Monday, July 29, 2013

Quite the Little Goal Digger and a {Giveaway!}





I do it for many reasons, but mostly because setting and achieving goals gives me self-confidence which is the key to success (in my opinion). When you feel and know that you can do anything, nothing can stop you from accomplishing anything you set out to.

MindTools gives a great little breakdown on how to set goals:

  1. State each goal as a positive statement - Express your goals positively – "Eat clean at least 90% of the time" is a much better goal than "Don't eat cheat meals"
  2. Be precise: Set precise goals, putting in dates, times and amounts so that you can measure achievement. If you do this, you'll know exactly when you have achieved the goal, and can take complete satisfaction from having achieved it.
  3. Set priorities - When you have several goals, give each a priority. This helps you to avoid feeling overwhelmed by having too many goals, and helps to direct your attention to the most important ones.
  4. Write goals down - This crystallizes them and gives them more force.
  5. Keep operational goals small - Keep the low-level goals that you're working towards small and achievable. If a goal is too large, then it can seem that you are not making progress towards it. Keeping goals small and incremental gives more opportunities for reward.
  6. Set performance goals, not outcome goals - You should take care to set goals over which you have as much control as possible. It can totally suck to fail to achieve a personal goal for reasons beyond your control. 
  7. Set realistic goals - It's important to set goals that you can achieve. All sorts of people (for example, employers, media, or society) can set unrealistic goals for you. They will often do this in ignorance of your own desires and ambitions. 

If you follow me on instagram you may have seen that I'm a big fan of May Designs. They have the most adorable and functional books that you can design to suit your purpose and style.


I use this one for workouts. 



And just got this one specifically for goals (now that I see these together, I'm beginning to see my obviously obsession with navy. Perhaps there's a support group I should seek out)


I also have one I use for meal planning and it's recently come to my attention (*ah hem, thank you husband*) that I apparently need one for budgeting so, that's on the way as well. As it turns out, money does not grow on tress #whoknew. If you follow one of my favorite people (person's?) on Instagram, she's got a stockpile of adorable ones as well, so make sure to check those out!

{In all seriousness, being 'financially fit' is my biggest struggle and something I plan on sharing more about with you guys. It sucks and it's boring, but I feel like if I tell you guys I'm going to do something, I have to do it.}

Ok, so on to the fun!

May Designs is giving one lucky Hello Stripes reader her very own May Book of her choice! Stylish and sweet, what's not to love?! 

Head over to May Designs, check it out and then tell me what YOUR favorite pattern is AND one goal that you're committing to right now.
(If you already like or follow, just leave a note in the comments :))


Full Disclosure - My Favorite Pattern and Goals

Favorite Pattern: Ikat Dots Navy 
Performance Goal: Get 200# backsquat by December 1, 2013
Financial Goal: SAVE $1500 by December 1, 2013 (someone please keep me away from Target)
Home Goal: Create a functional play area for the boys by September 1, 2013

Good Luck!




a Rafflecopter giveaway

**Here's the deets:
Winner will be chosen and then contacted by May Designs with a gift certificate code good for one book of the winner's choice + the cost of shipping (valued at $26). 




20 comments:

  1. Love May Books! The Modern Chevron is one of my favorites. My goal is to start sticking to the meal plan and use my calorie and exercise journal! (It's been so tough through Summer)

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    1. What is it about summer that derails everything?! :)

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  2. I agree with Lisa, I also love everything Chevron. My goal is to get my blog format/design in a happier place by 12/31!!!

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    1. I can't wait to see what's in store for PrettyWellOrganized.blogspot.com!

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  3. It is SO hard to pick just one favorite! I love the Morroccan lattice in grey! My goal is to work out and eat healthy throughout this entire pregnancy just like I did last time!

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    1. Aren't they all to die! Good for you. I see so often women use pregnancy as an excuse to be unhealthy when really, it's when you should be your most healthy! Please keep us posted!

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  4. Love the navy with pineapples, very Lillyesque. Good to know they have the sorority ones too (great Christmas/Big-Little gifts). My goal started today with seeking out a new group of physicians who actually listen to me and care about what I have to say. Learned a lot in just two hours!

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    1. Hopefully you'll be blogging about your journey :)

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  5. Wow so many cute ones! My favorites are mod rose gray pink, chevron mint, and let's bake teal. My goal commitment is to start the 24 day challenge next Monday and make it through the whole thing successfully. My hopes are to get on track to losing about 65 lbs before trying to get pregnant.

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    1. You got this, girl! Just don't stop until you've reached your goal. No. Matter. What. :)

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  6. I love the Ahoy Mates! My goal is to update our budget monthly (as good ol' Dave Ramsey tells us to)I haven't updated it in about 6 months.

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    1. Oh, Danielle. I would love to learn more about how to budget! Do you have a blog?

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    2. No, I don't but we did take Financial Peace and are going to be teaching it in August.

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  7. I love the mustache!!! All of them!! My goal is to run a full mile without stopping and I'm close to that goal. My other goal is to continue believing in myself like I have the past month :)

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    1. That's an awesome goal! You'll get there just keep your eye on the prize ;)

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  8. Let's Bake in Teal. It was a hard choice between that and the bikes, but I love to bake. As to goals, I want to be better about getting away from the computer at a decent time!
    AlexandraFunFit

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  9. Hey!! Loving the blogs! Great reading material for when I have to sit with Harper until she falls asleep..now for my design...love the bump diary..wink wink. Wonder why?? Thanks for the give away!

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  10. Really?!? Pick ONE favorite? I'll go with modern chevron navy & peach. Goal: organize my recipe drawer. It's a nightmare!! And, make my hubby proud of my new business venture.

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  11. Really?!? Pick one? Okay, modern chevron navy & peach. Goal: organize my recipe drawer. It's a nightmare! And, make my hubby proud of my new business venture. Jenica

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  12. Polka Dot Mint is my favorite and my goal is to get wedding fit :)

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I love hearing from you, so thanks for taking the time to comment. Writing is fun...but hearing from you is better! Feel free to email me anytime through the email button at the top of the page. Thank you so much for reading!