Hello everyone!
This is my first blog post of 2021! It is great to be back, with my energies recharged after my vacation for the holidays. It was great to disconnect for a few days, I definitely feel ready to start this year.
Every year gives us an opportunity for a new beginning, and we seldom take it. After such a rough year 2020 was, I think most of us feel a bit reluctant to get excited about starting a new year, like we don’t want to jinx it!
But we should leave 2020 in the past and give 2021 a chance. The pandemic situation is not going to change any time soon. It is something that we need to learn to live with, but at least we already know this and if we accept it, we’ll be able to move forward.
This year I want to change a couple of things. During the holidays I was able to think about what I want from this new beginning. Here are some of the things I’m doing different this year:
- I’ll only publish one blog post per month. I published two per month last year, and although I do enjoy writing, it gets more difficult to find new topics and it does take a lot of my time. I’d rather publish more quality content than quantity.
- I’ll only publish posts on social media three days per week. After more than a year of posting daily, I’ve decided to bring it down to three posts. This will help me not only to produce more quality and original posts, but it will also free some of my time. Managing your social media by yourself can be like having a second job!
- I’m trying to be more friendly with the environment. For a couple of years now, I’ve started replacing different products with natural, organic, or vegan ones. From skin and hair care products to toothbrushes, and other household items, little by little we’ve been transitioning. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but if we all did something like this, we would be able to help our environment in a big way.
- I’m taking more time for myself. If the pandemic has taught me anything, is that I need to take care of myself to take care of others. Taking more time off, finding time to meditate and relax, and improving skin and hair care routines are great ways to focus on my well-being.
- Engage more. Another reason for publishing less material on social media is to focus on engaging more with my followers and the accounts I follow. Networking is essential, but you need time to do it.
- Support more local small businesses and entrepreneurs. During the pandemic, so many new small businesses were created, mainly due to the lack of employment. As an entrepreneur myself, I know how important it is to support other entrepreneurs and small businesses.
- I didn’t just rest during the holidays, I also took the time to really clean out my house, especially my room and closet. I got rid of many things that I didn’t even remember I had, and now there’s more space for other things and it all looks so much better!
- In this same line, I deleted profiles and accounts that I don’t use anymore or that never gave me any results.
- I also want to get rid of any negativity or pessimism. I want to keep a more positive outlook on life, instead of bringing myself down with anxiety.
- And last, but not least, I want to be kinder. The truth is we never really know what people are really going through. They might seem ok or even have a smile on their faces, but internally they might be battling all sorts of problems. This is why I think we should always be kind to one another, and I definitely want to practice this more. A kind word or gesture can go a long way!
They are not exactly goals; they are more like ideas of how to get better both as a person and as a professional. Self-improvement never ends!
2021 has had a great start for me. FluentU has agreed to raise my rate due to how happy they are with my work, and I just landed a small Portuguese to Spanish translation project for one of my most important clients.
Another great thing that has happened, is that you can hear my voice on the Translation Confessional podcast! The lovely Rafa Lombardino invited me to leave a voice message on her podcast page, and I made the cut! You can listen to the episode “Client Education” on any podcast platform. Here is the link to listen to it in YouTube!
How is 2021 treating you so far? Did you set any goals or resolutions? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe!
As a reminder, you can get a 15% discount on a beautiful swimsuit from Bright Swimwear by using my code: ILDU15. If you want to know more about my collaboration with them, don’t miss this blog post Brand Ambassador!
By the way, if you don’t yet have a website and have been thinking about starting one, or if you’d like to create a new one, here is a gift if you do so with WordPress. If you use this link to start your website, you’ll receive a USD 25.00 credit towards the plan you choose: https://wordpress.com/refer-a-friend/9YVyPkAtvbLBWjAwkPxx/
Until the next time, take care and stay safe!
XX
Translation Expert 