Well it's not, but I wanted to share some thoughts on goal setting anyway...

I was recently interviewed by my buddies over at Tune Up. It was cool because it really got me thinking about what has and hasn't worked for me. This is what I came up with...

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​ TU: Why is goal setting important?
J: Goals help you create a path of growth and transformation. Without a doubt, along the way, you will find clarity and fulfillment. Without goals you may have the experience in 1, 5, or 10 years of, “how did I get to this unfulfilling place” or “is this all there is?”

TU: Do you use any tools that make goal setting easier for you?
J: First, I get clear on my desires. Then, I choose to honor my value/worth. (Without this piece desires won’t matter, because you won’t actually believe you deserve them). Lastly, I commit to a plan with the proper structure, support, and accountability.

TU: What are your top 3 recommendations for clarifying your goals?
J: One, figure out what is most important to you about the goal you are setting. Two, get curious! Who will you have to be and what will you have to embrace? More importantly, what will you need to let go of in order to have success. Three, hire a coach.

TU: What elements are essential to goal planning?
J: It is essential to have an open-ness and desire for change. Break the goal down into small digestible chunks, overwhelm kills commitment faster than anything. Practice celebrating the little wins, consistent 1% daily progress is what gets you there; small hinges swing big doors. Be flexible. Rigidity decreases our resilience to the things life throws at us. Use your senses. What will it feel, look, sound, taste, and smell like when the goal is complete.

TU:How do you track your goals?
J: I track in my journal sometimes. I also have goal tracking sheets for my business, finances, and the way I am showing up in the world on a bulletin board in my office. This is the most powerful because I look at it everyday, several times a day.

TU: Do you have any tools that make goal setting easier for you?
J: I have a monthly earnings tracking sheet that was presented in one of my coaching classes. It’s useful, particularly because it tracks change, and provides a way to measure what I’m up to. What you measure and track you can change. I also created a financial tracker to help me put my earnings into savings. I also tend to track my goals and intentions on my desk calendar at home. For me visibility is key.

TU: Do you practice goal setting rituals and if so how often?
.J: I am in the process of establishing a monthly new-moon ritual where I tap into who I need to be showing up in the world as in order to reach my various goals. Once I am clear on my intention of being-ness. I start being that way — for example “joyfully excited”, even in the seemingly mundane aspects of my life, right away. I set goals & intentions at the beginning of each year, and I reconnect with those at my birthday. Lastly, anytime I start a new continuing education I set a goal for clarity on what I want to get out of it.

TU: What helps you get your mind in the right space?
J: In addition to my rituals and intentions setting — I use meditation, oracle cards, and tarot cards to help connect me to my intuition, desires, and worth.

TU: If somebody is having trouble finding a new years resolution, what’s your advice?
J: If you are having trouble finding a New Year’s resolution, take inventory and dare to desire…

Try this:Divide a piece of paper into three columns.

1. What is going well in my life? (Always start with gratitude).

2. What is not going well in my life?

3. What would I like to experience instead?
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This will help you figure out what you want. Then let the action begin!

Want more? Join me for my next group program >>>

28 Days: Resolutions to Results starts 1/29/18
​What to expect:

• 3, 1-hour group sessions
• 1 private 75-minute coaching session
• Peer support in our private FaceBook group

Session 1: Discovering what you want and why.
Session 2: How to ask for what you want and get it.
Session 3: Honoring intentions and honing your boundaries.
The Private session will clarify your desires further, troubleshoot common forms of self-sabotage, and create a plan for your next best step forward.
→Tune Up Member/Non-member: $357/$397← Sign up HERE

I went a little wild testing some vegan cookie recipes this weekend.

I am after all hosting Christmas eve this year and I love cookies, so I wanted to make sure I was properly prepped to do some killer entertaining, enjoy some treats and adhere to my plant-based intentions.

I had posted about being disappointed in myself over Thanksgiving, because I let the circumstances and my fear of not belonging take over my food decision making. 

I vowed the next holiday would be on my terms, while still including everyone.

So on to the Cookies!

These were awesomely easy, we refrigerated the dough for about an hour before rolling it out.

I would probably add a little vegan butter to the icing next time.

As is, the icing was great for a drizzle, but the flavor was a bit flat. I guess I just prefer a creamier frosting.

Totally kid friendly. K helped me from start to finish.

COOKIES

• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 3/4 cups Sugar
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup  Vegan Butter (we used Earth Balance sticks)
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/4 tsp Almond Extract
• 2-5 Tbsp Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk, add bit by bit for the right consistency  (we used Good Karma flax milk)

ICING

• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tbsp Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk  (we used Good Karma flax milk)

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C)
2. Cream the vegan butter and sugar together and then add the vanilla extract and almond extract.
3. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the baking soda and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix in by hand until crumbly. Add soy milk and mix in to create a big ball of dough. If your mix is too crumbly to form a ball of dough, add in a little more soy milk until it does.
5. Flour your hands and a baking mat and transfer the ball of dough to the baking mat.
6. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to around 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, dip a cookie cutter into flour so it doesn’t stick and cut out your cookies. Transfer the cookies to a parchment lined baking tray. With the remaining dough, form it into a ball and then roll it out again and repeat.
7. If you want round cookies and don’t want to make shapes, then you don’t need to roll out the dough, you can simply tear off pieces of the dough and roll into balls and place the balls onto a parchment lined baking tray. Flour the bottom of a glass and use that to press down on the balls to flatten them neatly before baking.
8. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before decorating.
10. Prepare your decorating frosting by adding the powdered sugar, vanilla and soy milk to an electric mixing bowl. Start on low speed and gradually increase speed until smooth. If you need a little more soy milk then add it a drop at a time so that you don’t use too much. The consistency will be very sticky, almost gluey. Separate into 2 bowls. Add a drop of food coloring into each bowl and mix in.
11. Decorate the cookies and allow to set before serving.

These are my favorite!

They are super spicy and chewy,  and smell like Christmas.

Perfect for getting into that Holiday state of mind.

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) vegan butter, softened We used Earth Balance sticks
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/3 cup Course sugar (Turbinado) for rolling cookies
• 1 chia egg (1 T chia seeds soaked in 2.5T water for 5 minutes)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup molasses

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1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Vigorously whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice in a bowl and set aside.
2 Use an electric mixer and beat the butter for 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes with mixer set at medium speed. Add egg, vanilla extract, and molasses. Beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.
3 Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Dough is pretty sticky
4 Place remaining 1/3 cup of granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Working with 2 Tbsp of dough each time, roll dough into 1 3/4 inch balls. Roll balls in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets, spacing them 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart.
5 Bake until the outer edges of the cookies begin to set and centers are soft and puffy, about 11 to 13 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks . (We did 13 minutes and they were great!)
Note: do not overcook. The centers of the cookies should be somewhat soft and spongy when you take them out of the oven, otherwise they will end up hard and dry.

My Journey into the world of plant based has been an amazing and  challenging adventure. My intention was to do the best I can, learn as much as possible and have fun with it.

But guess what? I practically fell to pieces over Thanksgiving, because of the butter and cream that was in EVERYTHING. I knew in advance that I was going to partake in the crab legs, but was sure I would stay plant based everywhere else...

FAT CHANCE!

​I caved, not necessarily because I was craving the old family favorites, but because I was afraid of losing belonging in my family tribe. I didn't want to stand out or be the Thanksgiving pain in the ass, who changed all the recipes to suit my needs. I totally veered off the my path to fit in. I felt out of integrity, and I got real judge-y on myself. But, oh how important it was for me to belong. This is a human condition though. I am not alone. We are hard wired to conform, at one time in history, our survival depended on it.

This is a super common catalyst for self sabotage, that shows up in social engagements., gatherings, and celebrations of all kinds. You know when Great Aunt Sally singles you out...

"Your so tiny, your wasting away, why are you eating like a bird?"

"Here have a double helping of my famous mashed potatoes, a cup of gravy, and make sure to eat all, so you don't hurt my feelings."

Well I can't say that the discomfort of standing out and being different when it comes to your health won't go away. However, you can  begin to practice:

1. The polite, but firm,  "No thank you." ( honoring your desires)
2. Prioritizing your health over aunt Sally's feelings. (boundaries baby!)
3. Arming your self with killer food ammunition that puts a smile on everyone's face and honors your health. (planning and strategizing)

Connect with me for more tips to recognize and defeat self sabotage, yummy recipes, and killer support so you can reclaim, and prioritize your bad ass self, and have the health and relationships you've dreamed about. Here's to owning it!
Jacqui@fitbodhi.com
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It would feel practically MIRACULOUS if we succeeded in accomplishing a resolution we set at the beginning of a new year (I say sarcastically). But, you know why I say that? In a group of 100 people 8 will achieve their goals, while the rest of are saddled with that haunting weight of failure, and disappointment. Ugh, I hate that feeling.

So let's talk about the difference between a person who experiences desired results vs. the person who experiences undesirable results (notice this distinction... we all get some result, and we are all winning the game that we are playing - more on that later...).

I recently conducted a survey, and I found that the most common and largest barrier that gets between us and our desires is FEAR!

As a coach I'd love to say, "I can help you eradicate all FEAR."

NOPE, I wouldn't be the coach you expected me to be, trying to spoon feed you that fantasy.
I will admit, I feel fear everyday, sometimes down right terror. Each time I do a Live Video, share authentically, show up and play the game with a whole heart. What I have discovered is that you can be really afraid and really ready at the same time. You can feel copious amounts of fear and do your dreams anyway.

Now, I welcome fear ( maybe an overstatement, but... it stops me less and less). My fear is  proof to me that I am playing big. Fear creates focus and aliveness, so that my contribution is more clear, centered, and real. When I take that bold leap out of paralyzation/ nonalignment, that's where I find motivation and creation/alignment. I have to face and move through my fear over and over, every day in order to stay in my unique alignment. We all do. It's what creates desired results.

Resolutions are never really about the thing, You know, that ideal picture we have in our mind... A resolution is the resolve to:
1. Honor your deepest desires, or maybe to figure what they even are.
2. Realize and step into your true value (which is always way higher than you give yourself credit for.)
3. Love yourself enough, to make the choices that are in alignment with what you really want.

Like I said in the beginning, we are all winning the game we're playing. How? If you want to be playing the game of "optimal health", you actually have to play it to the best of your ability the majority of the time. Let's say you resolve to play optimal health, but you go home and binge eat ice-cream 4 out of 7 days. Your result is going to be stomach aches, muffin top, and sugar roller coaster. The game your actually playing might be called, "I don't value my health enough to make the choices that will provide me with optimal health". So you are winning, but your playing wrong game. So,  WHAT game are YOU playing?

When you are tapped into your desires, personal value, and deep self love, your courage soars, you smile at fear, you take empowered action again and again and again. When you follow the rules of the game you want to be playing consistently, miracles occur.

On December 18, 2018 at 6:00 pm MST, I will be discussing 3 ways to make a resolution stick. Make a choice to honor yourself ,your desires and create a miraculous life. Join me for this FREE virtual webinar.
RSVP here for the link.
https://newyearsresolutions3waystomake.splashthat.com/

I  can really struggle with balance, I tend to be all or nothing black or white. It used to be, one missed work out could lead to a month or more with no structured activity, or one cookie would lead to the whole bag, and (I still work on this one regularly). So why are we so good at compartmentalizing, why does it show up as either, or? I am so ready for both, and more. Do you know how we do one thing is how we do everything? Let’s say you are humming along at work, busy, busy, making money, getting things done, but because of that you don’t have time to take care of your body, or maybe your relationships are suffering. So when you are assessing things, look to the weakest link. Bring that part of your life up and everything else will elevate too. Life is like a pie, each piece part of the whole. If you forgot to put filling in one piece the whole pie suffers. We want the whole pie to be as delicious as possible

So what would creating a more balanced lifestyle look like?

Great question! Creating a more balanced lifestyle would mean taking a really good look at all areas of your life: relationships, career, money, exercise, health…and making decisions about what is and isn’t working in each area. Sometimes the reason we stay stuck in unhealthy or unhappy areas of our lives is because it’s easier, in a way, to stay stuck in the familiarity than to find the creativity and energy to make the changes needed to improve our quality of life and move into the unknown. Let’s face it that unknown can be scary, even if it’s subconscious.
But don’t worry, I am here to help you begin to IMAGINE what your life in balance would look and feel like! But first...

How will I know if my current lifestyle is unbalanced?

●             Are you used to getting things done on your own, but could use a little support?
●             Do you want to build a healthier relationship to food?
●             Do you eat when you are bored, angry, sad, or stressed out?
●             Do you want to develop a deeper connection to yourself and others?
●             Do you want to be empowered to be your own health expert?
●             Do you want to be inspired about healthy cooking?
●             Do you want to discover optimal eating for your unique body?
●             Do you want more confidence, energy, and self-acceptance?
●             Do you want to be challenged in new ways?
●             Do you want to be held accountable to show up for yourself?
 
What do I do now?
 
If you are ready to embrace the best version of your life possible, schedule a clarity session, contact at jacqui@fitbodhi and let’s talk about the important steps to take to make changes in your lifestyle that will help you CREATE your DREAM life!