#AD – It’s time for me to look back, at both my personal and professional growth. A reflection period, to help my recovery following a mental breakdown and motivate me to reach my goals for the future. 

Personal growth

Because my personal growth is inextricably linked with my professional growth, I have to talk about my situation. Two significant life-changing events happened which caused a ripple effect and improved my life. A mental breakdown and redundancy at work made me want to live my life differently. I would never have started the blog without living through these events. 

Professional growth

It’s clear to me now, my career taught me a whole host of transferable skills, all of which are required if you want to be a successful blogger. 

I’ve achieved a lot in my three months of blogging and I now intend to up my game and monetise my blog. I had my goals recorded on a spreadsheet before I launched the website and now these goals are becoming reality. 

Goals for the future

It’s easy to compare yourself to others in the blogging world. But the truth is no two people are the same. We are individuals and therefore cannot be compared. But of course, it’s healthy to aspire to be successful and view other bloggers as role models for your success. 

When I talk about blogging goals, there are certain people I have in mind. If in five years I am as successful as they are, I will be happy. Following this path has increased my confidence and now allows me to read other people’s success stories and believe I can achieve the same level of success. Why not? The old me was full of doubt, but not anymore. 

These are the goals I want to reach by the end of 2021

Create and sell digital products 

There are so many platforms you can use to create and sell your products. It’s great to see additional features on social media, making it easier to sell. One of the first tasks I had on my to-do list when setting up the blog was to gain followers on social media and interact with other, like-minded people. 

I am in the process of writing an e-book. In addition to making money to support the cost of running my blog, I want this product to offer valuable lessons to other people and teach them something. Turning my knowledge and experience into something useful for other people is my ultimate dream. 

Worksheets and checklists have helped me get through tough times in life previously. I’ve used them to manage my everyday life and during therapy sessions. I want to create a structured way for other people to benefit from this format. 

Learning is a passion of mine. The blogging world is a constant learning curve and I thrive on it. My ultimate goal would be to create a course for other bloggers. To communicate in a format that is easy to understand and teaches them something they wouldn’t have known before embarking on the learning material. 

To create any of these products, I will be researching and relying on eCommerce platforms. 

Continue to produce relevant, engaging content

The main reason I set up the blog was to get my message out there. I am discussing a subject that is of paramount importance and I hope to change the stigma surrounding mental illness. I, therefore, view it as a duty to keep talking openly and honestly about my mental health struggles. My mission is to help other people. 

Work with brands

The brands I’ve worked with so far were aligned with my content and purpose. I enjoyed finding out about the products and recommending them to other people. I hope to continue down this path. And of course, I have a list of brands I would ideally like to work with. Who knows what amazing opportunities will come my way. It’s exciting. 

Use my skills to create more opportunities

I am currently looking into setting up a second blog and I am excited to create new challenges for myself. 

Using the skills I’ve taught myself recently may also bring future career opportunities. I intend to keep learning. 

What will 2022 bring?

The pandemic had a lasting impact on every area of our lives. Marketing messages are no different and the online world became our go-to for everything when we were unable to leave the house. 

It’s an exciting time to be a blogger and I genuinely enjoy interacting with brands and other bloggers each day. 

Now it’s time to put in the hard work required to achieve my goals.