I’m not setting goals this year. I’m doing THIS instead
On choosing themes, writing with emotions, and making 10K+ in my first creator year
Hi friends & new subscribers,
How did you celebrate your New Year's?
I celebrated New Year's Eve watching Emily in Paris and drank some glasses of wine. The next day, I went to the beautiful mountains of Mont Tremblant and watched people ski and snowboard with my husband.
It was a great day to start the year.
Although, a few days before that, I had intense internal pressure to create an annual review and make goals for 2022, but wasn't feeling too excited about it.
Every year, I make goals, and I fail to do 90% of them. But last year, I changed my approach.
Instead of setting goals, I decided to set a yearly theme.
Don't Set Goals, Choose a Theme Instead
In 2021, the theme of my life was to make it simple and intentional.
Don't get me wrong, I still have some goals, but achieving them isn't the point. In a life where I'm trying to enjoy the journey, it doesn't matter whether I'm checking off an outcome. Doing this has made my life more satisfying as I paid attention to what activities and projects would make my life simple and more intentional.
Choosing a theme for myself became the shield I needed to avoid saying YES to the things that don't align with me, like growing on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube (although this is changing these days).
I lived simple and intentional by focusing on writing on Twitter, Medium and monetizing my writing.
This year, the theme I choose is ABUNDANCE and RICHNESS.
I would love to learn how to feel more abundant and make a lot of money in a way that feels good and comfortable for me. Many of us don't feel talking about money or celebrating the abundance (or lack) of money.
So I want to make sure that all the projects I do will lead to feeling rich and abundant, regardless of what I see in my bank account.
How do you make a yearly theme work for you?
Pick a word, a thought, or a feeling that truly resonates with you.
Put a post-it note with your chosen theme on your workstation to have a visual reminder.
Create a vision board representing your life theme using Canva and set it up as your mobile or desktop wallpaper.
Show up as that person by continuously asking yourself, "what would this person (with a chosen theme) do?
For example, when I made a blog last year, I kept asking myself, "how can I make my blogging life simple? Or what would a blogger with a simple life do?" I decided to *only* use Medium and forget about my personal blog, and some magic happened.
When I wanted to be more healthy, I asked myself, "how can I make my health routine more simple? And I decided that when I move every day, even for 20 minutes, I see myself healthy." I no longer worry about not working out 20 times a month.
Continuously reassess yourself throughout the year. Make life decisions based on your theme.
When we make our life complicated, we find excuses not to achieve our dreams.
🧚 3 Fairy Tips for Multipassionate Creators
Write with emotions. [On Writing] Great writing is writing that makes you feel something. And the best way to do that is to write when you're feeling those emotions as well. If you're happy, write about happy things. Write about what makes you angry. If you're fulfilled, write about those things that make you feel fulfilled. The energy you bring to your keyboard is the energy felt by your reader. So write with emotions.
Say 'hell yes' to things that feel right. [On Freelancing] Another reason I don't set yearly goals (anymore) is that it puts you on one path. I never dreamed of becoming a freelancer, let alone replace my nursing job. And yet, here we are today. I said yes to my first writing paid gig because it felt scary, challenging, and exciting. Say yes to things that feel right for you.
Commit to changing your life in one year. [On Life] You can radically change your life in one year. If you've been reading my past newsletter issues, I've highlighted where I was a year ago to where I am now. By the end of 2021, I've made $10k+ experimenting with different styles of being a creator. But at the beginning of the year, I committed to being a creator. Most people don't decide.
✨ Latest Work On Medium, YouTube and Twitter
In case you’re curious about what I’ve published in the past 2 weeks.
📝 I Made $10K+ in My First Year as a Creator, Here are 5 Lessons On Making Money Online
🎥 Build a Writing Habit in 30 Days | Inside Ship 30 for 30 Course
🤔 A question for you this week:
How do you want to feel a year from now?
Photo by Philip Justin Mamelic from Pexels
With online love 💌 ,
Jerine
As always, feel free to message me for your thoughts, ideas, and feedback. I’d love to hear from you.
I love this! I chose ABUNDANCE as my word for 2022 as well. :) It really is amazing how much we can change in a year. Who knows who we will become this year?