At the end of the year, I like to reflect upon the year's events. As most of you know, I made some specific Blog and Disney Goals for 2014. This was my first full calendar year of blogging and I'm still learning the ropes. I thought making some goals would help me with topic ideas along the way.
For those of you who are new to my blog, or if you don't remember what my goals were, here's a short version of the list:
Did I achieve all of my goals?
1.) Go to Walt Disney World- Goal Met
When I originally wrote these goals, I knew I'd be going to Walt Disney World in January for the Half Marathon. I thought it was a bit of a cop out since I was already booked to go. What I didn't know at the beginning of 2014, was that I would go a second time for KeyCon! Going to Walt Disney World is a goal of mine every year. I was very blessed to be able to go twice this year. (The only other time I've been twice in one year was when we had our wedding planning session and Disney Wedding!)
2.) Participate in the WDW Half Marathon- Goal Met
I participated in the Half Marathon. I didn't finish but I did my best. I actually did better than I hoped considering my lack of a training plan and horrible right knee. I'm very proud of myself for putting myself out there to do something that I never thought I'd try in a million years. Someday, I'll complete a half marathon. It just wasn't this year.
3.) Make Disney Décor for the Holidays- Goal Not Met
I guess this goal could be up for a bit of interpretation. I originally wrote this goal with the intention of making something holiday related for each of the holidays. I did not make something for each holiday, but I did make a few things throughout the year. I'm going to consider this one not met since I failed at my original intentions.
4.) Do at Least One Tutorial Each Month- Goal Not Met
I definitely didn't get a tutorial done each month. However, I did manage to do a few that were posted throughout the year. I've learned that tutorials take a lot of time to write if you want to give clear, concise directions. Next year, I'm going to work really hard on getting at least one posted each month! I feel confident that it's possible. In fact, I've already started working on over 15 tutorials in my drafts folder. Here's a recap of the few tutorials I did post this year:
5.) Design an Imagineering Project- Goal Not Met
I really thought I'd get this done and then I was my own worst enemy. I kept changing my mind on what I wanted to do. I thought 'd settled on designing one float as a fun design exercise. I wanted to make a Frozen themed float, but then I realized that Disneyland already had one designed similar to what I wanted to make. Eliot and I daydream about future rides, restaurants, resorts and theme parks all the time so this is definitely something I want to put on paper. I have a great idea for next year's Imagineering project so stay tuned for that.
6.) Write 150 Blog Entries for the Year- Goal (sort of) Met
I calculated that I needed to post about 12-13 times a month. I was doing really good with this until I didn't give myself enough time to finish December strong. I'm going to end the year with 147 entries. However, I'm going to give myself credit for this goal since I wanted to write 150 blog entries and I've been a guest blogger 4 times on another website. So I did technically write 150 blog entries that were posted. And I've got about 40 drafts in my blog folder. I'm going to count this goal met.
7.) Have a Few Friends as Guest Bloggers- Goal Met
I did have two friends stop by as guest bloggers this year. BJ was generous enough to tell us all about celebrating his birthday at Disneyland! Eliot (my husband) told us about his experience doing the Inaugural Avengers Half Marathon at Disneyland. I've also already talked to a few friends and family members about joining us in 2015!
8.) Have a Disney Themed Party- Goal Met
This is something that I've been wanting to do for a long time. I'm really happy that we actually had two Disney themed parties this year! First, we had our Disney Side BBQ Party this past June. That was a ton of fun and might become an annual event! The other was my Tangled 30th Birthday Party last month. I've got so many party ideas it's not even funny. Hopefully we can host a few more in 2015!
9.) Blog About One Fun Find a Month- Goal (sort of) Met
This hasn't been as spectacular as I intended it to be. I originally wanted to share things once a month. I've gotten a lot better at it as of late but there's still room for improvement. There are so many fun things that I've found online. I'm currently working on a master "fun find" list so it'll be that much quicker and easier to share them with all of you! However, I did get twelve fun find posts done this year even if they weren't posted monthly. I'm going to give myself this one. Here's a recap of the fun finds I posted in 2014:
10.) Take an Online Storyboard Class- Goal Not Met
This did not happen by a long shot. I'm still planning on taking the visual storytelling class from Skillshare. I actually signed up for it in November, but then I completely ran out of time with all of the Happily Ever Hatter orders and holiday gift projects I was working on. This is definitely something that I'm going to complete in 2015.
11.) Make Disney Accessories- Goal Met
I'm very happy that my Etsy store Happily Ever Hatter officially opened this year in February! This has been a dream of mine since I "founded" the business in November of 2012! After a lot of researching, designing, and dreaming, I finally took the leap of faith this year! And I'm so glad that I did! I've had over 50 items that I've sold and that was a personal goal of mine. 2015 is going to be even bigger and better!
12.) Paint Disney Wedding Art for our Dining Room- Goal Not Met
I've had a lot of ideas for Disney paintings that I wanted to put in our dining room. Our Disney wedding was a huge moment in our life. I thought having some fun Disney artwork would remind us of that special day with our family and friends. It did not happen this year, but I'm working on making sure I get a few pieces done for next year.
13.) Finish Our Mickey and Minnie Bathroom- Goal Not Met
So close. So very close! I kept adding to the list for this. Nana is working on the curtains for the bathroom. We've got a few more art pieces that I want to make. I've decided to have Eliot make a wood shelf to replace the metal one we have. If I would stop adding to our "to-do" list, this would pretty much be done. 2015 will be the year.
14.) Make Disney Sweets- Goal Met
I had (and still have) so many ideas for sweets! I didn't get to make what I originally planned for our Disney Side BBQ Party or the Tangled 30th Birthday Party. However, I did get some Disney themed cupcakes made for both events. I'll give myself this goal. 2015 will be bigger and better though.
2014 Goal Results
Well, 8 out of 14 isn't too bad I guess! Like I said back in January, this was the first year I've ever done goals and made them public like this! Every year I have plenty of private goals for myself. (I have to admit- this year I've checked off more of those than ever before.) I didn't get all of these goals completed, but there's always room for improvement! (I'm only human right?)
Things I’ve
Learned:
- Work on
holiday projects in advance! (As in way before each holiday!)
- I do a lot better
when I prep posts. I have 40+ drafts right now. When I draft them in advance it's that much easier to complete them.
- Life
Happens- and that's ok! Things are going to get crazy sometimes and I'm going to run out of time. That's life and I will roll with the punches.
- Live Life
with No Regrets- I'm not going to be so hard on myself next year. This year, I gave myself plenty of guilt trips for no reason. No Bloggers Guilt in 2015!!! This blog is about FUN and it's supposed to be FUN! I'm going to remind myself of that when I start to feel like I'm stressing about my blog. Fun. All about fun.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with how my Blog and Disney Goals for 2014 went! Next year, I'm going to focus on getting the monthly posts done in their designated month! Plus, I've got 2015's goals ready and I can tell you that it's going to be a lot of fun! °o°