Haute Happenings

Getting Older and Getting What You Want from Yourself: Haute Happenings

 

IMG_0153

I turned a year older today, and hopefully a year wiser.  But definitely a year smarter, and so I thought this would be a great time to pause and reflect on some of my goals for the year.  If you recall, I deduced a formula for goal setting, which I wanted as a reminder to help me achieve them in 2014.  So far, I have managed to do well on about 3/5 of my goals, which is progress, albeit slow.

I was also reminded about a goal I had almost 10 years ago…and yes, I have not achieved it yet.  But, I am not looking at this or my 3/5 score as failure this year.  Instead, I am looking at it as continued reinforcement that goals can be met, even if it takes time, energy and patience.

Why you may ask?  Am I being too easy on myself?

Well one thing my younger self didn’t pay too much attention to was stress, and the effects it can have on your life, relationships, life…basically everything.  Stress comes from so many areas these days:  work, relationships, commitments, responsibilities, finances, and guilt to name a few.

Guilt is one I have decided to try and remove from my life this year.  Guilt in the form of regret over menial things, and unreasonable expectations.  And this will take some time…

My lesson for my younger self is to live your life in a way where you can be there for yourself, and not against.  To try and live in the present, embrace the future, and learn from the past what you can, while also moving on.  Do something you love every day, and make it something to feel good about (not just for the sake of doing it).

le haute eye is one of those feel good things for me, and so thank you for continuing to read on and making this day extra special!

 

 

 

 

 

Super-easy formula to remember (and hopefully keep) your 2014 goals: Haute Happenings

So yes, it’s January 3rd and I realized I was a bit behind on kicking off my 2014 new years resolution/goals…but then I thought, it’s really never too late. Also, I like the 3rd – it gives me 2 days to recoup and recover from the hectic holidays, before kicking off my lofty ambitions.  (but this will work any day really)

I have been inspired by some articles I recently reach on Twitter, describing what makes successful people different from those not as successful, and one key differentiator was physically writing down one’s goals.  While I have heard this for some time, I cannot say I have practiced it well.  A board or notebook with my goals written out may not work because I am always on the go and things get lost in the mix.  So, I thought, why not use the favorite life planner tool most of us have access to all the time – the calendar on a cell phone – to kick this off right. Nothing fancy here, just daily technology working in your favor.

I am piloting this in 2014, starting every third day of the month, by setting a monthly reminder for myself, in order to keep me on track.  I am using simple short hand (+1 and +3, for example) for how many days of the week I think I can commit (you can make up your own like -10 for 10 lbs. you may want to lose, for example).  Check out mine below.

Image

I think the important things to note here are:

  1. This will only work if I/you really care.
  2. This will only work if my/your goals are really attainable.
  3. This is all about me/you, so it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks/feels/tells me about my/your goals.
  4. I/You have to pick times which work for me/you to check in on my goals.
  5. I/You will need to check in next Jan to see how I/we did, so end the date should be in 2015 for 2014 goals.

I know this is super simple and seems so intuitive, I am left asking myself why I haven’t done it yet.  But if you think this is something which can work for you, give it a go.  And I will check back periodically and next Jan to see how it all went down.

Goals, check. Now on with 2014!

New Year, New You, More Yoga: Haute Happenings

Image

Happy 2014!  It’s always exciting to start off a new year, with new resolutions and plans to make ourselves better.  For some it may be to hit the gym, and for other it may be to eat better, as health usually takes a center stage after we indulge during the holidays.  For me, it is more yoga this year (along with a few other things).  In my quest for haute yoga experiences I ran into a few which are really interesting, and worth looking into for any aspiring yogi!

  1. Yoga Journal Live! in San Francisco (Jan 16 – 20) – this weekend-long yoga fest is taking place at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero in SF, and features tons of classes, workshops, and day long intensives with a lot of master teachers doing special sessions (i.e. Baron Baptiste, Scott Blossom, and more).  Check out all the fun events at http://www.yjevents.com/sf/.  And if you want to check out Yoga Journal Live! events in other cities, check out http://www.yjevents.com.
  2. Personal Retreats – I found out about personal yoga retreats from a site dedicated to booking yoga retreats around the world, bookyogaretreats.com.  Personal retreats are all about you, allowing you the flexibility to attend yoga classes, hike, or just wander at institutes, like the Mount Madonna Center in Monteray, CA.
  3. Yoga workshops and retreats – looking for more structure and intensive learning, many yoga centers and sites offer day and week long retreats and workshops…sounds like a perfect getaway!

I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to a wonderful, haute and healthy 2014!!