Do you begin each New Year with a resolution?  If you do, you are not alone!  Millions of Americans begin January 1st with a goal they want to reach and yet only 8% of them will successfully achieve it.  We’ve all been there; ready to make a fresh start, to finally tackle the challenge of getting that thing we really, really want, and then, 2…3…4 weeks into it we’ve given up.  Why is this?  Do some of us have more willpower than others?  Are some of us genetically predisposed to failure?  Are we just lazy?

Fortunately the answer is none of the above.  The reason we don’t achieve what we want is because we haven’t taken the time to set ourselves up for what I call inevitable success.  If you truly want to achieve your goals here are a few of the elements you need in place:

|Clarity

• Get a crystal clear vision for what your goal looks like when you’ve reached it.
• Include specific details for what gets to happen for you when you achieve your desired outcome.  How will you feel, what will you be doing or not doing?

 
|Unwavering Commitment

• Take 100% personal responsibility for making it happen. 

• No blame game, no excuses, no complaints!  As Yoda says ‘Do or do not, there is no try.’   
• Every successful goal is backed by commitment, dedicated focus, and consistent action.  Make a plan and stick to it.

 
|Achievability

• Keep the steps to your goal simple and doable.  The more complicated and involved your requirements become the less likely you will achieve what you want within the timeframe you’ve set.

|Inspiring the 'Why'

• Goals can feel far off and unreachable at times.  By connecting daily to your reason(s) for wanting to reach your goal you keep your motivation fresh and active. 

 
|Bonus Tip:  Accountability

• People who establish some sort of accountability for themselves are 76% more likely to reach their goal than those who do not.

 
If one of your goals is to start the new year feeling light, clear, and energized but aren’t sure where to start I have the solution!  Beginning on January 15th I will be leading a fun, fast ‘7 Day Sugar Smackdown’ which will leave you looking and feeling fabulous.  Save $30 by joining now…simply click this link for full details.

Cookbooks are a wonderful gift to give anyone who loves food, in fact one of my favorite things in the world is to curl up with a new cookbook and read it cover to cover so it’s no wonder that I have a ridiculous number of cookbooks.  Having so many to choose from made narrowing this list down to three of my favorites nearly impossible! 

When selecting a cookbook for someone else here are some key points to consider before you buy:

• Are they an experienced cook or just starting out?
  
• What style of cooking do they prefer?  Ethnic? Fast and easy? For entertaining? Simple ingredients? Exotic ingredients?
  
• What is their typical eating style?  Adventurous-Comfort Food-Focus on local, in season ingredients…
  
• Do they avoid any specific ingredients such as gluten, meat, fish, sugar, dairy, etc…
  

For my top 3 choices I looked for books I turn to again and again for both basic recipes as well as more creative ideas.  And for each book I chose I wanted their recipes to appeal to a wide audience.  You’ll find that these 3 books will fit beautifully into kitchens that are already whole-foods based, as well as kitchens that are just starting to integrate whole, healthy eating.  The final thing that was important to me was for each of the books to have beautiful photos because there is nothing more inspiring than to see the finished product that your time and effort will produce.

There are several things to love about this book.  You will find a simplicity to the recipes, both in the ingredients and the instructions, which is very helpful when cooking for a family.  The other thing I like is that she does a nice job of laying out the basics for setting up a ‘clean foods’ pantry, and for the most part, all ingredients can be found in a standard grocery store.
Style: Gluten Free/Vegan/Refined Sugar Free/Seasonal Whole Foods

Kris Carr is awesome!  She has an irreverent, no nonsense, just-do-it style that I find very appealing and is a health warrior through and through.  Her story about thriving despite having an incurable form of brain cancer is truly inspiring (if interested you can read more here).  I have loved every recipe I’ve tried out of her book and find it to be a nice blend of ethnic influences (as in Chickpea Tagine, Soba Teriyaki Tofu, Vegetable Maki Rolls) along with more familiar dishes (like Bean Chili, Split Pea Soup, Black Bean Burgers).
Style: Vegan/Whole Foods

Angela has one of my favorite go-to food blogs, check it out if you want to get a feel for her style.  What draws me to her is her obvious and passionate love of food combined with an almost fanatical dedication to testing her recipes.  As much as I love to cook I have no patience for testing something over and over so I’m always glad to find someone who does that work for me.  You can trust that each of her recipes will be delicious
Style: Vegan/Whole Foods/Mostly Gluten Free 

If you have cookbooks you love and use all the time please share them in the comments below!

Enjoy!
Janna

Even before Thanksgiving I could feel the stress levels beginning to rise as people started gearing up for the holiday season.  This time of year can be wonderful in so many ways; time with family and friends, beautiful decorations, eating yummy food, parties, receiving and giving gifts, etc…  But if you find it’s gone from invigorating to exhausting and you are done with the frantic pace then it’s time to step back and make some changes.

It can be easy to lose track of the fact that we have the power to create any experience we want, in any moment, no matter how busy life gets.  So if you’re finding your holidays are filled with more hustle and bustle and less peace and harmony here are a few things you can do to get yourself back on track:

|Set Priorities
Know what is important to you and what you can let go of!  Whatever you most love about this time of year, whether it’s connecting with friends and family, being in service to those in need, or baking cookies for every single person you know, start from that desire and clear out all unnecessary tasks that stands in the way of making it happen.  

|Self-Care
When we’re busy getting everything done and making things just right for everyone around us, self-care is often the first thing to go.  You cannot be at your best or give fully to those around you when your energy, health, and happiness are depleted.  Ideally you want to carve out a little time for yourself every day…think tea, bath, dance break, reading, nap… but at the VERY LEAST focus on drinking lots of water, putting high quality food in your body, and getting plenty of sleep.
                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~
If there is only one thing you take away from this article I would love for it to be the understanding that you have the power to create any experience you want.  When we are waiting on another person or circumstance to change in order to reach our desired state we are powerless.  No one else has the ability to make us happy, calm, relaxed, energized… which is awesome news because it means that we can shift into how we want to feel at any time, even when life is crazy.  It takes time and practice to learn how to do this but I guarantee it’s 100% possible and it is, without a doubt, worth the effort.

Wishing you peace and joy each and every day,
Janna