Many people lack authentic social connections, and mask their personal issues from others.  To enable people to share their deep personal experiences, i.e., about bullying, self-esteem, and personal development, was one of the reasons I began my blog.  I think of this blog as an online “safe haven” where people can tell others about their personal issues without worry of stigmatization. It was designed as a general forum where people in need can see others sharing their stories, and thus giving them options for seeking help rather than opting for unhealthy drastic measures.

After reading my post yesterday, I realized how much certain people have influenced my journey.  I thought I would share this beautiful quote with you.  Due to numerous factors, I can't see certain friends as often as I would like but want them to know that they are always with me.

You may have the best intentions, but if you do not know how to deal with setbacks, you will be unsuccessful at achieving your goal.

In yesterday's post, I mentioned the three stages to goal setting: planning, implementation, and maintenance.  Many people have a goal; one way of achieving that goal is to devise a great plan.  However, people often fail to take into consideration the obstacles that they may encounter in the process.

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal" - Henry Ford

When I was a child, I was interviewed for the local television news.  I was asked on air: "What my favourite activity was to do with my mom."  I responded: "Cleaning my room."One of my personal goals for the coming year and beyond is to keep my bedroom clean.  Perhaps "clean" is not the right word - I would prefer if it was tidy and organized.  My New Year's resolution was to clear out the clutter.  I know that is a general goal which needs to be made into a SMART goal. Therefore, I am breaking down my room into several ways I can tidy up my bedroom.   I learned these from one of my best friends when she came to visit for my birthday; one of the gifts she gave me was to help organize my bedroom.  She is the queen of organization, and we spent the day after my birthday planning, shopping, and organizing my room. Six of my biggest organizational weaknesses are:

Happy New Year!!!! Welcome to 2012

I hope you all had a wonderful time of renewal, celebrating with your family and friends.

For my part, I had a really great time but must confess that the holidays went by far too quickly.  It is a week-and-a-half of hanging out with family and friends and eating way too much.  It is hard to see everyone, and I missed seeing some close friends this holiday.  However, I had a lot of fun over the holidays and made plans for the new year.