Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Bonjour, September!


How sad is it that this under 100 degree weather we've been having in Texas makes me think Fall is actually getting nearer? Ha. The fact that I don't go outside and immediately break out into a sweat is a miracle. Vancouver's 60-degree highs for this weekend will be a HUGE shock to my system, that's for sure.

On another note, can you believe it's September?? I've said it before and I'll say it again, 2009 is FLYING by. Soooo I guess it's time to see how I did on my August goals, oui?

AUGUST GOALS:

*Stick to cash-only envelope system - YES! This is, by far, my greatest success. I've been sticking to my budget, and it's amazing. I have... excess! Yay yay yay, absolutely love having control of my finances for the first time in my life!! Merci beaucoup to Jennifer! Without her, I never would've gotten here.

*No clothing purchases - This was mostly a success. I made 2 exceptions to my no-shopping rule: (1) I bought the TranquiliT leggy because they were 40% off, and I'm in desperate need of new yoga pants/leggings. (2) Bday shopping at Anthropologie with my 15% discount. I'm OK with those exceptions and was tres good otherwise. :)

*Bring lunch to work 2X/week - FAIL. I think I only did this one week.

*C25k 2X/week (Couch to 5k running program) - SEMI-FAIL. I def. did it at least once a week, and maybe 2x a week for a couple weeks.

*Bed by 11 p.m. and other Abundant AM's steps (micromovements to a morning ritual) - COMPLETE AND UTTER FAIL!!! This has been sooooooo unbelievably hard for moi. :(

*Complete 2 lessons of Rosetta Stone French - Also complete and utter FAIL.

*Ignore inner critic and squash judgmental voice (more on this later) - Sort of better, but still struggling beaucoup.

*Embrace 26 - YES!! This birthday was one of the best. I felt OODLES of love and support, and I think 26 will be a wonderful year!

I know my September will be busy and full of a lot of non-negotiables, like work. In anticipation of that, I want my goals to be a bit lighter this month. And now, without further ado, voila my


September Goals:

~ Improve/reduce dining out spending (this is where I have the most trouble, surprisingly)

~ Love my body as it is RIGHT NOW, not 5 years ago or sans 30 lbs, etc. (this will prob. be an ongoing goal, but thought I'd put it in here anyway!)

~ Finish book club books before book clubs meet (The Lovely Bones and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society)

~ Create and stick to my Balancing Rules, aka the rules I have implemented in order to maintain balance in my life. As a dear friend said, I. Come. First.

~ Work on my morning ritual

~ And most importantly, DO NOT FEEL GUILTY! I have a major problem with guilt over the stupidest things. I want to learn to let go of this guilt, it has no positive effect on my life.


What are your September goals?
{photo credit: NixieMichelle on flickr}

8 comments:

Cupcakes and Cashmere said...

i love that you set up goals for yourself each month...i seriously need to do the same!

Melita said...

i think you did pretty well in august. september goals seem definitely doable! for the one for letting go of guilt, just ask yourself, 'if i die tomorrow, would i regret not doing that.' if yes is your answer then do it!! if not, don't worry about it babe!! there are far too many other things to be concerned about. :)

Lucy said...

Awesome job with your August goals, cherie!

Especially get your finances in order~~this is so inspiring. I really need to do the same. Might have to review that post about how the envelop system works.

I also love your goal about loving your body as it is now. I'm finding Tim Gunn's epis of Guide to Style an amazing way to focus on this.

Happy September, cherie! :)

Sarah said...

Great job with August goals! I think your September goals are fantastic!

Anonymous said...

Carolyn,

I just think that the finances thing is SO HUGE, it's like the biggest SUCCESS of many years. How many people can never get to this point!?

In my book, because of THIS success, I really don't think you had ANY FAIL this month at all!

Rachel said...

Happy September to you!

My goal is to save money!

kylie said...

ooh j'adore this photo...i want to be her, walking down the path with the sunlight streaming on moi and my bare feet!

you did a great job on your august goals! be sure to stop and give yourself credit for your fabulous work. even in areas where you thought you failed it seems like you brought mindfulness to that area so i think that is a success, don't you?

i love your september goals too, especially the one on body acceptance and not feeling guilty - probably because these are areas that i also need to work on.

tres bien, cherie!!! xox!

Pink Heels said...

You can do it! You can do it! You can do it!