Much has been said in the media of late about the airbrushed models and celebrities frequenting the covers of women's magazines.

As a result, there's been a backlash of sorts, with many glossies boasting of their current use of unretouched images.

While still gorgeous, expertly lit, perfectly posed and stunningly groomed, this recent trend has been a positive step forward for the representation of...dare I say it... real women.

But while women are speaking loud, their message crystal clear - the airbrushing phenomenon is not limited to we ladies.

Take a look at the cover of any men's lifestyle magazine... I dare say those six-packs have had some assistance, along with the remarkably even skin tone and perhaps a couple of other, shall we say, attributes.

It seems the modern bloke must also live up to a false ideal, comparing themselves to the incredibly sculptured bodies of the new male model.

But perhaps

Women with Purpose - Your Own Worst Enemy – (HOW NOT TO BE!)

Six key steps to setting goals

Well, it’s the New Year and I am guessing most of you (me included) have set at least one goal or New Year resolution.  So before you go much further, make sure that you set yourself up for success and give yourself the best possible chance to achieve your goals.  

Today I share with you 6 key steps to writing goals that will help you achieve them.

1.    State your goal positively
2.    Put your goal in context
3.    Express your goal in specific, sensory terms
4.    Choose a goal you can fulfil yourself
5.    Evaluate honestly the effects of achieving your goal
6.    Choose a worthwhile goal.

Many of the people I coach have radically improved different aspects of their lives by using this approach to setting and achieving their goals.

1. State your goal positively

Your Own Worst Enemy – (HOW NOT TO BE!)

Top secrets to staying motivated and on track with your goals.

Have you ever set yourself a goal or committed to stoping or staring something (a diet, an exercise plan) and not managed to follow through?  

If you are like every other person in the world then I am guessing the answer is yes, at least once!

Just because you set yourself a goal it does not mean that you will achieve the outcome you want.

Do you sometimes have a that little voice inside your head that says “I am finding it really hard to stay motivated to stick to this goal or “I wish I was more motivated to do the things I know need doing”

For all of us at one time or another we have found it difficult to find the motivation and keep it.

Unfortunately motivation won’t just fall into your lap – you have to take steps to create it.

Wanting to do something and then actually doing it can be really hard.  

We often mistake sheer will power with motivation.  Will power is no good without motivation. If you try to achieve your goals through sheer will power without motivation you will be likely to fail.  

Here are 6 effective ways you can help yourself to more effectively achieve your goals.

My November pick of the month:

Kindred in Death by JD Robb (RRP $39.95):- Not for the faint of heart but a great addition to the series.  

Eve Dallas has to face her personal demons while finding justice for 16 year old Deena McMasters when she is found brutally murdered by her parents on their return from holidays.  This book is only available in Hardback until January when it releases as a paperback but if you can’t wait grab it now as it is such a riveting read.

December Sneak Peak:

Are you a Paranormal Romance junkie who loves ghosts, vampires and demons, a Contemporary closet dweller looking for the perfect man or does the dark side of life call you to Romantic Suspense with an interest in murders and mystery?  Romantic Fiction is coming out of the closet to meet your reading needs.  December is a great time to get the latest releases ready for the long hazy summer days and as each month approx 1500 new titles are released, there is just so much choice.

This coming month has some super huge releases:

Paranormal releases: Born of Ice by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Hunters Need by Shiloh Walker, Rion by Susan Kearney, Scorched by Sharon Ashwood,

Historical releases: Captive Heart by Bertrice Small, Reeses Bride by Kat Martin

Contemporary: Hidden Fire by Jo Davis, Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie

Romantic Fiction: Chill by Stephanie Rowe, Dying Scream by Mary Burton, Fire and Ice by Julie Garwood, Like No One Else by Maureen Smith, Night Magic by Karen Robards.

 

Nicola Pitt owns and runs Love Books – an internet bookstore dedicated to the very best of romantic fiction.  Married for over 15 years with 2 teenage daughters, she is compulsive reader who also loves to cook, raise chickens and cats, listen to great music and loves wine.

emai Nicolal: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Aside from Lingerie the most requested topic I receive in my inbox is "How to Combat Self Doubt?" and most of them are Professional Business Women!

Which shock and saddens me! We all have our moments and our days, I think as women we are always on auto pilot and don't really think always or don't have time to.
With the ridiculously crazy time of year coming we don't have time to do well- much!

So here are some super dooper quick things I need you to do for me!

1. You have to read Self Doubt Are You Qualified?

2. See yourself through someone's eyes!

* Pick 3 people who love you for you, ask them-
* How they see you?
* If they had to describe you to someone what would they say?
* What do they think makes you fabulous?

We our our own worst enemies sometimes, what we see in ourselves no one would ever notice!

3. Get that sexy lingerie set out, I don't care if your doing the housework! It is the quickest way for you to feel great. Don't have one? Go and get yourself an early Christmas present!

Bra Queen Meet Australia’s Number 1 Bra Critic, Writer/Author, Lingerie Consultant. Bringing you ALL you need to know and look for in a bra.

Clear your energy and make room for change

With only a couple of months left of 2009, now is the perfect time to clear your energy, as well as your physical, mental and emotional space, to invite change and new beginnings for 2010.

Throughout my psychic readings this year, it’s become apparent that 2009 has been a trying time for most. In some way or another, people have been hitting brick walls, experiencing setbacks and generally finding there is a tiny invisible set of reigns holding them back, willing them to wait.

The good news is, this feeling of resistance is beginning to lift and life should be more free-flowing in the New Year.  At an individual level, you can take advantage of this shift by following these simple steps to help remove negative energies which may have accumulated throughout the year.

These exercises will leave you feeling lighter, brighter and more open to receiving the new.

1.    Realise and release  

An effective way to realise the negative energies you’ve been carrying, or to recognise where your energy is blocked, is to write it out. Set aside some quiet time when you won’t be interrupted and purge your feelings and emotions on to paper. Style, spelling and grammar are not important. Simply allow old ideas, emotions and attachments which are no longer working for you rise to the surface and be released to the paper. When you’ve finished, don’t read back what you’ve written as you’ll only take it all back on board. Burn it. Tear it to shreds. Bury it in the backyard.

If writing is not for you, venting to a voice recorder or a stuffed toy may also work as the principle is the same. It’s a good idea to practice this exercise a couple of times to ensure you release the deeper, harder-to-get-to stored emotions.

2.    Clear the clutter

Once you’ve cleansed your energy, it’s important to also refresh the energy of the space around you. Empty out your wardrobe, cosmetics cases, the kitchen cupboards, the filing cabinet and anywhere else in your home or office which hasn’t been reviewed in the last six to twelve months. Ensure the doors and windows are open as you do this to allow old energy to flow out. Physically clearing your space will shift the energy stored in those outdated items and sends a powerful message that you are ready and willing to accept the new.

3.    Change the vibrational frequency

Energy can become stagnant in a room, making it feel stale and stodgy. Sound is a great way to alter the energetic vibrations. Simple sounds, like clapping or using Tibetan drums, can work well to break stagnant energy to get it flowing through your work or living space. You might also like to lighten the energy of your environment by listening to a refreshing and restoring piece of music, or use wind chimes, which will also help heighten your own energy’s vibration.  Lighting incense or placing crystals throughout your space can also have a balancing and restorative effect. Remember to keep windows and doors open while you do this.

Practice these simple steps whenever you feel stuck or blocked in your life. From this renewed and revitalised energetic viewpoint, it will be easier to manifest what you want and live your life with greater clarity.

Psychic Medium Helen Thomas provides accurate insight for clients on relationships, career, health, finances and more. She is also a gifted medium and teaches meditation and intuition workshops.

Are you a woman who is commitment rich but time poor?

Then you belong to a NOT SO exclusive club!

This club is called MODERN LIFE

I really, really, really dislike it when I see an advert asking me if I would like more time in the day – of course I would – are these people nuts?

For me it has never been about more time.  I have always known that if I had more time then I would simply do more things and try to fit more in. If this sounds familiar then you might want to read on…..

My name is Louise Carter and I run my own small business.  I help women set goals for themselves and more importantly STICK to them.  I am lucky enough to meet many wonderful women every day and they all have oodles of talent and potential.

They are all successful in their own right as mothers, partners, lovers, career women, friend etc and every one of them has a goal they want to achieve. These goals are things they are passionate about, that they know will make a difference to the quality of their lives.

The most common goals I hear are:

Brigitte, one of Germany's top women's magazines, said last week it would only publish photographs of "real women" after readers complained they could not identify with the models depicted.
 

Beginning in January 2010, Brigitte will no longer use professional models on its pages but will use "real" women, be they readers of the magazine, employees or prominent German women. The goal is to showcase "normal" women – and normal women are not usually a size zero.

But the iconic German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld said "Curvy women have no place on the catwalk.  No one wants to see curvy women,"

"You've got fat mothers with their bags of chips sitting in front of the television and saying that thin models are ugly," he said.

The world of fashion is about "dreams and illusions", he said and dismissing the debate prompted by Brigitte magazine as "absurd.

Struggling to live a ‘balanced' life? You're not alone and the reason why it's so hard is because it's like trying to hit a moving target. Our lives are hardly the same from one day to the next and not to mention that our priorities change through different stages of our lives so it definitely is not an easy task.

The truth is that there is no magic formula on how to achieve a balance in our lives but ultimately it's the choices we make every day that determine the "amount" of that balance.  We do have a say in how we run our lives so we must take time to make ourselves the focus. The conflict between competing demands in our lives are inevitable - and that's just life but we must add into that mix something we enjoy doing and are passionate about. 

Guilt will try and "talk" us out of it but we must keep pressing on and not let it ruin what we are trying to achieve....yes easier said than done I know...but with practice it does get easier.  Doing something we enjoy will lift our spirits, relax us, recharge our batteries, and make us happy. After all a balanced life is not static always even balance but an up and down movement of the scales.  As long as the "work/stress" side isn't always tipping the scales than we are on our way to managing that balance.