Looking back at 2017, I can’t help but get insanely sentimental. 2017 is the year that I decided to take a leap of faith after graduating law school to pursue a career as an influencer. This decision came as a shock to many, but I knew in my heart I needed to take the chance. Ajeet and I moved to Los Angeles this year and although it’s been a tough transition for me, I have faith things will get better in 2018! One thing I took for granted while living in Dallas was being around family all the time..I never really knew how much family time meant to me until I moved away. I know we only moved two months ago and I’ve been home twice since then, but dang it’s hard to be away from my parents, my sister, my little Snuffy and my in-laws! I can’t imagine my world without them which is why I’ve made it a point to travel back home every month. A lot of people say that over time, you’ll go home less and I just don’t believe that for a second. That may be true for them but definitely not for me! One of my goals this year is to travel back home more often and spend time with the fam bam. What are you dreams and resolutions for 2018? I’d love to hear about them and since it’s officially the 2018, I thought I’d go ahead and share some of my goals and resolutions with you!
***The below goals/dreams/resolutions will start on January 2, 2018.
- Actually go to the gym consistently. I know, this is everyone’s new year resolution, every year….and lasts about a month. The thing is, before I met Ajeet I was actually very active and worked out 5x a week (sometimes more) for 2 years straight. I did weight lifting more than anything because I wanted to pack on healthy weight (at the time, I was only about 94 lbs). The last year and a half was extremely busy with wedding planning, the actual wedding (Indian weddings last way too long), law school, and balancing time with family and friends. I found myself having less and less time for the gym and I just don’t want to be that way anymore. I’m not saying I’ve gained an unhealthy amount of weight but I do feel less healthier and feel like I have a lot less energy when I’m not living a healthy, active lifestyle. Ajeet and I love working out together so we’ve made a deal to start going to the gym 3x a week at 6am and go from there. I didn’t want to be too ambitious and start with 5x a week– I’m trying to set realistic goals here!! 😉
- Work on ENGAGEMENT. One thing I’ve struggled with over the last year is engaging with you guys and including you in more of my posts. That is changing!! If it wasn’t for you being so loyal and so supportive, I wouldn’t be able to blog full time like I do now. You all have helped me achieve a dream that I didn’t even know I had and now that I’m living it, I can’t imagine a life without blogging! I hope to do more one-on-one giveaways with you in 2018 along with actually taking the time to respond to comments and liking your photos more often!
- Design a new blog theme. I’m honestly ready for a change and a bit bored of my current blog design. However, I don’t want to simply go and buy a design and do what I did a couple of years ago. I want to customize my entire blog and really let my personality shine with each and every feature. This process can take more than a few months so I’m not 100% sure if my design project will be complete in 2018, but I sure do hope so and I can’t wait to share the new blog with you when it’s done!! I already have a general theme and design template in mind, I’m just working out a lot of those little details now and then I’ll work with a developer in due time!
- Grow my YouTube channel. I started my YouTube channel a few months back and I was regularly putting out weekly videos. However, once I moved to Los Angeles I completely stopped! I didn’t have my studio set up and unpacking and settling in took much longer than expected. Now that we’re all settled in (minus the guest room), I’m going to get back at weekly videos and actually produce content that will help and inspire you. For me, it’s about quality > quantity so I hope to grow my YouTube channel that way instead. For those that are already following me on YouTube throughout my inconsistent post, you guys are the BEST and I can’t thank you enough!!
- Spend more time with family. I’m sure you could have guessed this one!! Like I mentioned earlier, I hope to travel back home once a month to spend quality time with the family but I’m also planning a couple of family vacations too which I just can’t wait for!!!
- Stress less. Easier said than done? Probably. I’m such a stress ball though and honestly kind of over being that way. I stress about everything– what people think of me, how I talk, the way I look, what to make for dinner the next day, training my dog, how many likes my photos are getting, fostering new dogs, not getting a blog post up on time, etc. Seriously, name anything and I’ve probably stressed about it or still am. It’s in my nature and it’s who I am so I know I won’t be able to completely stop stressing over some things but I can at least stop stressing over what I don’t have control over. Ajeet is so great at reminding me from time to time that some things are simply out of my control and I shouldn’t stress over something I can’t change. This year I hope to realize that kind of stuff on my own and I hope that helps reduce my stress levels a lot!
- Being more organized. I do think this plays a big role in my stress level as well. In 2017, I planned my posts only a week in advance (sometimes two) and I don’t think that’s enough. I do want to start content planning months in advance so I’m hoping that helps my organization + stress all at the same time. I also have a tendency to create a mess in the apartment and it’s hard because I have A LOT of stuff and barely any space in our small apartment. However, no excuses this go round– it’s time to hit Container Store and start organizing my life and my room!
- Taking acting classes. What are your thoughts on this one?! I was talking to a good friend of mine in LA and she suggested taking acting classes. This is something that may simply open more doors for me later down the line but if not, at the very least it will help me be more comfortable in my own videos. By no means am I really striving to be an actress out in Los Angeles don’t get me wrong!! However, I don’t want the door to be closed if the opportunity does arrive. I noticed people in Los Angeles do tons of different things as their career and I really like that. I’ve always been great at multi-tasking so I’m so up for this challenge of including a little acting on the side! Ajeet and I are thinking of taking improv classes together too as a fun little couple hobby! 🙂
- Cook more healthy meals. I’ve already been cooking a lot more than usual after moving to Los Angeles but I want to keep this as a goal for 2018. Since Ajeet works 9-10 hours a day and I work from home, it’s easier for me to have dinner ready so he doesn’t have to waste time with that when he gets home from a long day. We usually eat whatever we want but this year we are stepping up our game and going to start incorporating a healthier diet in our lifestyle (i.e. more greens, less carbs, more salmon, less sugar, etc).
- SAVE MONEY & INVEST AGGRESSIVELY. A year ago, this would have said travel more. We still will travel this year but we will travel smart instead of being as spontaneous and adventurous as we once were. Ajeet and I are saving up for a house whether it be in Los Angeles, New York or back home in Dallas… we don’t know yet. All we know is we are tired of living in an apartment and want a home with a backyard for all the dogs. Unless we win the lottery and can get a house in California THIS YEAR, I simply don’t foresee it happening. That being said, we are definitely saving up and have been for buying our first home in 2019! These are just goals we set for ourselves so there’s no guarantee but it’s what we are working towards. As for the investing part, Ajeet and I have done a lot of research and it’s time to get a little aggressive with our stocks and investments so we can afford our dream home!
Let me know what your dreams/goals are for 2018, I’d love to know!! Happy New Year loves and we’ll chat soon!
