Welcome 2011!

I welcome 2011 with open arms! It feels like a breath of fresh air.

It is time to start over; the New Year is our clean slate.   

Wherever we leave off (pretty much before the holidays), we can launch ourselves into full motivation mode come January 1^st each year (or maybe January 3^rd).

We can live with more audacity and passion than we had last year, work with more intensity, take risks that we half-heartedly attempted this year, continue projects that we left incomplete, recognize our faults and perfect them into our strengths….

There is no limit to what you can think about for yourself.  It’s actually a fun brainstorm that can lead you somewhere you’ve always wanted to be literally,

or figuratively.

So give yourself the gift of goal-setting for 2011.  Take some time to reflect on the good, bad and the ugly of 2010 and see how you can turn this new knowledge into something positive for your future.  

No one is too young or old to do this, and studies have shown that the best way to go about this is to think “realistically.” We are not going to change overnight, so set goals that you know you can accomplish if you really put your mind to it. 

One of my goals for 2010 (which I will continue in 2011) was to be a bargain-hunter and not buy anything at full price. 

I stuck to this goal, and it is evident with the story behind my New Year’s Eve outfit.  I wanted to buy something new, so I brought some clothes I haven’t worn in over 2 years into a vintage shop, ended up selling them, and was able to use that money to buy an exquisite purple, silk,  Diane Von Furstenberg top (vintage) with a gorgeous sterling silver fringe necklace (vintage). 

A goal can take you anywhere.  Who knew that my commitment to finding a great deal would eventually get me a paying writing job (another goal I set for 2010)?

In November, I was hired as a writer/editor for a bargain-hunter online fashion magazine. 

So grab a pen and a pad, and happy daydreaming!