carefully completing the current task I’m focused on helps me during stressful times, but can also keep stress away if I’m practicing these things in every day life. You might notice me typing a little slower or not multitasking as much in 2020. I’m also helping out my mental health by being more organized. I have pretty organized spaces at home and work, but I’m still trying to figure out what calendar/planner/to do list organization helps me stay on top of things, without becoming overwhelmed.

My physical health definitely needs some work. Wow, am I out of shape! That is totally okay, but I would like to be able to walk a mile again without being out of breath within the first quarter mile. My biggest health goal for 2020 is to run a half marathon by the end of the year (probably in October or November). Anyone want to join me? I’ll work towards that goal by doing smaller exercises at least four times a week, cutting out fast food (AHH!), and keeping a regular morning and evening routine. 

I’d also like to give back more in 2020. I’m always one to give money to any kid’s school asking for donations or buying the wrapping paper or Girl Scout Cookies, but I’d also like to provide acts of service to give back. I’m looking into volunteer opportunities at local animal shelters and trying to be intentional about completing random acts of kindness on a very regular basis. You’ll also see me shopping small as much as I can. I’m trying to grow my own small business, and I want to help others do that as well. 

The Life of Alana

• Content Focuses
• Scheduled Content
• Collaborations and Sponsored Posts
• Interaction

Okay, let’s talk about the blog. (But thank you for reading about my personal goals for 2020 first!) Like 2019, my main content on the blog will all be centered around hockey. I will create content based around hockey opinions, outfit guides for each NHL team, travel, and food + drink, which would include recipes, sports bar reviews, watch party ideas, and, of course, cupcakes. 

I want you to all hold me accountable to posting three large pieces of content a week – mostly blog posts, but starting to work on video content as well. This content will be posted on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I will strive to post on social media at least five days a week, but most Saturdays will be an off day (unless I’m traveling). I will be posting giveaways on my social media once a month, and those giveaways will be specific to my content (gift cards to buy hockey tickets or flights, special NHL team merch, etc). 

I would really like to have my first sponsored post in 2020! (Anyone who’s interested in collaborating or wants to talk about a sponsored post, please reach out!) I would love for my blog (and a few other ideas that I have) to lead to a full time job for me, and I’m really putting forth a lot of work this year to make that a reality. 

Interacting with others is also a big goal for me for 2020. It wasn’t really a goal for 2019, but I started searching more hashtags and responding to people on Twitter, and I ended up making a lot of friends! A lot of people talk about how toxic social media is – and that’s true – but social media has brought a lot of wonderful people in my life, and I’m incredibly thankful for it and all the good that social media can bring into our lives. For 2020, I want to continue interacting with more hockey fans online and hearing their stories. I would love to be able to plan meet ups at the different games that I go to and help others create hockey friendships! 

That’s it! You only had to read through two sets of goals, since I’m keeping my 9-5 professional goals on the down low. (Trust me: they’re boring and you don’t want to hear about them.) I’m really excited about the year ahead, both personally and professionally, and I’m excited that you’re here to share that with me. NOW! Share one of your goals for 2020 with me in the comments! I’d love to be your accountability partner. 

Cheers to a wonderful year ahead!
-Alana