As 2017 draws to a close, most people will be writing New Year’s resolutions. I have mine: daily mobility for at least five minutes, complete an Italian course, get consecutive double unders. I also have resolutions for this blog:

1. Be authentic. I carefully evaluated my ambassadorships, and I’ve dropped companies that I don’t truly love. I don’t want to work with companies if I can’t stand behind their messages or their products (or even their social media practices). My life now is about eating clean, running, CrossFitting, and self-care. I love my Sweat Pink family and want to spend time promoting the extremely exciting events in the Sweat Pink Houston chapter, as well as sharing my love of running and CrossFit. (The first rule of CrossFit: You must always talk about CrossFit.) In all seriousness, one of my New Year’s resolutions outside fitness is to pursue things that make me happy. Shilling for companies I don’t love does not make me happy.
2. Abandon social media metrics. In particular, I’m abandoning the “numbers game” on Instagram. What was once a fun way to share fitness photos has become a quagmire of impressions, reach, engagement, hashtags, tagging, and more. Instagram keeps changing its algorithm. I’m done trying to figure out what their game is, and I switched back to a personal account. If you want to follow me on Instagram, by all means, do so: @runoutofthebox. In 2018, I care less about hashtags and more about content. You’ll see more lifestyle photos as well as running and CrossFit snaps.
3. Focus on the blog. I tell clients all the time to focus on earned and owned media. My blog is my owned media. It’s self-hosted through WordPress, and I am not at the mercy of a social media giant. If you subscribe to my feed or to my email newsletter, you see my posts. There is no fancy algorithm. I’ve created a new editorial calendar, so expect more frequent posts in 2018.

Ultimately, what my New Year’s Resolutions boil down to is the mantra I wear on my wrist: Serenity, Courage, Wisdom. It’s the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. I can’t change what brands do, but I can choose who I work with. I can’t change what Social Media platforms are doing, but I can shift my attention to owned media.

What are your New Year’s Resolutions?

The post 2018: New Year, New Challenges, New Focus appeared first on Run Out of the Box.