So, I set a goal of getting back into my exercise routine more 3 weeks ago and one thing lead to another and I fell a bit short on that goal, well actually I only hiked once, so I fell really short of my goal.  How do I feel?  Personally, I feel a little disappointed with myself. Am I going to let that stop me from setting another goal? Nope, not a chance.

I’m not even going to beat myself up about it. I’m going to look at the reality of the situation no matter what it is, meaning, I’m going to be real with myself about why I did not reach my goal. If I’m honest about why I didn’t reach it, even if it’s as simple as I just didn’t want to work out, I can explore the reason why, and set another goal that I may have a better chance of reaching. If I’m not honest about why I didn’t reach it, the possibility of not reaching it again are pretty high. It’s important to know what obstacles were in your way, so you can remove them.  For me it was because I didn’t schedule my workouts in my date book so the days just got away from me.

One thing I did do was reset my goal, and because I knew what the obstacle was, I removed it and now I have a better chance of reaching my goal.

A big goal last year for me was becoming an Award Winning Author, with My Feet Aren’t Ugly. I had to do a lot of prep work to get my book in front of the right people and it was very intimating and I was afraid of rejection.  I kept at it for 10 months and yes there were some rejections, but there were some huge successes.  I won 4 Awards for my book.  I can tell you that winning the awards was amazing, but what was really important for me was setting the goal, following through with it,  and succeeding and seeing the results show up for me like they did.

Setting goals and obtaining them, help you build your confidence and the actual process helps you learn so much about yourself.

Here are some tips on goal setting:

1) Set the goal by writing it down
2) Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t reach it
3) If you don’t reach your goal, write about it, explore the reasons why
4) When you do reach your goal celebrate it
5) When reaching your goal, explore how you did it
6) If you didn’t receive an award object, create one, display it and be proud

Here is one of my awards that I am very proud of, it is the Nautilus Book Award Winner for Non Fiction Young Adult. Tell me what impact goal setting has had on you lately.

Through out my life I have worn everything from “ooh look at me”, designer clothes to someone else’s use to be “ooh look at me” clothing.  I have known people and still do that would never wear someone else’s old clothes, and that’s okay.  I used to always have a belief that if I didn’t pay a lot for my clothing that they were made poorly and would fall apart. This may be true in some cases, for instance if they are made really cheaply in another country to be marketed in the states for a low price. To understand this check out this web site The story of Stuff it will explain about getting products cheap that are made in other countries.

My beliefs about having to pay a lot for clothing or they will fall apart has changed.  in today’s economy, can we afford to pay $180.00 for a pair of jeans?  I certainly can’t!

The question of the hour here is are we being judged for not wearing designer clothes, and if so do we care?  I am shocked at the importance of clothing with today’s young and how much money they are spending to look In style.

I believe that teenagers feel judged if they don’t have clothing style.  The media plays a huge part in affecting our teen’s self-esteem if they don’t look like they have step out of a fashion magazine.  So, what can we do to not be so affected by what others think of us, while we are trying desperately to hang on to our sense of self and be unique?

1) First realize that if you dress with confidence, it’s not going to matter what you wear, your confidence will override your clothing.

2) Then realize that it is our own unique style, no matter what it is, that make you who you are, so let it rip.

3) Your style is an expression of who you are, if you are dressing like someone else, who are you?

4) Clothing style doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to look cool, make sure you hit all of the sales, look for designer thrift stores, and have clothing exchanges with your friends and their friends.  I love clothing exchanges, I have walked away with great cloths and they were a blast.

5) Stop buying into what the media says, you don’t have to be like everyone else to have style.

6) Wear clothes that compliment your body, don’t just wear styles, because they are in.

So, go out there and express yourself, wear the clothes you love and that look good on you. Start enjoying being you and your sense of style.

If you have any comments, I would love to hear from you.