A Girl With Goals

So another thing that comes with birthdays is my inherent need to goal set for the upcoming year. I choose not to make New Years Resolutions because 1) I'm usually busy hauling my butt to the makeup counter at Nordstrom in search of the perfect eyeshadow to match my NYE outfit (not ashamed to say that this is actually the truth) and 2) spending the next day laughing with friends about what a disaster NYE was (again, it's a sad truth). That being said, I use my birthday as a time to reflect back and think of things to work on going forward and set some hopefully tangible goals, however small they may be.

Be better about taking my makeup off at night
My mother will probably kill me for the fact that at the age of 23 this still has to be a goal for me. Despite her constantly telling me to take my makeup off before I go to sleep, I still am yet to become mature enough to do this on a nightly basis. Anyone who knows me know that I am notorious for never taking my makeup off and occasionally caking on more the next day if I'm really pressed for time (you can thank my best friend Jen for condoning this behavior). Some of you may be scoffing at your computers right now, but I guarantee you've done it at least once. If not, I'll go ahead and nominate you for sainthood right now. But if one day I don't want to look 50 when I'm 30, I need to channel my inner Blair Waldorf (partly because I one day wish to be ladylike enough to wear an eye mask to bed) and becoming more mature with my skin care.

Be more health conscious
I have an unhealthy obsession with Mexican food and all things fried paired with a complete inability to bring myself to go to the gym. I've finally (sort of) realized that wearing workout clothing does not equate to actually working out. I'm really good about going to the gym when there's a buddy system involved but on my own I'd rather lay in bed. In fact, I could probably rule the world from the comfort of my bed if someone would just let me. My first motivation is that my friends and I decided to run my chapter of ZTA's "Franklin 5K" at the end of March. I'm still hoping "run" is being used as a loose term but I'll definitely try not to walk the entire thing like I did my senior year of college. I wish I could blame my father for being the reason we came in dead last but I'm pretty sure it was just me. (If you want to check it out, here's the Facebook page to the ZTA 25th Annual Franklin 5K - sorry, shameless plug) Now go ahead and give me Carrie Underwood's legs please.

Become less stressed with technology
I am self-admittedly addicted to technology. Whenever I receive an email or text message I feel the need to respond immediately. One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is when technology decides to run slowly when I'm trying to reply to an email. I like being able to respond to things promptly with the correct information and hate being 'behind the times' in my communication. While I know it's unrealistic to expect myself to become completely detached from my phone I at least would like to work on becoming less stressed about it. Unless of course this will all one day lead to me becoming a Kelly Cutrone power girl mini me. In which case, hand me back my iPhone and start dressing me in all black. Okay, minus the all black thing. I'm not THAT chic.

All in all, it's best to be a girl with goals. While learning to take my makeup off at night is obviously not on the same level as solving the great problems of the world, it's all about personal, small goals that will ultimately make you a happier more focused person. It doesn't matter when you set your goals, as long as you make a point to be realistic in your expectations and actually expect yourself to achieve them. What are some of your goal-setting tips and tricks?