Tips to set realistic goals in life, career, fashion/style, and health and going down memory lane to learn from past mistakes and do better next time. Read to get encouraged to see the positive even when you did not (fully) achieve your goal.
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Note: This post was featured in Links à la Mode by Independent Fashion Bloggers
Not Everything Is Black and White
When a year ended and a new year begins, we tend to go down memory lane. We review the great moments, our achievements, but also remember the bad things. The danger is to get get too far in the negative and overlook the positives we experienced.
Tip: Go down memory lane to do better next time, but not too far to stop trying.
Just looking at the past in black and white is like assuming success is a straight line. On the contrary, in all kind of life situations, success is a road of failure after failure. Those who learn from the mishaps finally achieve their goals. They then can set a new goal. And yes, it’s that treat mill of trial and error again until the next goal is achieved.
Tip: The road of success is paved with overcome failures.
Always remember: Black and white outfits are great, but an outfit with the shades or gray is so much more pleasant, not only for the eye. Therefore, when letting the past year pass in front of your eyes remember
Tip: Not everything is just black or white, embrace the shades of gray.
Don’t get trapped in the past. The bad things were back then. They are not happening now. They closed a door, but opened the way for new paths. Just choose wisely. Keep going.
Set Realistic Goals in Life
Don’t set yourself up for failure. For instance, challenging yourself to loose 20 lb, get into bikini shape, cook your own healthy meals every day, save enough money for a cruise thru the Northwest Passage in August and earning more income by taking on a second job is not only a recipe for failure, but also for frustration and you may even achieve the opposite. Gain weight, eat junk food, loose money on medical bills. There goes your health, the cruise, and career.
Every Goal Needs Time to Achieve
Therefore, celebrate the baby steps. Florence Griffith-Joyner did not sprint 100 m in 10.49 seconds when she made her first step as a toddler. Personal style doesn’t come over night. It’s not enough to just bookmark xillions of “How to look stylish in … ?” posts. It’s all about putting the theory into action. Going back to the example of style, it’s about not only knowing what the style secrets are, but also applying them when dressing in a very personal way.
Take Personal Style as an Example
In style, the making it personal, i.e. making it all you, is the hard part. As you know you can be your biggest saboteur by buying/wearing clothes that don’t fit, are the wrong color, don’t work for your lifestyle, body shape, etc. Buying, keeping, wearing the wrong clothes, but following all the “how-toes” doesn’t make a woman a Style Icon like Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham, Michelle Obama, Melania Trump, Princess Kate of Wales, or Lyn Slater.
More on finding your right colors and determining your body shade as well as identifying your primary personal style.
Set Short-Term, Medium Term and Long-Term Goals
Yes, set New Year’s resolutions. Get started to become the new you. But set priorities in your goals that make you happy along the way to achieving the big (long-term) goals. Be realistic.
One dress size is about loosing 5-9 lb! Going one dress size down by summer, adding one healthy meal a week, and opting for a cruise to Glacier Bay will get you more readily to a healthier you, even though these goals are just a shade of gray instead of pure white. But it’s better than black. Isn’t it?
What are your style, health and beauty goals for the New Year? What are you struggling with on the way to looking your best?
Winter Work Outfit Inspiration
Here I am wearing a red-white and blue office look. Typically, one associates these colors with summer due to our National Colors. However, since the plaid is in these colors, it’s sort of instant style to add a blue halftee and a red V-neck sweater (or the other way around). To avoid that the midi skirt – they are tricky on petites like me – drowns me, I opted for my blue tall boots. More outfit inspirations on how to wear tall boots.
When you like the free outfit tips of this post, and want styling tips for all kind of dressing situation in midlife, buy my book How to Dress for Success in Midlife.
Like this outfit inspirations? Then feel free to pin it to your own Pinterest board.
Photos: G. Kramm
© 2013-2023 Nicole Mölders | All rights reserved
I enjoyed this. I learnt as I became older, that shades of grey (not the 50 shades thing!!) make life kinder and easier
I think I did s.th. wrong, but I’m not 100% sure.
Hast du mal versucht einen Midirock mit einer hohen Taille zu finden mit Stiefeln in derselben Farbe? Bei mir wirkt es Wunder.
Frohes Neues Jahr, liebe Nicole!
Das ist wieder ein wunderschönes Outfit von Dir und Du siehst darin toll aus! Ich mag solche langen Faltenröcke sehr gerne, aber sie stehen mir (im Gegensatz zu Dir!) leider nicht. Vielleicht sollte ich es auch einmal mit hohen Stiefeln probieren, so wie Du sie trägst. Ich habe immer den Eindruck, dass ich in so einem Midi-Rock “gestaucht” aussehe. Bei Dir ist das überhaupt nicht der Fall und ich wäre nie auf die Idee gekommen, dass Du “petite” bist.
Sehr schön ist auch Deine Selektion der Linkup Party Bloggerinnen. Meine Favoritin wäre Tatjana. Mir gefällt ihr Outfit mit dem kuschelige Offwhite-Pulli und dem Polka Dots Midirock besonders gut.
Liebe Grüße aus Wien,
Nadine
Hi Nicole! I am glad you sent out the email, I just came back to link up. 🙂 I need to switch over to that new InLinkz and it makes me a little nervous! I LOVE this outfit on you, just the perfect holiday outfit with the red top and it picks up some of the red in the plaid skirt. Looking gorgeous! Happy New Year!
Carrie
Happy New Year to you too. You are welcome! I have to thank you for being a regular guest at my party. Thank you for the feedback on adding a comment section.
Happy New Year, Nicole! I think it’s great you have a comment section now, too.
And thanks for the feature!
Happy New Year to you and yours too!
Nicole, this is such a great post with wonderful tips on setting achievable goals. I struggled all of 2018 because I set myself a goal that overwhelmed me. For 2019, I broke it down into smaller much more achievable goals and will be celebrating each baby step that I accomplish. That definitely fuels my motivation much better! Wishing you a very Happy New Year!
Shelbee
I love the plaid skirt with the long boots! Happy New Year!
Emma xxx
Really great thoughts Nicole!
Great advice, Nicole. For some reason when I tried to join the party…this is the message I got: A requested resource could not be found. Please try again
XOOX
Jodie