Ok, I need to admit something. I’m really shit at setting goals. Not to toot my own horn but I have accomplished a lot in my 33 years on Earth but it always seems to be a happy coincidence as a result of hard work and reacting well to situations rather than meticulously planning where I want to be and working towards it. But after a couple of years of floating a little aimlessly, I’m coming around to the idea of setting goals and giving myself homework.
Don’t get me wrong, winging it has served me well for years. I graduated with a 2:1 from a great business school, became a director of an agency at 27, worked with the most prestigious brands in the world and I’m currently in my dream job.
Aside from work, I’ve travelled a hell of a lot. Thirty-five countries at the last count. And this little blog, which I set up on a whim one evening from my bedroom at my parent’s house in the Hampshire countryside over patchy wifi has done so well over the last decade. It’s introduced me to some incredible people who I now call friends and bought so many collaborations with brands my way. One of the things I’m proudest of is being part of the British Fashion Council’s Blogger Panel, fashion and supporting emerging designers are close to my heart and to have a nod of approval from the BFC was a true ‘pinch me’ moment.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve become more focused on what it is that I want and also how precious life is. This is why I want to focus on setting myself goals, to take my long-term vision and turn it into short-term motivation. Having a huge goal can be inspiring but daunting, I often don’t know where to start. But having a clearly defined vision helps to break down the smaller steps required to achieve that big goal. And each step forward is measured progress.
So, what are my actual goals for the rest of 2018? I’m going to share what I have set out for my blog rather than my whole life:
– Consistency. Working full time and blogging in my spare time means that focus on my blog flexes with the time I have available. I’ve fallen out of love with blogging, not had time and beaten myself up for being a “bad blogger”. But over since 2017, I’ve found my groove and rediscovered the joy of writing and creating content. I want to be more consistent and write one post a week and also be more consistent about sharing my writing on social media.
– Create authentic, meaningful content. Over the last year, I’ve really learned the impact of using my voice. My most popular posts have been the ones where I talk about my experience as a British Indian woman or talk about the pressure bloggers face. I want to keep creating content which resonates with my audience, makes a difference and is authentic to my values.
– Grow my socials. I don’t have a set goal of reaching 10k followers on Instagram because IG changes the goalposts on a bi-weekly basis and we all see the effects of this – follower numbers yo-yo-ing up and down and wildly inconsistent engagement. While I do want to grow my following, I don’t want to be a slave to exact numbers and get upset with each setback. If I lose 15 followers overnight, I’m not going to worry about it too much as long as my overall number is growing monthly.
– Continue to support young designers. I have been attending London Fashion Week for 8 years and Paris for 2 years. While the big-ticket shows are fun, what I love the most is discovering new designers before they have hit the big time. There’s something so exciting about seeing raw talent and using my platform to support them. Fashion is a tough industry and I think it’s so important to nurture young design talent.
– Continue talks with young people. One unexpected opportunity which has come my way is giving talks to young people who are in college. In the last seven months, I’ve given two talks and it’s been so rewarding. Talking about everything from my career journey to stress, dating and social media, I feel so fortunate to be able to share my journey to inspire the younger generations. I really enjoy doing these talks and want to do two more before the end of the year.
What are your goals for the rest of the year?
Tshirt – H&M | Skirt – Topshop | Heels – Aquazzura
Photography by Adorngirl.
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