Ahhhh 2018! 365 new pages to write, what will yours say?

While the future is always unpredictable, I’m a firm believer that you can manifest your life. “What you think, you become” is one of my favorite quotes, and to help guide those manifestations one of the exercises I’m vigilant about is setting goals. These goals of course change as I change and as the world around me changes, but they make for benchmarks that can lead me to where I want to be going, both personally and professionally.

I sat down this past Sunday with a big blank sheet of paper, markers and paint and splashed my goals and dreams all over the white surface. Here are some of them:

MOM GOALS:
Once the baby is here, allow yourself the precious time to be fully present. Quiet the noise of the outside world, disregard the expectations and tune into your baby and YOUR instincts. Nothing else matters.

Don’t give up on breastfeeding, but if you must, don’t beat yourself up over it.

Lean into the mom world without getting lost in it. Enroll in classes, make mom friends, go on playdates and plan fun activities to do together as a family, but don’t lose your identity. Take time to nurture yourself (don’t give up your daily meditation!), nurture your friendships and nurture your marriage completely separately from the baby.

Limit phone use while with the baby. Don’t mindlessly scroll through social media during feedings, don’t break precious moments because you want to document them and keep RF exposure around the baby to a minimum.

Don’t be afraid to travel with the baby – GO! DO! SEE! BE!

PERSONAL GOALS:
Be kind to yourself. Especially in the journey of the unknowns that accompany motherhood.

Lose the baby weight once the time is right, but until you have approval from the doctor to hit the gym, don’t obsess over it. It will come off!

Get back into everything you loved and benefited from but had to put on hold during pregnancy when it comes to wellness. Also, explore new things!

Be sure to find time for self-love, self-reflection and SLEEP. Again, don’t let yourself get lost in the mom world.

Invest in the friendships that matter and ease up on the ones that don’t serve you.

Don’t compare yourself to other people. Especially on social media.

Ask for and pay for help, and don’t feel guilty about it.

Increase the amount of clean cosmetics you use – ideally by doubling it (I use 95% of clean beauty products (face wash, soaps, shampoos/conditioner, oils, etc.) but still have quite a ways to go when it comes to cosmetics – I’m currently at around 35%) and be sure to document it along the way.

Don’t let the “girl boss” pressure get to you, especially through social media. So much of it is smoke and mirrors – remind yourself of that when you start to get in your head about it. With that said, don’t be afraid to start something new. Just be sure you’re 100% ready to take it on and in love with the idea.

WORK GOALS:
Take a proper maternity leave (more to come on this in a few weeks).

This is the first FULL year of running BIA as a full-time job –> reach for the stars and go big!

Strike up bigger partnerships that are more meaningful to you, your readers and the site.

Explore increasing the amount of content per week and taking on contributors. Readers, any thoughts on this one?

VIDEO. What is the plan with video? FB? Youtube? Nothing at all? Explore this.

Hit 100k followers on IG by summer and 125k by end of the year.

Collaborate more! Lean into all the great relationships you’ve made with other influencers and brands.

Share more! Especially on stories and live (goal: at least one live per month).

Host a clean beauty pop-up shop. Perhaps in the spring?

And those are just a handful! What about you? Any that you think I should add to this list?