A Mid Year Check-In

It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through 2018! Because I’m blogging every day this month, I decided why not sit down and chat about the first half of the year?! I mean, there’s only so many outfits you can put up before deciding some real talk is necessary. So here we are…

Let me start by saying that I have a theory. A theory that even years are always better than odd. I’m not sure if they actually are or it’s just my imagination that likes to believe I’m happier during those years but this year, my theory seems to be holding true a little more than normal.

I’m so happy, guys. I started off the year a little shaky but that’s typically how I feel throughout February where the days are dreary and there’s not much to look forward to. Baseball came in early March and completely flipped my world upside down. School was awesome—my grades were better than ever, I was involved in everything, and I had a plan for senior year. My social life is good—I have made awesome friends who I really enjoy being around and have realized that happiness stems from those who you surround yourself with. Home is good—I’ve missed more family dinners than I’d like to admit but my parents have been so supportive in helping Styled by McKenz flourish and in helping me plan for a crazy senior year. They’re doing everything to help me follow my dreams in college while teaching me to be independent. This year, more than ever, I have realized how thankful I am for the way my parents raised me.

However, this post isn’t meant to highlight my social well-being or end of junior year. I really meant for this to be more of a recap on how well my goals from the blog post ‘I’VE GOT BIG PLANS + GOALS FOR 2018’ are going.

This year has been about growth. Although not necessarily growth in numbers but growth in every other way. I’ve learned so much about blogging in these last six months. Dedication, hard work, and courage are all a part of the formula but no matter how hard you work, no matter how much you put into it, your success will always be partially dependent on your viewers. This has been really hard for me to wrap my head around, as I have stuck to the same habits for nearly three years now. For the first four or so months of the year, I didn’t see any growth. In fact, I wasn’t even managing to meet last year’s numbers. Self-hosting is partially to blame but it’s taken a lot to understand how the whole process works.

Now that it’s summer I’ve been spending a lot more time interacting with other bloggers and such which drastically changes things as far as views and such goes but it’s a lot of giving to get some return. Therefore, I don’t expect to meet my view goal for the year—I set it high and am currently at just over three-quarters of the way there. If I didn’t go to school or have something on my plate 24/7, I‘m sure I’d meet my goal in a heartbeat. But as much as I love blogging, I’ve come to learn the importance of being present throughout these last years of having the familiarity that is home.

The same goes for my follower count but I have made some fabulous friends and relationships on the blog so far this year which makes me so genuinely happy. I am on track to meet my posting goal, especially due to blogging every day in July and August! This is something I am more than proud of as consistency says a lot about not only a business but a person.

My other platforms have slowly but surely begun to pick up—Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. More importantly than the numbers, I have made little changes in making my content better, interacting more, switching over to a business profile on Pinterest. I finally gave the blog a little makeover and have made adjustments here and there that have been on the laundry list of to-do’s for months now. I am so excited to be checking some of those off.

My collaboration goal is well on its way. I have worked with so many awesome brands so far this year and have a few more lined up for the coming weeks which I am super excited about. Not to mention, it feels really rewarding to have real companies depending on you!

I am thinking about hosting a giveaway. Either when I hit 3,500 followers on Instagram or 2,000 on the blog. A giveaway is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time now and I feel like picking an important milestone would be a good time to celebrate in giving back to one of you.

There is still a lot to be done in the second half of the year if I am looking to meet all of my goals but they are challenges that I am passionate about working towards. I am so excited to embark on this journey and to experience the struggles and successes that come with building your own brand. The lessons learned from this blog and my own trial and error are truly something that no classroom can teach; for that, I am forever grateful.

How are you doing as far as meeting your yearly goals?! I would love to hear below along with any other questions, comments, or requests you may have for me. Here’s to six more months of the best year yet! With love, McKenz

Latest Post: My New Yellow Laptop + Phone Case // CaseApp Collaboration
Related Post: I’ve Got Big Plans + Goals for 2018
Instagram: styledbymckenz // YouTube: McKenzie Morgan // Pinterest: mckenzmorgan