Setting My 2022 Goals

Back in the day, I used to be a biggg New Years Resolution girl. I’d challenge myself to stretch every day, write in my journal, the list went on and on. A few years ago, when I really started to take Styled by McKenz seriously, I decided to set multiple goals rather than focusing all of my energy on one single resolution.

Last year I set some pretty lofty goals—many of them I accomplished and others I realized just weren’t fit for the stage of life I was encountering. I would have loved to start a podcast, a weekly newsletter, and launch a rebrand but as the year went on I realized it wasn’t that I wasn’t capable of accomplishing these things, it was that the timing just didn’t make sense. There’s not much more I can add to my workload as a one-man band, especially as a full-time student. 

Many of these goals I’ve reassessed as we head into 2022 and others I’ll be saving for 2023. 

I know many people like to choose a word to guide them into the New Year. I’ve never done so but as I look at my year at a glance, “pivot” is the first word that comes to mind. Pivoting is when you move, making a turn while still keeping one foot grounded. As I enter a season of life with so much change ahead: my last semester in Kent, a summer internship in California, a semester studying abroad, and my college graduation I know that this will be a pivotal year for me. Of course, while keeping myself grounded in Styled by McKenz— sticking to what I know while adapting to these new phases of life. 

I’d be lying if I said I am not nervous as heck but I’m also so excited to see what this year has in store + have you along for the ride! Here’s to manifesting the life I always dreamed of…. and holding myself accountable by writing it all down. 

hoping for many more moments like this in 2022!

Hit 50K On Instagram 

For many years my Instagram growth was stagnant; it took me four years to hit 10,000 followers and then suddenly things started to pick up a bit. With an ever-changing algorithm, it’s hard to predict what kind of growth you’ll endure. I do know that I ended 2021 with 32.5K and I have hopes to hit 50K by the end of the year. Through pursuing more Instagram reels and really utilizing their new features while studying abroad, I hope to make this platform a bit more personal, showing my followers that there’s more to me than just a cute outfit. 

Hit 75K on YouTube (but really 100K)

I bought my first vlog camera right before I began my freshman year of college with hopes to capture my life +friendships. If only I’d known that little camera would change my life! After my first wave of YouTube growth, hitting 10K in May of 2020, my roommates and I had always joked that maybe I’d hit 100K while in Florence. I would love if #RoadTo100KinFlorence came true, and I could celebrate a huge milestone with my college besties while frolicking through Italy. The reality is I’ve plateaued a bit and my growth is no longer as vast as it once was. For that reason, I’m keeping my mindset a little more realistic and am hoping to hit 75K!

Hit 100K On Tik Tok

More than anything, 2021 showed me what a powerful tool Tik Tok really is. Not only can one viral video gain you thousands of followers overnight, but it’s one of the easiest ways to cross-promote, driving traffic to my Instagram and blog for people to find shoppable links! I go through phases where I upload a Tik Tok every day and then not at all for a week. I want to be a bit more consistent with this platform in 2022 and hopefully hit 100,000. I know, that sounds crazy, but I have faith. 

Hit 650,000 Blog Views

This was actually my 2021 goal for my website and I missed it by about 100,000. I wasn’t too upset though as I still saw some good growth from the previous year. These last six months I’ve really started to create more searchable content, especially as I implement more travel guides + what to wear in X city guides. I hope that the old ones continue to drive traffic to my site and that with so much change in 2022, I can still find peace in writing. By all means, I know that my website is probably my least visited platform, but it’s the one that keeps me grounded in what I do and really allows me to look back on how I’m feeling throughout every stage of life. 

Sign With A Management Team 

I’ve toyed with the ideas of signing with a manager/talent agency for a couple of years now. Truthfully, I’m not really sure if signing with one before I graduate or after is best but it’s an idea that I really want/need to explore in the new year. The reality is, I’m absolutely killing it in my career, but I’m working 10x harder than most because I’ve yet to ask for help. Having someone else help with brand deals + outreach would give me so much more free time to focus my attention elsewhere. 

Hire An Intern 

As I said, there’s not much more I can add to my plate without needing help. I’m actually not interested in adding anything else to the equation this year (at least right now) but with a summer internship in California and a semester studying in Italy, I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep up with Styled by McKenz to the same degree. 

With that being said, I’m really thinking about hiring an intern to help me keep up with my schedules. This position would likely include a lot of linking, making thumbnails, handling tags and description bars, etc. I haven’t drafted up an application but I’m hoping to roll that out by the summer of 2022!

Attend Paris Fashion Week

I’ve been to two New York Fashion Weeks now and I’ve always dreamed of attending Paris Fashion Week while studying abroad. Many of the students within the fashion program are able to attend, assisting designers backstage; however, I’m more interested in attending shows as press for the blog!

Travel With A Company 

For years now I’ve wanted to travel with a brand! And I promise you, I’ll keep writing it until it happens! In 2021 I was blessed with several different hotel collaborations and trips to many different destinations. While I had the best time, I think creating the content with the intention of it being for one brand the entire time is so cool. Fingers crossed I can make that happen this year, or at least take more steps in that direction.

Travel to 10 Countries 

I’ve never been out of the country so to say I want to travel to 10 countries sounds insane, but with weekend trips planned every other weekend I know, I’ll be able to make this one happen while studying abroad.

Take 25 Flights 

In 2021 I flew 20 flights and it was such an accomplishment for me. I know it sounds silly but it made me really excited, lol. I want to do it again next year that way I can maintain my ~A list~ status on Southwest and keep racking up those points, haha. 

Enjoy The Separate Identities

Like I’ve said, there’s a lot of change coming my way this year. I’ll be finishing up my last semester IN Kent in May, moving home that same month. In June and July, I will complete my summer internship in Malibu, California and in August I will leave for five months in Florence, Italy with my college best friends. This will be my last semester completing my Fashion Merchandising degree at Kent State. The week I return to the US I will graduate college!!!!! How is that possible?! 

While I am so grateful for my Styled by life and all it has offered me, I want to make 2022 a McKenzie Morgan priority, not a Styled by McKenz one. This year needs to be the one where I take advantage of every opportunity being thrown my way, to say yes to random parties and late nights with my girlfriends because I will never be in college again. I want to capture it all for you, but I want to make sure I’m not doing so at the expense of truly enjoying myself. 

I have faith and I know I will adapt as I go. I trust that God’s timing will provide, the way it always does, and that I will finish 2022 strong. In January of 2023 I will be faced with some big decisions— will I get a job? Will I go full-time with Styled by McKenz? Will I need to rebrand then? Will I live at home for a bit or move across the country?

There are so many unanswered questions but instead of worrying about the future, I’m going to try my *very best* to enjoy all of life’s blessings that are being thrown at me right this second! Cheers to a kick-ass New Year!

With love, McKenz

Latest Post: Weekly Wrap Up #53 2021
Related Post:  My 2021 Goals + Aspirations
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