4 Ways to Jumpstart Your Goals in 2020

For me, new year resolutions never really worked. Try different cuisines. Exercise more. Travel less. Save more money. I can’t count the number of times I started off strong in the new year and then lost sight of the resolutions by the time February rolled around.

Instead of setting new year resolutions, I’ve been thinking more about actions I can take to make a bigger impact on my goals this year. I thought it would be fun to share a few of them with you. 

Many of these center around creating content and a presence online. But each item can really be applied to any aspect of life. Don’t be surprised if you hear more about them in the upcoming months. I hope this little list inspires and encourages you in some way. 

Will I be able to achieve everything on this short list? Maybe yes. Maybe no. I don’t even know if anyone will read this. But it would be interesting to come back at the end of the year and see if my actions have led to any positive change.

1. Be Intentional

Before Apartment 89, I had another blog called Her Petite Closet. I wanted to write about petite fashion. I wanted to publish sewing tutorials. I wanted to write about blogging. All of the above.

I actually paid for Her Petite Closet for two years, but only pumped out 14 articles. What’s worse, the majority of the articles were recycled from my DIY tutorials on Youtube and didn’t really have a value of their own.

The truth was, I didn’t know what my intention was.

Trying to build a presence in the online space means you’re often doing it alone. It also means wearing different hats at the same time. In one moment, you could be editing photos. By the next hour, your restless mind could already be scheming the next project because it was somehow inspired by some thought or story. Even having a routine isn’t always beneficial.

Why would I want to write about a specific product? Do I want to share a story about how it has improved life in some way? Do I want to sell and sell and sell? Or do I want to inspire you?

The purpose of Apartment 89 is to inspire and encourage you to dream big, realize your dreams, and be the best that you can be. Apartment 89 also exists to help you feel less alone in figuring out this thing called life. My hope is that being more intentional will help Apartment 89 to better serve this purpose.

2. Show Up Consistently

Like many bloggers, influencers, content creators, and solo-preneurs out there, I find it extremely hard to be consistent for a number of reasons.

Sometimes, I linger on a project for too long and other projects fall by the wayside. At other times, I create content only when I’m in the mood. I would go months without publishing any content. And then if I felt a spark of inspiration, I would publish multiple articles and backdate them. Or sometimes, I simply get stuck on what to post.

In my mind, being consistent might be easier if I had more time. Or if this was my full-time job. But it’s not. I actually have a full-time job during the day. After work, I would rather just relax and not do anything. But these are excuses.

If you don’t know, I share DIY sewing tutorials on Youtube. When I stopped putting out new content in 2018, I lost a lot of traction on my Youtube page. It showed in my analytics.

Last summer, I decided to experiment and commit to some sort of consistency. I dedicated time for filming and editing. I gave myself deadlines for publishing videos. It is still very much a work in progress, but I was able to publish a new video almost every other week. Although it might not sound like a lot, it was a huge improvement.

This year, I want to take the consistency up a notch. I would like to be able to publish one new video per week.

3. Make Genuine Connections

I moved to Los Angeles a little over a year ago. No, I wasn’t going to be a starving artist who moved to the big city to chase dreams. I wasn’t going to set expectations to make a name for myself. I’m not brave enough to make such commitments without having something to fall back on.

But one thing I knew was that Los Angeles was a hub for bloggers, influencers, and entrepreneurs in the online space. I want to take advantage of this and connect more genuinely with others. 

To be frankly honest, the thought of actually meeting other bloggers, influencers, and entrepreneurs is intimidating. What if they judge me? What if they find me awkward? What if I don’t belong here?

During my first year of being in Los Angeles, I shied away from events and gatherings for these very reasons. But I don’t want these fears to be the reason I didn’t step outside my comfort zone to chase my dreams. Sometimes, surrounding yourself with people who are taking the same journey might just be the motivation you need. If I can bring myself to attend at least one event this year and connect with others, I’ll consider this item ticked off the list!

4. Stop Doubting and Start Taking Action

The t-shirt and sweaters in the photo above depict a play on Hmong phrases. The one in the center translates to “I wub you.” Much like baby talk when a baby first learns to speak and aren’t able to form the sounds correctly yet.

If someone had pitched the idea to me, I wouldn’t have put it on a t-shirt. I wouldn’t think anyone would buy it.

Yet it is on a t-shirt because someone thought of it and took action on it. And here I am, looking at it. I can definitely myself wearing it because it reminds me of my childhood and gives me feelings of nostalgia.

I am no stranger to self-doubt. The questions I posed in the previous section about connecting with others are examples of self-doubt. It can be detrimental to realizing your potential.

Know this. You are capable of achieving so many great things in life. That’s what I see when I look at you. After all, you have already accomplished so much. But I also know that in your mind right now, you’re probably not so sure of it. Some of you might have tried taking steps towards your dreams and goals. Some of you might have thought about it, but have not taken any steps. And then there are even more of you who don’t think you will ever be capable of anything.

Let me tell you. The only way to find out is to start taking action.