Goal and Life Update – 29/01/2020

Hello Everyone!

We are already on week 4 of 2020, which feels unreal to me because on the one hand I feel like New Year was yesterday, but I also feel like I’ve been in 2020 for years already! Everyone always says that January drags for them and I always used to feel the same way, but my first January out of the school system for good feels very different. The weather has still been miserable as always and we still have February to trudge through as well, but this January has felt different for me. I’ve had one of the most productive months in a long time both in terms of reading, writing, my personal life and college life.

I have another post planned to do with everything 2020 has taught me so far because I already feel like I’ve learnt a lot this year, but today I wanted to take a look at my goals that I set just under a month ago for myself and talk about how I’m doing with them all. If you want to read my original 2020 goals post, then I’ll leave a link to it here, but for now let’s get into talking about how I’m doing with them all:

Read Everyday:

My first goal this year was to get back into reading everyday like I always used to in my early secondary school years. Books have always been a comfort to me and had been a nice escape when things got too much, but I’d let the habit slip over the last year or so and replaced it with studying and fretting about exams. Since exams had been over for 7 months when 2020 rolled around, I decided it was time to get back on the band wagon and pick up the habit that brought me so much joy.

I’m pleased to say that I have pretty much managed to read everyday since the start of 2020! I’ve missed a few days here and there because I’ve been out all day at an event or on a trip, meaning there really wasn’t time unless I stayed up late, which I didn’t think would be a good idea since one of my smaller goals was to start getting up early again. I really proud of how I’ve picked up this habit again so quickly though and I really do remember how much reading everyday made such a difference to me. I’m also flying through my TBR this year, which is great!

Build My Portfolio:

Building my portfolio is taking a long time, but is happening even if it is slow and steady at the moment. I’ve had a lot of college work to do and I’ve been trying to find a balance between working and looking after myself, so there hasn’t been much spare time left for planning and doing full on photoshoots! I expect this goal will pick up some momentum later in the year when I have some time off and the weather is better since it’s difficult to do a shoot in the pouring rain! Even though building my portfolio is going slower than I’d like, the ball is still rolling and it’s always in the back of my mind, so I expect I’ll have a good deal to show by the end of the year.

Build and Prep my Business for 2021:

Prepping my business is closely linked to my portfolio, so this goal is again going a little slower than I’d like, but going non-the-less. I’ve been looking at starting a Patreon, researching selling stock images and so much more, so make sure you subscribe here, on my YouTube and follow me on Instagram: @thephotographydragon to make sure you don’t miss anything exciting! I also recently got my first every business cards in the mail, which is beyond exciting!

Save Money:

As of yet, I’ve only really been able to save pocket change this year, but that is because I don’t yet have an income. Hopefully I will soon enough though and, in the meantime, I’ll keep saving my change and cutting down on my spending habits, so that I can reach my goal by the end of the year.

Be More Active:

I’m so proud to say that I have been absolutely smashing this last goal! I’ve never been a particularly active person because every sport we did in school was team based and anyone who knows me even a little knows that I’m not really a team player. I was never really a runner either because the weather here in England is shocking at times and the gym costs money I’m not prepared to pay, so the most exercise I got was walking to and from school.

I was determined to change that this year though because I’m becoming more conscious of my health as I get older and I do enjoy moving, even if I don’f like recreational team sports. I therefore invested in a couple of pairs of leggings and a couple of hand weights and have been jogging, skipping and lifting weights in my back garden and I’m so happy to say that I’m loving it! I don’t do it every day because who the hell has the time for that, but it’s nice to get moving a couple of times a week and I’ve even started looking forward to working out so much I am considering ways to fit it into my daily routine at least a little! I would class that as a complete success for me and I couldn’t be prouder!

Considering the fact that it’s only January, I think I’ve started the year of pretty damn strong! I’ve already been smashing 2 of my goals completely and am more determined than ever to carry on with them and the other 3 are coming along nicely, if a little slowly. How are you doing with your goals so far this year?

Goodbye for now!

Over and Out