Too Fly: Wings Burnout Sweatshirt

If you flip through my closet, you'll notice a plethora of grey. Heather grey short-sleeve shirts, grey v-necks, grey tanks, grey jeans. Slight obsession... yeah, maybe. And I'm about to add another piece to the shades of grey collection.

This grey burnout sweatshirt from Topshop is the business. Being the Phoenix that I am, I love anything with wings. The sweatshirt is super comfy and slightly oversized. Dress it down or dress it up. On Saturday afternoons, I'd put it with some boyfriend jeans and some kicks. When the night comes, a pair a wax denim, killer stilettos, and red lips will do the job. Hotness! If you want to get your wings, you know what to do...

CLICK HERE TO SHOP

Model Bites: Homemade Ceviche

Just about every weekend my friends and I get together to cook and stuff our bellies. This past weekend was no different. Since the weather was unseasonably warm and the oven was broken, it was the perfect time to break out a tasty dish that would require no real cooking at all. Ceviche. Never had it... shame on you. Traditionally from the coastal regions of Central and South America, ceviche is a delicacy made of raw fish marinated in citrus juices and combined with onions and chili peppers. To do this recipe justice, I got in the kitchen with my friend Diego of Crafty Mr. D.
If you've ever watched a genius in the kitchen, you'll notice they don't use exact measurements. It's always a dash of this and a pinch of that. Diego's instructions are in the same fashion. To get things started here's what you'll need:
  • Lots and lots of lime
  • A good helping of fresh Mahi mahi
  • Red onions
  • Green peppers
  • Red peppers
  • Yellow peppers
  • Jalepeno or Chilli Pepper
  • Tomato
  • Fresh Cilantro
  • Kosher salt
  • Avocado (optional) 

Squeeze a large quantity of limes for at least one cup of juice. Chop fish into medium-sized cubes. Combine lime juice and fish into bowl. Make sure the juice is enough to fully cover the Mahi mahi. Cover bowl and let marinate for about an hour or until Mahi mahi is no longer pink. The citrus juices actually cook the fish. Cool, right?!

Chop peppers, onions, and tomatoes into small cubes. Diego gets so emotional during this step that he starts crying. Gotta love those onions. Also, finely chop the cilantro. Mix veggies in large bowl. It should look like a colorful salsa once you're done. If you like things spicy, throw in a few more chili peppers.

Take Mahi mahi out of the refrigerator and combine with onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Pour out excess lime juice. Add a pinch of salt. Cover and refrigerate again for at least 2-3 hours. The longer the ingredients marinate, the better the flavor will be.

Now you're ready to chow down. Serve with tortilla or plantain chips and maybe a side of avocado. The ceviche should stay good for nearly three days, but I'm sure it will be eaten pretty fast. You can substitute the Mahi mahi for shrimp, tuna or even squid. Add mangoes for extra flavor.

Ceviche is the perfect Sunday Fun Day snack and goes well with margaritas. I certainly hope you enjoy the dish. Thanks to Diego and the crew for such an awesome time "cooking". Sharing is caring. If you have any recipes for Model Bites, do tell!

Dead of Winter Hair

From Numero Tokyo #62 shot by Nino Munoz
Dry and brittle with split ends for days. Let me guess. The frigid weather is wreaking havoc on your normally healthy hair. Join the club. Even though the temperature in LA is fairly mild, my hair still knows we're in the dead of winter. My curls have definitely seen better days, and my usual routine just isn't working. It's gotten so bad that I'm trying to hide my hair under hats and head wraps everyday. Something's got to give. Wearing a big, furry Chewbacca thing on my head to castings or to run errands isn't normal.

A number of factors may be causing your pretty locks to shrivel up during these months. Different eating habits, the winter blues, and the change in climate are all to blame. It's a no-brainer that the cold air strips your hair of its usual moisture. But another surprising thing that's drying your coif out is indoor heating. Think about it. Warm air blowing on your goldilocks for hours. Doesn't that sound like a hair dryer? The force may not be as intense, but your hair is still feeling the damage.


Here are my quick tips to keeping your hair soft and beautiful this season: Start by not shampooing everyday. Your locks want to hold onto every bit of moisture they can get and too much cleansing will do just the opposite. Even on days that I'm not shampooing, I use a moisture-rich conditioner in the shower. As a general rule, deep condition your hair once a week or as needed. I love to overdose on conditioners rich in natural, fatty oils. If you can't find one that works for your hair type, make your own. Avocados, coconut oil, and mayonnaise are some great ingredients to start with. Put the conditioner on your hair, cover with a shower cap, and leave on for about an hour or even overnight if your typically have dry or thick hair. Once you've rinsed and towel-dried your hair, make sure the first thing you do is seal in any moisture with a serum or leave-in conditioner. This will also help protect your locks from heat styling and help tame frizz. Now you're ready to primp and go! Remember if your hair starts to look a bit limp, you can always refresh and lightly moisturize throughout the day.

Your crowning glory requires a little extra TLC in the winter, so give it what it needs. Make sure you don't use products containing too much alcohol or sulfates that will make your hair brittle. Say yes to natural, moisturizing ingredients. Eat foods that will help nourish your coif from the inside. And stop hiding underneath oversized hats and allow your hair to breathe. Let that gorgeous hair shine!

My Style: Crossroads



The Look
Jacket - Ovi (similar)
Studded Bra- Lusts for Life
Cross Leggings- Lusts for Life
Shades- Urban Outfitters 
Earrings- Lusts for Life
Necklace - Heavenly Couture (similar)
Ring- Melody Ehsani
Studded Bracelet- Thrift Store (similar)
Shoes- Jeffrey Campbell



Bricks and concrete. Graffiti and grit. Streets and railroad tracks.  Downtown LA's industrial district is one of my favorite places to shoot. When you think sunny Cali, this place rarely comes to mind. Once forgotten and abandoned, this area is experiencing a bit of a renaissance. Creative types are moving in and brining a taste of life back to this place. But it's not completely there yet. Much like some of us, it's still in transition.



This look came together over the course of a month. I spotted these leggings on a friend and knew I had to have them. Next came the jacket. I don't normally do fringe... it's so cowboy to me. But I tried this baby on and the fit was perfect! The shoes were a no-brainer. Jeffrey Campbells are a staple in every LA chick's wardrobe. And that gold-spiked bra... killer! As far as accessories, the more the better. I practically live in these shades. They make me feel like I'm Steve McQueen. Too cool.  The cross earring feels a little George Michael from the Faith album, but I'm into it.




I like to think I'm a tough girl and I wear clothes that express that sentiment. It's like I'm untouchable. Invincible. Indestructible. I may be on a journey of self- discovery, but nothing can slow me down. Can't stop. Won't stop.

Thanks to my new partner in crime Nelly Tchayem for the awesome photography. Get 'em, girl!

Dear Fairy Model Mother: How Do I Avoid a $3.3 Million Lawsuit?


Hello lovelies! Happy Friday. The sun is shining. The birds are chirping. It feels like wonderful things are just around the corner. But everything isn't ok for one beautiful model. Just when her future seemed so bright, the gray skies start rolling in. Earlier this week, blonde cutie Constance Jablonski was hit with a $3.3 million bomb from her old agency for breach of contract. Burn baby, burn! Talk about a bad divorce. So, what's the real deal behind the hefty price tag? Let's investigate.
In 2008, a young "virtually unknown" Constance Jablonski signed with Marilyn Model Management. A few years later, her pretty face lands her work for Estee Lauder, Dior and Victoria's Secret. The getting's good, so Constance extends her contract with Marilyn through September 2014.  She's making bank raking in nearly $5 million dollars and Marilyn gets its 20 percent cut. But somewhere down the line the milk went sour, and Constance decided to jump ship and go to DNA Models. Now Marilyn is ticked, and is suing for tons of dough and asking for an injunction banning DNA from representing Constance.

Models switch agencies all the time, so it's no surprise that Constance would do the same. But with her lucrative campaign deals, she's hitting her old agency where it hurts the most. Constance was a big investment that really paid off. So losing her from the roster means losing literally millions. Marilyn Models did the leg work of developing her and getting her name out there, but DNA will reap the benefits.



In response to the lawsuit, Jablonski posted this comment on twitter: With a New Year comes new beginnings. After my bookers, many of those I began with at Marilyn and my dearest Marilyn Gaultier left the agency this past year, I decided to move on to DNA. I’m very excited with the move and I hope you are too!! Wishing all my friends from Marilyn all the best with their new beginnings. Thank you to all of you followers and fans, for always supporting me!!

Obviously, Constance Jablonski is doing what she feels is best for her career. I totally understand. But her old agency feels like she's biting the hand that fed her. Marilyn was counting on making money off her for well over another year, so the agency is also suing for future earnings. No wonder I have a contract phobia. So how do these situations get handled? After consulting with a friend and mentor here's what will most likely happen: If Constance has a good lawyer, the parties will settle out of court. The agencies will probably end up splitting the commission for a period of time so that Marilyn's losses are covered. 

We may not all be high earning supermodels, but there's a lesson you can learn from this. Read your contracts carefully. You may not know what the future will hold, but you've still got to prepare for it. Think of your modeling contract as a pre-nuptial agreement. Make sure there's an exit clause that guarantees you won't get screwed.  So you've got to protect your neck and make sure your pretty little butt is covered in case of emergency. Like Biggie said "More money more problems."

Remember dears, if you've got questions I've got answers. Your Fairy Model Mother will waive her wand and sprinkle a little fairy dust on your problems. The hotline is always open. 

From Within

From Vogue Japan February 2013
Does this sound familiar? You see an ad for cosmetic company A's new miracle moisturizer that promises to even your complexion and brighten your skin in six weeks. Convinced it will work, you buy a bottle. Less than a month later, you're not seeing any results but your fave beauty guru is raving about the BB cream by cosmetic company B. So you go out and grab it. But then Hollywood's new it-girl swears by this other moisturizer you've heard of, and you figure "Hey, don't knock it 'til you try it."  By the spring you've got a medicine cabinet filled with half-empty creams and lotions yet your face isn't any bit clearer than the day you started this ridiculousness.

This, my friends, is what we call a product junkie. You've got so much stuff that you might as well have your own beauty counter at Macy's. I realized this about myself when I was packing for a trip last year. I was dead set on not checking any bags, so that meant stuffing my beauty and hair products into a tiny zip-lock. Daily face wash, gentle microbeads scrub, deep cleaning toner, soothing eye gel, balancing moisturizer, rejuvenating night cream, and makeup removal wipes. Sheesh, what a laundry list! To make a long story short, the bag ripped. I was so annoyed. But that got me to thinking... Maybe I'm going about this beauty routine all wrong.

When trying to fix things on the outside, we should probably start on the inside first. Whatever you're putting into your body is taking it's toll on your outward appearance. It makes perfect sense. If you eat a lot of greasy food, your face will look like a slice of pepperoni pizza. But other things that you think are good for you, may actually be causing breakouts too. Dr. Jessica Wu, dermatologist and author of Feed Your Face, says to cut the milk out of your diet. "Dairy products often aggravate acne in women of all ages" she explains. Milk and a lot of meats pack a great deal of protein and hormones that can have adverse reactions for your skin. It takes your body longer to break down protein which can lead toxins building up in your body and coming out through your skin. Also, there's a possibility you're drinking too much water. Say what?! According to Dr. Howard Murad and founder of skincare company Murad Inc, we should be eating more foods like zucchini and watermelon that have a high H2O content. Apparently, your body absorbs nutrients better when you're eating the water as opposed to drinking it.

I know what you're thinking, but don't rush to throw away your facial products just yet. Before you do,try incorporating a few new eating habits into your daily routine and see if your complexion takes a turn for the better. Oh, and cut back on the stress in your life. Those sleepness nights and comforting yourself with gallons of ice cream are resulting in dark circles and bags under your eyes. Not a good look, babe. Never underestimate the power of a good diet, exercise, and peace of mind. Clearer, healthier skin can be achieved as long as you're nourishing your body from the inside out. Let your beauty radiate.

HOWTO : Highest secured Hiawatha Web Server 8.7 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Server

Upgrade from Hiawatha 8.6 to Hiawatha 8.7

Download the latest version of CMake at http://www.cmake.org/

wget http://www.cmake.org/files/v2.8/cmake-2.8.10.2.tar.gz
tar -xvzf cmake-2.8.10.2.tar.gz
cd cmake-2.8.10.2
./configure
make
sudo make install


Download the latest version of Hiawatha (the current version at this writing is 8.7).

wget http://www.hiawatha-webserver.org/files/hiawatha-8.7.tar.gz
tar -xzvf hiawatha-8.7.tar.gz
cd hiawatha-8.7/extra


./make_debian_package

cd ..

sudo dpkg -i hiawatha_8.7_amd64.deb

or

sudo dpkg -i hiawatha_8.7_i386.deb

Upgrade to Hiawatha 8.7 from previous version below 8.6

If you are upgrading from previous version of Hiawatha to version 8.7, you just follow the following step only.

Download the latest version of CMake at http://www.cmake.org/

wget http://www.cmake.org/files/v2.8/cmake-2.8.10.2.tar.gz
tar -xvzf cmake-2.8.10.2.tar.gz
cd cmake-2.8.10.2
./configure
make
sudo make install


Download the latest version of Hiawatha (the current version at this writing is 8.7).

wget http://www.hiawatha-webserver.org/files/hiawatha-8.7.tar.gz
tar -xzvf hiawatha-8.7.tar.gz
cd hiawatha-8.7/extra


./make_debian_package

cd ..

sudo dpkg -i hiawatha_8.7_amd64.deb

or

sudo dpkg -i hiawatha_8.7_i386.deb

After that, you should install php5-fpm.

sudo apt-get install php5-fpm

sudo php-fcgi -k -c /etc/hiawatha/php-fcgi.conf

Disable the php-fcgi :

sudo update-rc.d -f php-fcgi remove

sudo nano /etc/hiawatha/hiawatha.conf

Go to the following section and change the "ConnectTo = 127.0.0.1:2005" to "ConnectTo = 127.0.0.1:9000"

The entries at COMMON GATEWAY INTERFACE (CGI) SETTINGS should be looking like this.

CGIhandler = /usr/bin/perl:pl
CGIhandler = /usr/bin/php5-cgi:php
CGIhandler = /usr/bin/python:py
CGIhandler = /usr/bin/ruby:rb
CGIhandler = /usr/bin/ssi-cgi:shtml
CGIextension = cgi


FastCGIserver {
   FastCGIid = PHP5
   ConnectTo = 127.0.0.1:9000
   Extension = php, php5
   SessionTimeout = 30
}


Set the php-fpm.conf file :

Append the following to the php-fpm.conf.

sudo nano /etc/php5/fpm/php-fpm.conf

[www]
user = www-data
group = www-data
listen = 127.0.0.1:9000
pm = static
pm.max_children = 100
chroot = /var/www/
chdir = /

sudo /etc/init.d/hiawatha restart

New install of Hiawatha 8.7

Hiawatha is a very secure and fast web server in the market. It supports PHP, Perl, Python and Ruby. It is also very lightweight, easy to configure and setup too. How secure? Please refer to the features of Hiawatha.

For the performance, please refer to the study of SaltwaterC at here.

This tutorial is writing for setting up the highest secured web server. Please also to apply the "Optional" steps mentioned below for making the highest secured web server.

Since version 8.3, Hiawatha comes with Reverse Proxy and DAV features.  The DAV features can be used for ownCloud  for example, which comes with version 8.2.

Prerequisite

Select OpenSSH and Mail Server when installing Ubuntu Server 12.04 LTS.

Update the fresh install system to the latest status.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade


Select unattendance update to your system. It will push all the updates to your system when there is some. Or, you can create a cron job later to update your system in a certain of time if you prefer.

If the kernel or kernel modules have been updated, you are required to reboot your system before going further.

Step 1 - Installation of PHP5 and MySQL

sudo apt-get install mysql-server mysql-client php5-cgi php5 php5-cli php5-mysql php5-curl php5-gd php5-intl php-pear php5-imagick php5-imap php5-mcrypt php5-memcache php5-ming php5-ps php5-pspell php5-recode php5-snmp php5-sqlite php5-tidy php5-xmlrpc php5-xsl php5-xcache php5-suhosin php5-ffmpeg apache2-utils mini-httpd php5-fpm

Step 2 - Installation of Hiawatha

Install required dependenices for Hiawatha.

sudo apt-get install libc6-dev libssl-dev dpkg-dev debhelper fakeroot libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev

Download the latest version of CMake at http://www.cmake.org/

wget http://www.cmake.org/files/v2.8/cmake-2.8.10.2.tar.gz
tar -xvzf cmake-2.8.10.2.tar.gz
cd cmake-2.8.10.2
./configure
make
sudo make install


Download the latest version of Hiawatha (the current version at this writing is 8.7).

wget http://www.hiawatha-webserver.org/files/hiawatha-8.7.tar.gz
tar -xzvf hiawatha-8.7.tar.gz
cd hiawatha-8.7/extra


./make_debian_package

cd ..

sudo dpkg -i hiawatha_8.7_amd64.deb

or

sudo dpkg -i hiawatha_8.7_i386.deb

Step 3 - Configure PHP5

The following settings are for making PHP5 more secure.

sudo nano /etc/php5/cgi/php.ini

Make changes as is.

cgi.rfc2616_headers = 1

zlib.output_compression = On
zlib.output_compression_level = 6


Step 3a - Configure PHP5 (Optional for security purpose)

display_errors = Off
log_errors = On
allow_url_fopen = Off
safe_mode = On
expose_php = Off
enable_dl = Off
session.cookie_httponly = 1
disable_functions = system, show_source, symlink, exec, dl, shell_exec, passthru, phpinfo, escapeshellarg, escapeshellcmd
cgi.fix_pathinfo = 0

*** According to the author of Hiawatha, the cgi.fix_pathinfo should be set to 0 at this moment.

*** There will be something at the end of "disable_functions" at Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, you just append the captioned list to the end of the previous list.

*** some PHP applications may require safe_mode = off

Step 4 - Configure php-fpm

Append the following to the php-fpm.conf.

sudo nano /etc/php5/fpm/php-fpm.conf

[www]
user = www-data
group = www-data
listen = 127.0.0.1:9000
pm = static
pm.max_children = 100
chroot = /var/www/
chdir =/

Step 5 - Configure Hiawatha (Part 1)

sudo nano /etc/hiawatha/hiawatha.conf

Uncomment ServerId at GENERAL SETTINGS.

ServerId = www-data

Uncomment the following entries at BINDING SETTINGS.

Binding {
   Port = 80
#   Interface = 127.0.0.1
   MaxKeepAlive = 30
   TimeForRequest = 3,20
}


Step 5a (Optional for security purpose) :

Add the following line at the GENERAL SETTINGS.

ConnectionsTotal = 1000
ConnectionsPerIP = 30
SystemLogfile = /var/log/hiawatha/system.log
GarbageLogfile = /var/log/hiawatha/garbage.log
ExploitLogfile = /var/log/hiawatha/exploit.log


LogFormat = extended
ServerString = Apache
CGIwrapper = /usr/sbin/cgi-wrapper


Make changes for the following entries at BANNING SETTINGS.

BanOnGarbage = 300
BanOnMaxPerIP = 300
BanOnMaxReqSize = 300
BanOnTimeout = 300
KickOnBan = yes
RebanDuringBan = yes


BanOnDeniedBody = 300
BanOnSQLi = 300
BanOnFlooding = 30/1:300
BanlistMask = deny 192.168.0.0/24, deny 127.0.0.1
BanOnInvalidURL = 300


ReconnectDelay = 3
#Reverse Proxy
HideProxy = 127.0.0.1
MaxServerLoad = 0.8

Step 5b :

The entries at COMMON GATEWAY INTERFACE (CGI) SETTINGS should be looking like this.

CGIhandler = /usr/bin/perl:pl
CGIhandler = /usr/bin/php5-cgi:php
CGIhandler = /usr/bin/python:py
CGIhandler = /usr/bin/ruby:rb
CGIhandler = /usr/bin/ssi-cgi:shtml
CGIextension = cgi


FastCGIserver {
   FastCGIid = PHP5
   ConnectTo = 127.0.0.1:9000
   Extension = php, php5
   SessionTimeout = 30
}


Step 5c :

Add the following line at VIRTUAL HOSTS.

Include /etc/hiawatha/enable-sites/

*Make sure the make a directory enable-sites and disable-sites under /etc/hiawatha.

sudo mkdir /etc/hiawatha/enable-sites
sudo mkdir /etc/hiawatha/disable-sites

Step 6 - Configure Hiawatha (Part 2)

If your domain is mysite.com, you are required to create a file namely mysite.com and place it under /etc/hiawatha/enable-sites/mysite.com.

VirtualHost {
   Hostname = www.mysite.com, mysite.com
   WebsiteRoot = /var/www/mysite
   StartFile = index.php
   AccessLogfile = /var/log/hiawatha/access.log
   ErrorLogfile = /var/log/hiawatha/error.log
   TimeForCGI = 15
#   UseFastCGI = PHP5
   UseToolkit = banshee

   # if ownCloud or alike is installed, otherwise, it should be "no"
   WebDAVapp = yes
   #
   DenyBody = ^.*%3Cscript.*%3C%2Fscript%3E.*$
   DenyBody = ^.*%3CsCrIpT.*%3C%2FScRiPt%3E.*$
   DenyBody = ^.*%3CScRiPt.*%3C%2FsCrIpT%3E.*$
   DenyBody = ^.*%3CSCRIPT.*%3C%2FSCRIPT%3E.*$
   DenyBody = ^.*%3CSCRIPT.*%3C%2Fscript%3E.*$
   DenyBody = ^.*%3Cscript.*%3C%2FSCRIPT%3E.*$
   #
   # e.g.
Please make sure to re-do this step when the logwatch is updated or upgraded as it will overwrite the configure file.

Step 11 - Change the ownership of the log files

cd /var/log/hiawatha
sudo chown www-data:www-data access.log
sudo chown www-data:www-data error.log
sudo chown www-data:www-data exploit.log
sudo chown www-data:www-data garbage.log
sudo chown root:root system.log


* "php-fcgi.log" and "system.log" leave them untouched (root:root).

Step 11a - Change ownership of all directories and files at the /var/www/mysite

Put the web application files to /var/www/mysite and then change the ownership of all directories and files under /var/www/mysite to root:root.

cd /var/www/mysite
sudo chown -R root:root *


Step 12 - Start, Stop and Restart Hiawatha

sudo /etc/init.d/hiawatha start
sudo /etc/init.d/hiawatha stop
suod /etc/init.d/hiawatha restart


Step 13 - Performance tuning for MySQL (Optional)

You can fine tune the MySQL as per this link.

Step 14 - Secure your Ubuntu Server in a passive way (Optional)

Please refer to this link to secure your server in a passive way.

Step 15 - Setup a FTP server on Ubuntu Server (Optional)

This link shows you how to setup a vsFTPd server.

Step 16 - URL Rewrite rules (Optional)

For the url rewrite rules for your PHP applications, please refer to this link

Make sure you add "UseToolkit" at the VirtualHost section.

Step 17 - Send email to GMail via Postfix (Optional)

Please refer to this link

Step 18 - Create normal user for MySQL or MariaDB (Optional)

Please refer to this link

Remarks :

If you encounter "500 Internal Server Error", you may consider to make the Apparmor to "Complain mode".

sudo aa-complain hiawatha

After several days browsing the website, you may consider to turn the Apparmor to "Enforce mode".

sudo aa-logprof

sudo aa-enforce hiawatha

It is because the captioned usr.sbin.hiawatha may not 100% work for you.

In order to further hardened your Hiawatha web server, please consider the following options :

Optional #1 :

For SSH connection security, you also may consider to implement the Port Knocking feature.

sudo apt-get install knockd

Optional #2 :

You may also consider to enable your firewall at your router or on the Hiawatha Web Server with UFW.

If ufw does not exist in your server, you can install it :

sudo apt-get install ufw

Optional #3 :

Consider to place your web server behind this free service at Cloudflare. The main point is you can manage the DNS yourself and have a fixed IP address.

Optional #4 :

Consider to install Suricata IPS on your server.

That's all! See you.

(Re)Discovery


Another day. Another year. Thank God we've made it! I'm sure by now some of us have already broken those New Year's resolutions to lose weight, eat healthy, and not spend so much money on clothes. I totally feel your pain. But maybe the reason those resolutions don't last too long is because they aren't realistic. You may genuinely want to do better for yourself, but you're going about it all wrong.

When making resolutions, many of us are a bit delusional. You can say that you're going to be the next Joan Smalls or Karlie Kloss. But if you're only 5'2 and already in your 30s, your chances are a little slim. The problem is that we set high standards for ourselves that we may never be able to achieve. Don't believe me, then let's look at the numbers.

  • 45% of Americans make New Year's resolutions.
  • 75% maintain resolutions through the first week
  • 24% fail at their resolution each year
  • 8% of people are successful in achieving resolutions

Ouch! Those stats are enough to make anyone throw in the towel. If you've already given up, then it's time for a brand new play book. First, you may need to get reacquainted with yourself. Think about who you are at this very moment. Then consider what drives you to get up and go everyday. Are you just going through the motions or are you passionate about what you do? Next...what's the difference between the real you and the aspirational you? Finally, what will it take for you to be the person you want to be?

Throughout this whole process you need to be completely honest with yourself. Don't stretch the truth. Also, try not to get overwhelmed. I've learned to set smaller goals instead of big lofty ones, because I know that I have a tendency to freak out when I've got too much on my plate. Also it's super important to have an awesome set of friends who encourage you every step of the way. No one wants a negative Nancy in their crew. Last but not least, believe in yourself. It's not just about hoping you can do it, it's about knowing that you are doing it. Speak your dreams into existence.

Now that we've had this little pep talk... are you ready? What life goals are you working on this year?