January in Review #Blogging #Goals

January Review

I didn’t strictly adhere to my ‘must write a new year resolution list’ at the start of the month, in fact, I adopted an altogether new approach for 2017 which involves only a few goals, and a more laid back attitude. So far, so good.

One of the goals I did set for my blog was to publish a monthly review where I could check stats, assess the posts I’ve written and the interaction they received, as well as sharing the links in case anyone missed one. Over previous years I’ve been a bit lax with analytics, but I’ve come to realise that if I want to provide valuable content, then I need to see what you, my dearest blog reader, enjoys.

I have also been asked to provide a few guest posts for other blogs this month, and I’ve embarked on a couple of advertising boosts to lift the profile of my blog and hopefully get my articles in front of a wider audience, after all, that’s the whole point of writing. I want to help as many people as I can to embrace their best self, to be confident in their skin, and to believe that they can achieve anything they want.

How was January?

Stats:

I’m delighted with the increase in views. Overall, the blog received 15,075 new visits which is an incredible leap. Yay! The most popular post of the month was Adopt a Skinny Thinking Routine to Help with Your Weight Loss.

Published Posts:

Week1 – How to Ensure You Have a Great Year Using a Happiness Jar

Week2 – Releasing Negative Emotions

Week3 – How to Avoid Self-Sabotage

Week4 – Adopt a Skinny Thinking Routine to Help Your Weight Loss

Guest Posts:

Rosie Amber’s Blog – Week 1 How to Review the Last 12 Months

Rosie Amber’s Blog – Week 2 Power Words for 2017 

Rosie Amber’s Blog – Week 3 Setting Goals for 2017

Rosie Amber’s Blog – Week 4 Planning for a Perfect Year 

Socially Shared Business Network – Change Your Beliefs and Change your Life

Goals for February:

February is the month of love! Those of you who know me well will understand when I reach for the sick bucket. I don’t ‘do’ romance. Actually, that’s not strictly true; I’ve never met anyone who does romance and I therefore only know about flowers, chocolates, and romantic weekend trips because I’m a sucker for a rom-com film (sshh, don’t tell anyone).

As I can’t produce love infused blog posts from a personal perspective (unless we count my horrific experiences on a dating site!), I thought I’d concentrate on self-love. I know a great deal about this topic as it’s one of my main goals for 2017 – learning to appreciate myself, flaws and all, and turning the negative inner dialogue into positive self-talk. February’s theme will cover this in more detail, and I hope you enjoy reading my posts on this subject.

Over to You:

Your mission if you choose to accept it is…

I thought it might be a fun twist if at the end of every monthly review I set you some fun exercises. I want you to think about the following questions, grab your journal and note down any thoughts or feelings that bubble to the surface or feel free to add your thoughts in the comments below.

Q1. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What small steps can you take between now and December 31^st to achieve it?

Q2. What does a day in the life of your dreams look like? Write your perfect day from the minute you wake up to when you go to bed. Where are you, who are you with, what would you do?

Q3. If money was not an issue what career would you have or what lifestyle would you adopt?

I’ll add another three questions to the February review. You don’t need to share your answers; they’re for your personal development. If you can keep all your notes together in one journal then by the end of the year, you’ll have a great overview of 2017 to work with when you want to do a review, set goals, or release anything that isn’t serving your greater purpose. Until next month.

Thanks for visiting my blog, I hope you enjoyed this post. Want more? Connect with me here:  Twitter @ShelleyWilson72, Instagram or check out my Facebook pages http://www.facebook.com/FantasyAuthorSLWilson and http://www.facebook.com/MotivateMeBlog. You can also find me on Pinterest

Adopt a Skinny Thinking Routine to Help Your Weight Loss

I recently re-joined my local Slimming World class to help me shift the extra pounds that crept on last year. Aside from the weight loss goal there is another reason for going back to group and that’s the social aspect. I love the camaraderie at the meetings, and the support at weigh in.

I spent a huge portion of 2016 climbing on my scales only to find that needle kept getting higher. I would then spiral into doom and gloom and end up attacking the biscuit tin. Why we choose to abuse ourselves by adding to the problem can probably be explained by using the techniques I wrote about in last week’s post – avoiding self-sabotage, which you can read HERE.

There have been plenty of articles and books written about the benefits and pitfalls of slimming groups. I fully believe that

How to Avoid Self-Sabotage

For thousands of people across the globe, the New Year is a time for goal setting. Whether you believe in resolutions or not, we can’t help but feel slightly inspired to create a few ‘I’d like to do…’, or ‘I will achieve…’ situations for the year ahead.

As you all know, I do love a good list writing session, and jotting down all the possibilities a new year brings would be my perfect Saturday night! I haven’t been as regimented with my resolutions for 2017. My recent illness and battle with depression and anxiety have taken the shine off setting too many challenges. However, the goals I have set for myself are still bold enough to push me out of my comfort zone and keep me focused.

One of my main faults is a tendency for

Releasing Negative Emotions

I’m only into the second week of the year, and I’ve already steered away from my lovingly constructed blog schedule! However, in my defence, I have a valid reason for needing to throw all my well-laid plans aside and share this story, and that’s because it HURT!

Since the middle of last year, I have had regular acupuncture sessions with a wonderful therapist called Jo, who is insightful, compassionate, and highly skilled. I know without any doubt that the sessions are making a difference, not just physically, but emotionally.

We talk through so many issues, and Jo has an incredible knack for getting

How to Ensure You Have a Great Year by Using a Happiness Jar

When I was younger, I would write my New Year Resolution or goals list based on what I wanted to do, be, or have that would make me happy. It took me several decades to understand that happiness comes from within and isn’t a physical object, place, or person.

It’s human nature to want to make our lives better. However, we have an inbuilt security system that resists change. So how do you make improvements to your life without upsetting that inner control freak?

Several years ago I saw a meme on Facebook which suggested starting a gratitude jar. The idea appealed to me, but in the example, you were told to write down something that you were grateful for each day, week, or month. While I approved of the sentiment, I was already adding my thoughts of gratitude to my daily journal. So, I improvised.

Happy Birthday: My Blog is 4 Today! #WeekendBlogShare

Achievements come in all shapes and sizes. They can be related to weight loss, fitness, creativity, habits, friendships, romance, or career. For me, the first day of the year is always a reminder that one of my greatest achievements was starting this blog.

Today, Motivate Me (formally known as Resolution Challenge) is four years old! Now that’s an achievement worth rejoicing.