Who says January is the only time to set goals? Despite my intentions to write this blog post earlier in the year, life got in the way. Even though it’s now March, I firmly believe it’s never too late to reflect on the past year! One exercise I always do before setting my yearly goals is to thoroughly examine the past 12 months (i.e. my 2023 Year In Review).. Essentially, I look at both my business + personal life and ask myself the following questions:

• What worked and what didn’t work this past year?
• Did I achieve everything I set out to?
• Are there specific goals I want to pursue in the coming year?
• What were my revenue and expenses?
• Where can I reduce expenses and increase revenue?
• In which areas did I generate the most and least revenue?

Answering these questions and jotting down my responses brings clarity to the areas where my business excelled, where it faltered, which goals were reached, and where I need to focus my efforts in the upcoming year. I started this reflective practice in 2020, and it’s been enlightening to witness how my business and life have evolved over just the past 12 months. If you haven’t conducted a 2023 year in review for your business yet, I highly recommend taking a few moments to ponder the questions I’ve outlined above in relation to both your business and personal life! It’s never too late to start!

2023 Year In Review

Word Of The Year

I’ve chosen “thrive” as my 2023 word of the year, embodying growth, successful development, and overall prosperity. Throughout the upcoming year, my aspiration is to thrive in every facet of life—financially, in my business endeavors, within my marriage, family, friendships, and personal growth. Each goal I’ve set for the coming year is crafted with the intention of prospering in these diverse areas.

In the past few years, there were endeavors I hesitated to pursue due to fear—fear of standing out, speaking up, launching initiatives, or simply being my authentic self. However, in 2024, fear will not hold me back. I am resolute in my determination to thrive and achieve even my most challenging goals. This year marks a departure from hesitation as I embrace the opportunity to thrive.

Navigating through 2023 presented its share of challenges, both personally and in business, but we made it through! Read on below for all the good, bad, and a few of my 2024 goals. Let’s go!

2023 Year in Review | The Good

• Participated in Jenni Maroney’s Mastermind
• Had a gorgeous wedding published in Wisconsin Bride Magazine.
• Organized my children’s school items and finished updating Millie’s baby book
• Participated in the Belle Lumiere Creative Collaboration
• Attended the Hybrid Collective Conference in Amelia Island, Florida
• Photographed 7 beautiful weddings, 25 senior sessions and 9 engagement sessions
• Grew the education side of my business
• Did a complete overhaul of my website
• Did a ton of writing for my upcoming course: The Entrepreneur Blueprint
• Created beautiful customized gift boxes for my wedding clients
• Utilized AI technology to help cull and edit images faster
• Made some amazing new industry friends via masterminds and conferences
• Celebrated 10 years of marriage
• Millie started to walk all on her own (She has cerebral palsy so this is a huge milestone!)
• Bought a camper and went a numerous camping trips as a family
• My husband started a new job, which gives him more time at home with his family
• Traveled to New York City and captured a stunning engagement session
• Surprised my 14 year old son with a trip to NYC to celebrate his golden birthday
• Met Daniel Radcliffe and got a picture with him (Bucket list item!)
• Was chosen to be godmother to my nephew Crue
• Millie started potty training (our last time doing this!)
• Started to take my health seriously and began the Faster Way program
• Spent a lot of time focusing on my mental health
• Took on less weddings and sessions so I could spend more time with my young kids
• Read 6 books
• Paid of $10k on our home mortgage (getting closer to paying it off completely!)
• Started contributing to kids college each month
• Took off the last 2-3 weeks of December to enjoy the holidays with my family

2023 Year in Review | The Bad

• We’ve had to address several health challenges with Millie (our youngest child). In late 2022, she received a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy (just a mild case). Additionally, she began wearing AFO’s on her legs to assist with walking, began physical therapy, had tubes inserted in her ears due to hearing difficulties, and was later diagnosed with hip dysplasia. Millie now wears a hip brace for a minimum of 20 hours daily, with the expectation of continuing this regimen for at least a year. If the brace fails to correct her hip alignment, there is a strong likelihood that she will require hip surgery.
• Our 6 year old daughter, Haddie, swallowed a quarter. It ended up getting lodged in her chest, which required her to be put to sleep in order for the doctor to retrieve it. She’s totally okay, but it was a scary few hours!
• We dealt with some GI issues for our 4 year old, Emilia. There were lots of missed bathroom opportunities.. if you catch my drift. 😉
• You know that camper we bought? Turns out it has a ton of mold issues and water damage. We now have to completely gut it and renovate it before we can use it again!
• Family medical issues/scares
• Scheduling out blogging/Social Media Posts/newsletters in advance. I did well for the first quarter of the year, but once busy season started I couldn’t get back into it.
• Wedding bookings were very slow and there was a lot of ghosting that happened.
• I wasn’t able to launch my course or coaching programs
• Utilizing a block schedule each day didn’t stick. I had very poor time management (i.e. too much scrolling on Instagram and Facebook).
• I didn’t achieve some of my financial, personal and business goals

2024 Goals

Every year I utilize Lara Casey’s Cultivate What Matters Powersheets to help layout my business and personal goals for the year. I always have so many things I want to accomplish, but these powersheets really help me to hone in on what is most important. As a way to hold myself accountable, here are my following goals for 2024 (in no particular order):

• Follow a block schedule each week
• Organize heirlooms (i.e. update kids baby books– only 1 to go!)
• Read 1 book per month
• Simplify + declutter our home
• Create passive income streams via my new Etsy Shop, education site, and gallery product sales.
• Pay off our home
• Batch out content for newsletters, social media and blogs monthly
• Launch The Entrepreneur Blueprint Course
• Do daily rhythms each morning (Make bed, clean up kitchen, get myself ready, clean up bathroom, throw in a load of laundry)
• Book 8 weddings for 2024
• Work with 35 seniors for 2024
• Document my personal life more through photography and journaling
• Monthly date nights with my husband
• Communicate better (this is hard for an Enneagram 9!)
• Nightly dinners as a family
• Take one vacation as a family per year
• Complete our camper renovation and take a few camping trips as a family
• Less screen time
• Take off the entire month of December
• Focus on my health and wellness through exercising, eating whole foods, fasting, getting enough sleep, and taking vitamins.

In 2023, there was a good mix of ups and downs, but I always make a conscious effort to focus on the positive each day and persevere. What’s a highlight from your 2023 that you’re thankful for? Is there a moment you’re eager to leave behind? Looking ahead, what’s one of your goals for 2024? Tell me below and let’s have a conversation!