I followed my own advice … here are the results!
Dear 2021, I knew you’d be a handful. Nevertheless, I’m proud of how we’ve walked together. You’ve given me some of the most amazing memories, and I’m happy to say, you’ve really given me chances to shape up and grow.
Dear 2021, thankyou for being my friend. For giving me opportunities to win, to grow, to make new connections, to love and to be loved back in return, to look back at my 20 yr-old self and comfortably say, I’ve done her well.🤎
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Marianne Williamson
Hello Everyone! A happy new last day of November to you all and welcome to my site! My name is Sarafina Nyawira, I’m an Inspiration Blogger, Digital Marketing Expert and a lover of positive vibes. If you’re new here, thank you so much for reading this and hope that you SUBSCRIBE so you become a part of my community, and if you’re a regular, welcome back!💯
Today’s blog post is a round up on how my year has been. I take stock of my year every year on my birthday, so my year kinda ends/starts on September 9th. This blog post is coming in now because it’s prolly going to be the last I write this year. Today, I write to inspire you, my reader, to keep going, no matter how hard it gets. This is my winning secret, and I hope it encourages you to know that you can always achieve that which you badly want to achieve. It’s going to be a bit different, and lengthy…. but I promise you a good compensation by the VALUE OF INFORMATION given on this post!🙌🏾
At the beginning of the year, I did write a post on ACHIEVING GOALS FOR 2021, which if you haven’t read, you can find right here. I’m going to be referring to all the tips I shared on that blog post, and, explaining how they worked for me this year. I’ll also share some of my wins as a result of this, in the hopes to show you that these things are actually…. ACHIEVABLE!💥
I also like to give my audience value for whatever pieces of content I put out as representative of my brand across ALL my social media platforms (both from personal and professional levels), so I’ll also be announcing initiatives I plan to properly launch in 2022 by the grace of God to add more value, or to connect, engage and interact with my community. So hopefully, please read till the very end to find out what all of these initiatives are. You might find you’d be interested to plug into some, or know someone who could. Hence, without further ado, let’s get right into it! 🤍
GOALS ACHIEVED 2021
✔Breaking goals into smaller, achievable tasks…
I broke down my year into 3 quarters as follows:
Sep 2020-Jan 2021,
Jan 2021 – May 2021,
May 2021 -Sep 2021.
In each of these 3 quarters, were 3 very big goals I wanted to achieve, and by breaking them up into segmented parts of the year, it was easier to focus on each at a time, vis-à-vis having to direct my energies on different things at the same time.
⭐ Sep 2020 – Jan 2021 . Reviving my blog, SeraInspire – I had tried out my hand at blogging back in 2018, but had to close down the blog due to issues with the host platform (I was using Wixsite at the time), and lots of commitments that came later on after being crowned Miss University in my campus. I took time to also research and learn more about blogging because, far be it from me to invest time and resources, into things that are not worth any returns to me. So when I came back, now on WordPress, it was much easier as I had time (stay-at-home Covid period) to experiment and see how the blog would perform. It was at that time I wrote most of my blog posts, and grew my subscriber list. So come January, it was easy to repurpose last year’s blog posts into dates that read this year so visitors coming onto my page didn’t think my blog was inactive. That, also, helped me gain more subscribers. Sep 2020 – Jan 2021 was a crucial time in helping me lay the foundations for what I wanted with this platform.
ANNOUNCEMENT !!!
Now, I am pleased to announce that we are no longer serainspire.wordpress.com, but SERAINSPIRE.COM!! And, on this colorful space of mine, I share inspirational content and valuable life lessons I pick along my journey.(PS: I love exploring the latest photo studios in town so you might find some of my experiences documented here as well) So, if this sounds like a platform you think you’d resonate with, I’m inviting you to….
STOP!!!!!!!
and please please please, SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE to SeraInspire.com for great and authentic content pieces. Here, everyone is somebody and I’d love love looove to engage with you! By subscribing, I also share with you tips that come EXCLUSIVELY and directly in your email!
HOW CAN I SUBSCRIBE TO SERAINSPIRE.COM?🤔
It’s simple! All you need to do is scroll down to the bottom of this page, whereby you’ll see a space that will allow you to input your email, then hit the SUBSCRIBE button!
So, how about you do that now, before you forget! Meanwhile, let me have a sip of water as I wait…..
…. 3, 2, 1…. If you’ve done that……
⭐ Jan 2021 – May 2021 . Finishing my final semester of school! – This meant so much to me, and as my final lap in my campus undergrad journey, it meant alot for me to ensure I completed school, and do that to the best of my ability. It was honestly, a heavy semester; I had to combine six online units with my industrial attachment to make it for Grad List 2021. This meant, by day, being out on attachment, and having my classes in the evenings. I remember even having one class slotted for Saturday mornings. Consequently, this meant I had to go till as late as midnight, and on other days, sleeping earlier and waking up at 2a.m., to complete assignments, term papers, Takeaway CATs, you name it! It was crazy! Nevertheless, I was able to complete my degree successfully, graduate and even bag an award! Also, I invite you to see this… so you can truly know and believe without a doubt, that nothing is unachievable! (Also, follow me on Instagram if you aren’t already, so you never miss an update!)
⭐ May 2021 – Sep 2021 . Figuring out what next after school! – I knew I wasn’t the typical 9-5 lover. In my teen years, I figured out I actually enjoy being free, especially when it comes to how I spend my time. This also because, I wanted a career that would allow me make money on my terms, while also giving me time to grow and nurture my other initiatives. Venturing into the digital marketing space was perfect for me, but I didn’t want employment just yet. So I focussed on getting me experience, and the only way to do that, was to market my work!! So I started out with my social media agency, SMM KENYA, and went all out!
Let me tell you guys…. this is where I’ve actually seen the power of SOCIAL MEDIA and CONNECTIONS come to play for me. Every single income I have earned from SMM Kenya, is either because someone saw a post I put out on social media, or because they’d worked with me before, or knew what I do and decided to market my work. And I’m forever grateful to anyone who has mentioned my name or my business to other people, spaces and platforms with potential customers… I remain forever indebted.
Now, I’m able to say that by turning down a corporate job, I’m finally reaping the rewards of a bold and daring decision. It has not been easy, I can tell you! Just this month, I was doing my cashflows, and realized that there was one month I earned completely nothing, Kshs 0!!! Tough times, but I promise you, when you follow your passion, no matter how hard it gets, everything eventually aligns, If you forget everything else, please always remember that. My biggest lesson and takeaway from that season.
✔Having an accountability partner…
When I put this out on my GETTING GOALS FOR 2021 blogpost, I honestly meant it as one accountability partner. But, thanks to my significant other, who challenged me on this, I’ve been able to better learn and understand the value of having accountability partners for every aspect of life. So, what then, do I mean?
I mean exactly that. So, what I did was to break important aspects of my life into chunks. These chunks included;
Spiritual Life
Financial Life
Mental Health
Relationships
Careerwise
In Ministry
Health and Fitness
My Initiatives
Then for each aspect, I got a mentor. Not an online mentor, but a real person who could actually help me out with achieving my goals in the area I called on them to help me out with! This was a more efficient structure, as opposed to just having one person help keep me accountable with every single goal.
Another great benefit of having multiple mentors is that…. you get the best. Of course, when choosing mentors, I had to ensure that I chose people who had great track records of whatever area of my life I wanted their help with. This ensured that I obviously got the best information and knowledge from my mentors.
✔Setting clear plans on how you’re going to achieve your goals…
I don’t know about y’all, but I always feel that whenever you write what you want to achieve down, be it on paper, or on your online notes somewhere… it just gives off this from the inside (your mind) to the outside world (you writing it down) vibe. When you write your idea down, it’s like giving birth to it. Consequently, the processes you take upto achieving that idea or goal, is like nurturing a young one till they are old enough to care for themselves. Get it?
For me, what works is that, I come up with a STRATEGIC PLAN for the whole year. I take a whole month to reflect and see what I have achieved and what I haven’t, then come up with a new one containing all my goals and objectives for the coming year every year before September 9th. I then share this document with all my mentors so they can go through and see how best we can work together to help me achieve those goals.
Below is the cover photo for my Strategic Plan 2021-2022:
✔ Keep going, even if you hit a plateau…
One of my all time motivational coaches is Regan Hillyer, and one of the videos that really speak to me was one she did on 3 types of people. She talks about three characters; the stressor, the dabbler and the achiever. Of significant importance to me is the ACHIEVER, and here’s why: She is keen to mention that, while the stressor and dabbler give up and quit along the way, the achiever keeps going.
Of course, like any other person, the achiever is tempted to quit too. But their perspective is different: Instead of giving up, they choose to pause when things seem not to be working out, look for people who’ve been in a similar journey, and ask for help in regards to where they feel stuck. And while it may take time, the achiever doesn’t rest till they find a solution. So this process repeats itself till such a person achieves what they want.
I may not have a good example to relate to this, but I pray that you who is reading this, may always find the strength to keep going. The solution to that challenge you face, is with women and men on this earth, just like you. So reach out and connect, network, talk. Only then will your dreams, goals and ambitions, truly see the light of day!
✔Show up, show up, show up!…
I know we’ve all probably heard this a million and one times, but I’ll just say it again, that NOTHING GOOD EVER COMES EASY. If you want results with any single thing that you choose to try out your hand with, you have to exercise patience, remain consistent, and keep going.
I put two posts on My Instagram, where I explained in this post and this post how I had to consistently show up for things, even when I didn’t necessarily feel like it, for me to enjoy the results later on. (Again, if you aren’t following me on Instagram, please do so as I post content to do with Inspo, and positive lessons I learn here and there. Would be glad to have you join my community!)
If you died today, would you say you were happy with the choices you made in terms of showing up for what you want, in terms of chasing after your dreams? If your answer is a NO, then you know what you need to do.
So, that’s my year in regards to me following my own advice from what I gave you in my Jan 2021 blogpost, GET GOALS WITH ME! I’d like you to take a pause briefly and in the comments section, let me know, how was 2021 for you? Have you taken time to reflect on the year that has been? What has been your best moment, your highlight? Did you achieve as much as you hoped to, and if not, what’s the next course of action for you?
WHAT’S IN STORE FOR 2022, SERAH? 🤔
So, in a bid to better connect and engage with you all, I wish to share my other platforms, and for what I’ll be using these platforms for come 2022. So here goes:
♥️ THE SERAINSPIRE INITIATIVE: (CAMPUS EDITION)
It’s finally happening guys! My first mentorship cohort starts physical meetings come next year!
Here’s how it works: I’m taking in young ladies who’ve recently joined campus, and walking their campus journey with them. Some of our activities include;
🔸️Monthly check-up meetings.
🔸️Mentorship sessions on Talent, academics, career, relationships… and anything bound to affect the life of a young campus lady… plus tips on how to conquer.
🔸️Make-me-better days where I invite guests to speak to the young ladies on niche-specific topics.
🔸️Trainings on how to be all-rounded ladies in campus.
I already have a group of 13 girls, and looking to expand. So, if you know a young lady who recently joined campus and would like to join, or you are that young lady, please feel free to reach out to me via email at serahfyne@serainspire.com with the subject-line ‘SERAINSPIRE JOIN‘ and an email containing the applicant’s full names, contact number, email address, university, and their talents. I will be sure to respond to them within 2-3 hours.
PS: JOINING IS FREE!
♥️ BLOG COLLABORATIONS:
I’m open to blog collaborations with anyone who thinks or feels they may have an inspirational story they may want shared to a larger audience.
If you need a platform to air out your story, or know someone who’d benefit from such a collaboration, please reach out to my team on hello@serainspire.com
♥️ MY SOCIALS:
I use my platforms largely to share Inspirational Content, but in 2022, I feel the need to niche down my platforms to gain a wider reach. I know my audience follow me for specific reasons, so I want to make it easier by telling you exactly what to be expecting from my socials in 2022, and what platform to follow for what information. So here is my content calendar:
Instagram – Photoshoot Content plus Inspirational Quotes. 1 post per week maximum. Looking to leverage more on Stories come 2022.
Facebook Page – Purely links to my blog posts. 1 link per week maximum.
Twitter – Inspirational Content (50%), Inspirational or Helpful Retweets (40%), Links to my blog posts (10%). 1 tweet and 1 retweet everyday, apart from Sundays. Largely looking to grow my following on Twitter, hence, the need to tweet daily.
LinkedIn – Purely Social Media and Digital Marketing Content as that is my niche professionally. If these are topics that interest you, then you prolly want to follow me over there because I post an ocean of content there.
Tiktok – Just for fun. Currently posting Photoshoot BTS but, looking to see how to diversify my content to create fun BUT educative content.
YOUTUBE! – Yes! I’m coming to Youtube in 2022, and here’s a link to my already created channel. On there, I’ll be posting largely content to do with Digital Marketing, a day in the life, Photoshoot BTS as well as interviews (I have a few media interviews planned for next year, by the grace of God). So as you wait, you may also subscribe and hit the notification button on my channel so as to get notified first thing I post new content.
I hope and pray this post inspired or spoke to atleast 1 or 2 of you because if so, then my job is done. I look forward to engaging with you all across all my platforms. Incase you need to reach me, my DMs are always open and my email address is serahfyne@serainspire.com for further engagement.
Other than that, I hope you have a lovely time stock-taking and planning for year 2022 God-willing. Definitely hope my tips come in handy!
By God’s grace, I wish you all happy holidays. Let’s remember to be careful even as we start the festive season; drive safe, please still keep on masking and sanitizing. MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎄 to y’all in advance and let’s meet again here on January 1st 2022 God-willing.
Signing out,
SeraInspire.⭐
{{CONTENT RETRIEVED FROM PREVIOUS SERA INSPIRE WEBSITE}}