I’ve been blogging now for 2.5 years! I can’t believe it! It’s been nothing short of a thrill ride. I’m so proud of what I’ve built over these past couple of years, and the experiences keep getting better and better. I can’t thank you enough for all of your support – really. To wake up each morning and see a flurry of positive comments and encouragement makes my heart swell, and all the hard work has been completely worth it. Better yet, meeting readers in person who follow my journey has been the best reward ever.
This success has been attributed to me setting attainable goals and milestones for myself. Every three months, I sit down and write out a list of accomplishments that I want to complete. I then place this list somewhere I can see it every single day. And you know what? It totally works. Thank you Ryan, for this wonderful tip! I apparently have to try a little harder to reach my Chanel bag goal, but I’m being patient!!
OUTFIT DETAILS
Yellow Wrap Mini Dress – Shein | Oriana Espadrilles – L’Intervalle (similar here and here) | Tassel Bag – Dezzal | Round Metal Sunnies – Ray-Ban | Turquoise Bracelet – ALEX AND ANI | Conch Shell Charm Bangle – ALEX AND ANI | iPhone Case – Ted Baker
Now, milestones can be scary too. In speaking with a lot of my friends and people I meet about town, I notice that a lot of us suffer from what I call “comparison-itis”. Comparison-itis is the thief of joy, people. I’m not immune to it myself. All I have to do is open up Instagram and look at beautiful vacation pictures or a fabulous blogger carrying the latest it-bag, and I can’t help but feel like I don’t measure up sometimes. I quickly refocus though, and realize that I have it pretty good. Sometimes it pays to have blinders on.
So, for this post, I want to share with you all my advice on setting some real, attainable milestones that make you feel like you’re winning at life.
Surround Yourself With Good People
“You are the company you keep.” is something my mom would say to me constantly while growing up…mainly while I was 12 or 13-years-old and hanging with a girl she didn’t like. Oh Mum! LOL! She was right.
I learned quickly that when you surround yourself with like-minded, positive people, it’s easy to lead a good life. My friends consist of salt of the earth types who love to eat, travel, experience different cultures and are open-minded and open-hearted.
It gets real boring, real fast – not to mention disheartening, when you’re stuck with people who are gossipy, mean-spirited and all-around negative. You can’t win at life by being insecure and tearing others down.
What Is Important To You – Really?
Stop and think about what is important to you. Do you want to reduce your credit card debt in order to buy a home? Need a car so that you can quit suffering on the bus? Want to jet off to Paris for a great life experience?
It seems like common sense to identify your goals and objectives, but sometimes we get sidetracked by pretty things with no longevity, like designer handbags that don’t hold their value or trendy clothing. If a goal will really help you and make you happy for years to come, write it down and look at it daily until you reach it.
Stop Worrying About Age
I hear this all the time – especially from women. “I should have had a baby by now”, “I’m 30 and I’m not managing my division yet!”, “My sister bought her first house at 28. This will never happen for me.”
People get hung up on life markers. The truth of the matter is that we are living in a way different age than what our parents experienced. With sky-rocketing home prices and how expensive everything is, it just takes longer to reach those goals.
Honestly – how you achieve your goals is much more important than when. For instance, let’s say you want to finish your degree. You’re working full-time though and feel helpless regarding when you can actually finish it. How about taking a leave of absence from your work to get it done? What about part-time studies? Some employers allow their staff to go to school while working and still offer full-time employment.
It’s all in the research and effort. Put in the legwork, and you will achieve your goals.
Think About Who You Want To Share Your Goals With
Be choosy regarding who your share your goals and achievements with. You must surround yourself with supportive people who lift you up and encourage you to do well.
Nothing kills your go-getting spirit than nay-sayers you break you down or make fun of what you are setting out to do. For instance, I dated a guy who made fun of the fact that I wanted to complete my degree in art history. “That’s so dumb. Have fun in the unemployment line!!” Well, guess who’s still in the unemployment line, and guess who visited the Galleria Borghese in Italy to take in some artistic wonders?
The same goes for achievements. It’s great to share your wins with your true friends and family. It’s also important to live your best life with humility. Some people have difficulty hearing about others’ wins due to whatever reasons they are dealing with. Others automatically think you are bragging. Eitherway, if you attain a goal, feel free to express with your genuine supporters in a way that is humble. No need to go all “Kanye” on people. They’ll cheer you on and motivate you to keep going.
Set Itty Bitty Milestones In Between
While setting your long and short-term goals, set some itty-bitty ones too. They can be anything – mini-goals that go to achieving bigger, related ones, or just little goals that make you feel good from day to day.
Some little ones I set for myself:
- Sharing the tons of beauty products I receive with my friends and family, mainly to see some big smiles and declutter.
- Finish reading that book I started six months ago.
- Adding an extra kilometre to my 5K runs.
- Doing 100 crunches instead of 75.
So on and so forth…
Achieving these little goals and crossing them off your list sure feels good at the end of the day and motivates you to keep going.
Reward Yourself!
Don’t forget to reward yourself when you hit your goals! Doesn’t have to be anything crazy (or hey – maybe it does!), but it’s important to treat yourself when your hardwork pays off.
When I crushed my first 10K, shaving 5 minutes off my best 10K run, I treated myself and my husband to a huge pancake breakfast at our fave brunch spot. God – that felt good. When I paid off my car early, I bought myself some champagne. And when I successfully finished a workout training program, I treated myself to a fancy limited edition lip gloss. It’s the little things, you know, that keep you going.
I’m really interested to hear how you guys goal set and achieve your big milestones. Do you feel any pressure to achieve your goals? Are you one of those that stresses about attaining something by a certain age? Please share in the comments!
*Photography at Café Cristal courtesy of www.styledbytara.com
Dominique is a Canadian-based fashion and beauty influencer with a strong voice in Ottawa’s black community. Since launching her blog Style Domination in 2015, she has amassed a global fanbase. Dominique shares her life through beautiful imagery and compelling story-telling that speaks to her fans on a personal level. She’s been featured in The Guardian, Flare, The Kit and Cityline. She also hosts events for Dress for Success, the Gem Conference, and has been named a United Way Person 2 Know for the past three years.
This is wonderfully sage advice that everyone can benefit from! Keep on crushing those goals 🙂
Author
Thanks, Vanessa! I’m trying, girl! And you superstars are rubbing off on me!
Love your site! Do you mind sharing how you got your social share buttons including stumbleupon, right above the comment section
Author
Hi Onyi! Thank you! That section is part of my theme. I had my developer add them in for me. Not sure how. I’m no techie. Sorry!
so many good things to learn from this post!! thanks for sharing 🙂
great tips in this post! I love it! http://www.lovemarcella.com
Author
Thank you!
Sounds like you’re definitely doing it right! It’s always great to not only have goals, but to know how to achieve them.
Author
Exactly. Like, a little life game plan!
Another job for you my friend is life coach! Wow, I needed to hear this! Congrats on 2.5 years! You have accomplished so much. It is so important to stay focused on appreciating your own uniqueness and strengths!
xo Debbie | http://www.tothineownstylebetrue.com
Another job for you my friend is life coach! Wow, I needed to hear this! Congrats on 2.5 years! You have accomplished so much. It is so important to stay focused on appreciating your own uniqueness and strengths!
xo Debbie
Author
Hey Debbie! Thanks for your kind words and encouragement! I really feel like I have accomplished a lot over the past 2+ years. It’s been such a rewarding journey. You’re killing it too, lady!
Another great post with great advice. Kudos to achieving your goals and to setting a path to continue. Love your blog!
❥ tanvii.com
Some great tips here – I love the idea of mini rewards!
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Thanks, Michelle!
Great advice Dom! You’ve achieved so much! I totally agree about your point about surrounding yourself with good people & i love the idea of mini goals 🙂
Author
ALFA!! Thank you so much for visiting! Means a lot! Life experience has taught me that the best way to get motivated really, is to surround yourself with awesome people! Take care and hope to see you soon! xoxoxo
2.5 years of awesome and the best still yet to come❤️ The success is so well deserved. Beyond thrilled for you xox
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KATIE! I can’t thank you enough for visiting and commenting! Look who’s talking, Mama! I’m incredibly proud of all of your success! I really hope we can meet up soon. xoxoxox
Wow, How time flies! Another fantastic post Dom:) It’s so easy to get bogged down in the weeds of life and forget the “big picture”. Your blog is timely for me and is the kick in the butt that I needed! Your awesomeness has no boundaries.
Thank you for this affirmation. This feeling of comparison is universal and unnecessary. What happens for me isn’t necessarily going to happen for you and vice versa, especially on this imaginary timeline! What I am taking from this is really setting reasonable goals, building on what you have instead of just choosing arbitrary achievements, that makes them attainable.
Author
Exactly, Sensaisha!!! I couldn’t have said it more beautifully myself. See ya soon, doll!
You need to set goals to achieve them!1 What a wonderful post 🙂
Treating yourself and surrounding yourself with good people definitely are key ingredients to success.
Author
One Hundo P, my friend!
This was a great post and if u did that to get where u are ….shoot can I hop on the achieving goals train ?!!! Chooooo choooo
Author
Haha Kenya! Your comment made me smile. Trust me – these tips have served me incredibly well. Thank you so much for reading!
I love the 3 month meeting and setting goals and the plan of how to obtain them! I need to incorporate this ASAP into blogging!
Author
It’s really helped me out, Carissa!
First of all, I love all of your pics. You’ll so pretty. Second of all, I totally agree with all your tips, especially, surrounding yourself with like minded people. That is so important because no one has time for people who aren’t on the same page as you and who are negative. They will only drag you down.
I truly believe in working on my goals even if the steps are small. I celebrate those small wins along the way.
You are doing it girl. These are great tips, I work hard to keep the right people around me. That makes a huge difference. I need to make some adjustments to my tribe.
I believe that what is for me, is for me. Comparison is the thief of joy.
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Mimi – when I made “adjustment to my tribe”, my life got infinitely better. I suggest you do so asap. Can’t thank you enough for reading!
Great tips Dom! If you want to be successful and make your dreams come true, cutting off all unnecessary contact with negative people is a must. No two ways about it.
Excellent post and congrats on your successful well deserved 2.5 years of blogging!! Here’s wishing you more growth and happiness!
Helen | http://www.wholly-happy.com
Author
Awww! Thank you for your kind comment, Helen! Means a lot!
Finally got the chance to read this and loved every moment! I’m THE WORST at setting goals because I always change my mind about them too fast to actually pursue and achieve. The Dailey Method helped me write down some long term ones, but this post was a great reminder that a 3 month check in plan and small rewards are key – thanks D!! xox
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Hey Alyssa! You’re welcome! Let’s get together soon and I’ll give you some more tips on how to stick to the little, short-term ones!