In this post, I share my dreams, what I hope for, and my goals for the upcoming year. Before I do that, I'd like to share my word for the year.
Courage - the ability to do something that frightens one; strength in the face of pain or grief.
This word means a lot to me. I was drawn to it, as soon as I was thinking of my word. I am going to start making a list of all the things I do this year that take courage from my perspective, as I am sure this looks different for everyone. I am hoping that having courage, and doing courage becomes a skill, a habit that I develop; After a year, I'm hoping courage becomes a part of who I am.
Do you have a word for the year?! Last year was my first year picking a word. It was Flourish, and I freaking loved it.
I've never been this public about my goals. So this is a bit different for me. But I'm committed to stepping outside of my comfort zone and putting my dreams out into the Universe (hellooooo courage). So here it goes...
I am going to be a doctor
The first generation college student dream! But different. I'm going to graduate with my PhD Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership in 2020. Hoping for the Spring - but I'm going to have to give up a lot in order to make it happen.
Invest in my relationship with my husband and my friends
I am prioritizing my relationship with Carlos. I am always striving for the next dream or goal, and sometimes struggle to prioritize intentional time together. I also have a hard time keeping up with friends :/ If anyone reads this and wants to connect, Sundays are usually best! Let's catch up, even if it's been a while.
Be a leader for coaches in higher education
I am committed to helping host the 2020 Summit for Coaches in Higher Education. Also hoping to help coaching programs and individual coaches across the country to grow and develop. That means training, writing, producing research (hello dissertation), collaborating with coaches, etc.
Start and develop a business - Make $20,000
I am launching a coaching and consulting business in January 2020. And it's official - Make College Yours, LLC. $20k sounds and feel like a freaking LOT. But when I have heard about an organization hosting a webinar and making $50k in ONE HOUR for something I could have done on my own, I'm willing to give it a shot.
Dream big right? Also, now you can see why my word for the year is courage.
Looking to make income by:
(1) Consulting for coaches in higher education
(2) Monetize the College Life podcast - working to get 100,000 downloads by end of 2020. Would love to be a guest on other podcasts - if you listen to any that might be a good fit, please let me know!
(3) Coach current college students
(4) Collaborate with Life Design Institute (Bill Johnson) and Susan Lucci on webinars and courses
(5) Speaking in front of high school and college students
If you know anyone I should connect with, let me know!
I will leave my full-time job when I make more than I make now, doing it part-time. It will be sooner than I think and that kind of freaks me out. Because I am definitely not ready - I am one of the lucky ones who loves my job and the people I get to work with.
I will get my first big sponsorship for the College Life podcast.
Finances
My student loans will be GONE by the end of this year. $40k investment was well worth it, but I will be SO HAPPY when this is gone. Goodbye $480 a month for the past 9ish years. Hello more travel! And paying off Carlos's student loans much more aggressively.
Speaking of Travel...
Going to Tomorrowland (assuming I get tickets!) in Belgium with some friends and I C-A-N-N-O-T wait. Will also be in south Florida for a wedding in February and the Coaching Summit in Oklahoma.
Compete in a Crossfit competition
This is more for fun and a challenge than actually being hyper competitive. I can't do a pull up on my own yet, but it's coming! My two major fitness goals are (1) Being able to do 10 pull ups in a row by the end of year 2020.
(2) Lose 5% of body fat in the next 6 months - by July 1st, 2020.
Invest in my business and in myself
Invest in website - currently https://makecollegeyours.wixsite.com/website but will change to makecollegeyours.com
Attend the Influencer Academy
Spend TIME outside of work, and outside of PhD. I am going to make some challenging decisions over the next 3 months to prioritize the PhD, or I'll be working on it for another 6 months, in addition to trying to build a business. So we shall see.
Reading all the books - my goal is 34 this year (FYI last year I didn't make my goal). Current reading 2 books:
**I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. If you want to support me, click on the link and buy something on amazon :)
(Second time reading this book, and still so, SO good.)
and
Really good/challenging so far.
I'll be updating every 3 months - trying to model the quarter system in business to really hone in on what I need to do moving forward. Stay tuned!
Thanks for reading. I'm not sure what's going to happen this year, but I'm ready to put in the work and enjoy life. Because I am still a believer that you can do both.
Sending you all the good energy and vibes!
-Alicia