I can’t believe we’re here! We’ve made it to the end of 2020. Honestly, give yourselves a round of applause because you made it through one hell of a year! Despite all of what happened, goals were made for 2020. I know that some of those goals/ plans had to end up being placed on the backburner, but I hope that you all didn’t let this year fully stop you from going after some things you truly wanted and deserved.

On the last day of blogmas last year, I did a 2019 recap and shared the goals I had for 2020. I decided that it was a good idea to do the same thing this year, and maybe even make it something that I do every year. Sad to say, I looked back at that post maybe once, so I don’t remember all the goals I planned, but it’s fun to see what all I managed to accomplish on the list. Along with recapping what goals I accomplished on my list, I’ll also share what I accomplished that wasn’t on the list, my goals for 2021, and at the end share an announcement.

Let’s get into it!

Accomplished Goals For 2020

2019 feels like a decade away at this point, so let’s just recap on the goals I planned for 2020:

Go self hosted. I am extremely proud of this one! This is for sure in the top goals and I accomplished it. This was a HUGE investment, but it has been absolutely worth it!

Quit my job and begin my own business. I’m still working on the begin my own business part (although my blog is a business within itself), but I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have quit my job if it wasn’t for the pandemic. Out of everything accomplished, I’m most proud of this one. I’m not sure what 2021 has in store, but I know I’m not working somewhere dreadful and anxiety-inducing.

Learn to save money/budget. This is another thing that I can give credit to the pandemic to. I am by no means a master, and I still spend money on some things when I should’ve just…not, but I’m so much better now. I’ve learned to save up for big purchases and goals that I have/had. Past Deandra would be so proud.

Listen to more podcasts. This year was a pretty good year for listening to podcasts. I did fall off a little bit, but I’m getting back on track. I found that, my favorite thing to do is to listen to them in the morning while making breakfast. It really does set the tone for the day and I’m taking in information without even thinking about it.

Accomplished goals not listed:

Partake in a business and branding school. This wasn’t a physical school like college, but it was a virtual boot camp that someone I highly admire created. I was almost unable to join because I couldn’t afford to spend the money, but my friend believes in me so much that she paid for me to attend and I’m forever grateful! The experience was amazing and I learned so much from it. I even have Ebooks from it so the knowledge never stops.

Have a feature in VoyageATL. Quick backstory. I discovered this virtual magazine earlier this year, and knew instantly that I wanted a feature. I kept the tab up in my phone of the website to keep it as a memory. I never thought that in the same year I would end up getting an email to be featured! I’m so grateful and honored they chose me, and I’m absolutely still on a high! If you’d like to read my article in the magazine, you can read the article here!

Stream my podcast on multiple platforms. I’m happy to say that my podcast has expanded from just being on Spotify and Anchorfm. If you didn’t know, my podcast is now on all streaming platforms. You can pick your favorite platform to choose to listen to, all you have to do is search “The Black Princess Diaries”. If it’s not on your platform of choice, then just let me know!

My nomination for the girl boss awards gala. This one absolutely happened out of the blue for me, but I’m glad that it did happen. So, I just recently discovered that there’s a girl boss awards gala in my city. There are so many nominations, and I debated on running for the nomination of best podcast. I was a bit scared, but I did it and…made it through the first round! I’m still shook, but so grateful. Now, the second round of voting has officially started where I could go all the way in the category. If you love my podcast and would like to vote for me, below are the rules and how to vote!

Rules:

• Vote 2x per day/per person
• Voting is December 25th-January 9th

How to:

• Go to this website
• Look for the “Best Podcast” category
• Vote Deandra James(The Black Princess Diaries)

I’m so proud of myself for accomplishing all of the things that I did this year, and I’m even more excited about all of the things that are waiting for me in 2021 (no matter how crazy the ride it might end up being).

My Goals For 2021

Some of these goals are repeats of the ones I had for 2020, but these are the ones I really want to keep trying to accomplish, and maybe you guys can even keep me on my toes!

Blog/business goals:

• Open my shop
• Take all my information received in 2020, go over it, and put it into practice
• Create a mailing list
• Create a press kit and send them out to brands
• Obtain more revenue from my podcast
• Show up more on Instagram

Personal goals:

• Learn how to budget more
• Continue the fight to loving my body while also fighting to get healthy
• Read books more than I’m buying them
• Practice self care
• Move into my own apartment

These are some big goals, but I can’t do anything besides believe in myself and my capabilities!

Announcement Time!

This should come as no surprise if you’ve been sticking with me for a while, but this is officially my last post of 2020 (I know…so sad). I’m so grateful for all of you and I appreciate all of the support that has been given! This year has been wild, but it has also been an amazing one for TBPD. From the OG readers to the ones I’ve gained this year, thank you for sticking with me! TBPD is almost three years old..how crazy is that!? I’ll save that emotional speech for when I make that post just to spare you.

I’m sure you’re curious how long I’ll be taking a break, and the answer is…one to two weeks. I haven’t settled on an official date, but the max will be two weeks. I won’t be blogging, but I will be working behind the scenes as well as posting on social media, so be sure to follow (all my links are on my sidebar and at the bottom of my blog)!

Final words

I hope that 2020 hasn’t pushed you guys from believing that 2021 can become a good year. Nothing will change instantly at the strike of midnight. We still all have to be careful and proceed things with caution, but you can still change things around personally for yourself. Create those goals, take steps toward your dreams, and don’t be afraid to create a life that you love. A pandemic can’t take away your potential. This year has taught us that we need to love our family and friends harder, but also, we need to love ourselves harder as well.

I’ll see you all in the new year!