For the second part in our series on entrepreneurship, meet my buddy Craig. He has taken a personal interest in all things wood paired and a desire to be creative and launched one of the West Coast’s hottest furnishing companies, Union Wood Co. All the amazing pieces are crafted in their in-house woodworking studio in Vancouver’s Railtown neighbourhood and people are taking serious notice. Read below to see what makes him tick.

alexis: What is your name and what do you do?

craig: My name is Craig Pearce, and i am the owner, creative director, janitor and emailer at Union Wood Company in Vancouver, BC.

alexis: How did you come up with the idea for your business?

craig: The idea for my business came when i realized that i had very little(zero) traditional "art" skills, but still felt I needed to apply my creativity to something that both looked good, and was functional.

alexis: when did you decide to make it happen? What were some of the challenges involved?

craig: Four years ago I finally had the chance to make it happen.  Some of the biggest challenges at first were explaining to people how & why their friend; a garbageman, a cook and a construction worker would want to be a furniture designer. Aside from this, having the space to do what you want to do is always a challenge in the city.

alexis: What do you love about running your own company? What are some of the challenges?

craig: The best part about running your own company is getting those unique chances to get to live out what you've been dreaming up in your head for months.  Collaborating with other people & businesses to stay on your toes is always an exciting part, too.

alexis: Your shop is in a really cool part of Vancouver – what is the best part of working in a tight community?

craig: We've been so fortunate to be in such a great part of the city.  Its a great cross section of worlds here where in one building, someone is selling the worlds most expensive designer rugs, and right beside that someone is creating some obscure art piece in their brick & beam loft.

alexis: What advice would you give to someone creating their dream job?

craig: Just go out and do it, however you can.

For more on what Craig and the Union Wood Co. gang are up to, follow their awesome Instagram account – be prepared for reclaimed wood heaven, some serious kitsch and even the odd Icing (just one of the side benefits of working with friends).

Many of us have had dreams of working for ourselves. Be it that we have an idea for a business that doesn't yet exist or we wish to simply create our own workplace, it is an exciting proposition...and also sometimes a scary one. How does one get started? What are the challenges ahead? There are many questions, sometimes with complicated answers.

Over the next three series, I am profiling three small businesses that all have three things in common: passionate entrepreneurship, the balls to take chances and the fortitude to make cool sh!t happen. Here's our first installment featuring a local chef who is all the rage in the City of Glass.

christina culver - culver city salads

alexis: What is your name and what do you do?

christina: Christina Magdalena Culver. I am the owner of Culver City Salads and I am also a nail artist on the side!

alexis: How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Honestly it was very organic (ha!). I've always been the resident cook within my friend group. A few years ago I was between jobs and to be frank, things were a little tight. A good friend told me that she would pay me to make her lunches, so I started playing around with the idea. Soon thereafter another friend approached me and told me he'd like to partner up and help me officially launch Culver City Salads. We are now just a little over a year deep and are now gearing up to put our very own food truck on the street in June!

alexis: How and when did you decide to make it happen? What were some of the challenges involved?

christina: In the beginning it was more of a means to an end, so I guess I didn't really take it that seriously. When my partner Jesse let me know how much he loved the product and how excited he was to get involved, it started to set in that this could really be "a thing." Honestly, everything has been a challenge, not all necessarily bad...just a ton of learning curves. I'm not a trained chef, and I didn't go to business school - I went to fashion design school! Getting started - getting into a commissary kitchen, figuring out how to run it, getting all of the appropriate permits, managing deliveries and social media as well as ordering produce and packaging have been things I needed to figure out. But I am really enjoying it all! That thing about every day being different is true. There is never a dull moment.

alexis: What do you love about running your own company? What are some of the challenges? 

christina: I really love working for myself. Entrepreneurship runs in my family and I have to say it just feels right for me. I love that I get to collaborate with other amazing local talents (like The Juice Truck who retails my salads, Alex Mazerolle who I just did a urban retreat with, trainers Carley Mendez & Keighty Gallagher who I am starting a 3 week challenge with called "The Tight Life" (it is bikini season, after all!) and Camil Dumont of Inner City Farms. I love that I get to make it my job to have fun, get creative and make truly nourishing food that makes people so happy and feel great. How cool is that? I would say that the biggest challenge is that there just aren't enough hours in the day. It can be a little overwhelming to wear so many hats and adjust to bouncing between the different roles I need to own in a day. Sometimes I get caught up in the not so fun stuff and have to remind myself why I'm doing this. I've also realized that I am a bit of a freak when it comes to delegating. As much as I'd like to take a holiday at some point I like to have my hand in everything and make sure that is it up to my standards and consistent. I need to work on this.

alexis: I've known you for a long time and you have had a pretty interesting life! Tell us something random about you.

christina: In 2007 I was burning out on designing (I started my own fashion label "Christina Darling" when I was 21). I was in New York with my girls and decided to try painting some of my favorite prints that I would usually turn into dresses on everyone's finger nails. Before I knew it, I was signed with an agent, doing fashion editorials (NYLON, Z!NK & Flare to name a few) shoots, celebrity nails for Interview! magazine and keying the shows at New York Fashion Week. My nails actually ended up on the Australian stamp. I often get asked if I'm "the girl that does the nails and salads". I guess I'm a bit of a juxtaposition.

alexis: What is your favourite way to sweat?

christina: I can't really say that I have a favorite. I grew up in North Vancouver and have always enjoyed the seasons through sports. I bike year round, it is my main form of transport and exercise I would say. It's the perfect way to get me in gear as I head to the kitchen and blow off steam at the end of a busy day. In the winter I love to ski and snowboard as much as I possibly can! In the drier months, I love running in nature (seawall and the forest). I try to do yoga a few times a week to unwind, and in the summer I can't get enough of the ocean. I become a bit of a mermaid (*Editor's Note: I can verify this. She has the perfect hair). I love wakeboarding and water skiing, and I'm hoping to get back into dancing and rowing this summer/fall.

The path to entrepreneurial glory is paved with fun, hard work and ingenuity! Look forward to two more stories of people who created their dream jobs...in the meantime, what job / business would you create for yourself if you couldn't fail?

We hope you've enjoyed the last few weeks of vision and goal setting as much as we have (are you just getting started on goal setting? See this post for details on how to begin).

To keep your eyes on the prize, we've created a couple of wallpapers for your computers, tablets and phones. Enjoy!

vision and goals wallpapers

desktop

iPhone

iPad

Facebook

desktop

iPhone

iPad

Facebook

Many of you who watched Steph's video about goal setting had a question for us: what the heck was that smoothie she was making? We asked Steph to share with us her favourite morning smoothie that fuels her through her multi-workout pursuits.

*Editor's note: The recipe below is Steph's morning smoothie, not the one shown actually shown in the video. The video smoothie is her afternoon concoction: it just adds strawberries and beets to this recipe and doesn't have coffee!

Also: brutal honesty, I'm not a "smoothie person" and I thought this sounded gross when I read the ingredients. However, in the name of journalistic integrity I thought I should try this puppy...lo and behold, I was pleasantly surprised both by the taste and how much energy I got after drinking it. 

steph's morning glory smoothie

1.5 cups of coffee (Steph likes hers Bodum-pressed...I'm inclined to agree)
1 frozen banana
1 head of kale
bee pollen (wondering where to find this? Check out your local health-food store...this stuff has amazing benefits)
2 tablespoons of almond butter

Place all ingredients in blender (Steph is obsessed with her VitaMix - even stubborn kale stalks get pulverized instantly) and pulse for 30 seconds. Serve in glass jar and enjoy immediately for maximum freshness.

As a coffee obsesseur I must say mixing my Americano with almond butter seems like sacrilege but it's good to step outside of one's comfort zone - and I have to admit, it tasted pretty good. Do you put any unusual items in your morning smoothies? Let us know what you think!

adventures in goal-setting: how getting clear on your vision can change the direction of your life

Chloe, our Vision & Goals Program Manager here at lululemon, first started working for the company in 2002 as a part-time educator at our Queen Street store in Toronto after hearing about the job from a friend. She was looking to pay the bills and chill out after finishing her undergraduate degree in Fine Arts before embarking on a career as a (band camp alert!) music teacher. When she was hired, Chloe wasn’t really an “athlete,” nevermind a yogi; however, she soon fell in love with the practice of finding her breath and stretching it out on her mat.

A few months into her role, Chloe realized that part of what made her want to be a music teacher was her love of facilitating learning for people. She began focusing on this and consequently became a Store Manager. It was also around this time that Chloe was introduced to the practice of creating a vision for herself and setting goals. Her first reaction was something like this (something a lot of us can probably relate to):

“I am a cool city girl from Toronto who doesn’t read self-help books thankyouverymuch.”

Chloe soon realized, however, that if she was going to facilitate learning for her staff as a Store Manager, she needed to walk the walk and invest in what she was supposed to be teaching (aka drop the too-cool-for-school vibes and open up to the possibility that Vision and Goals could be awesome). She began by setting a vision for her ideal future life in 10 years and then created 1, 5 and 10 year goals for herself (personal, career and health-focused) that would support her in achieving this vision.

Once Chloe got into goal-setting, she realized that it was working: by intentionally writing down and declaring what she wanted, things started to come together. Zing! She realized that she wanted to train people in Vision and Goals and became lululemon’s Training Manager. How did she know she wanted that job? Because her goals and her passions were clear enough that she knew, she had the confidence to declare her goals, and she was around people who supported her in achieving them.

It’s been, ahem, a few years since Chloe first created the training role in Toronto. Since then her life has been pretty rad: she has moved to Vancouver, become the Head of Retail Training for the company, got married to a cool dude, had a baby, backpacked New Zealand and come back to share why vision and goal-setting is badass once more. She isn't teaching music class - instead, she's living the life she was meant to, with her authentic vision acting as her true north.

key takeways from chloe's journey

1.     surround yourself with people who support your goals.

Sometimes the people around us are happy, supportive, honest and will do whatever it takes to support you achieving your goals. Other times there are people who (for whatever reason) cannot get down with what you are striving for. Surround yourself with positive people who are rooting for you and will give you honest feedback - you will find success more easily, promise.

2.     get clear on what you actually want.

Chloe originally thought she wanted to be a music teacher. She told herself that that was what she wanted, plus she had just gotten a fine arts degree, so she should still do it. When she gained the courage to actually declare what she wanted, it became clear to her what her vision is: owning and running a leadership retreat centre where she creates awesome experiential leadership programming. The courage to have a real conversation with yourself about what you really want (not what should happen, but what is POSSIBLE) is when things will begin falling into place. Speaking of that…

3.     set goals from possible, not probable.

Close your eyes and think about what you really want. Not what might or probably will happen, but what you really want for yourself without any caveats getting in the way. It’s remarkable how many of us are doing stuff that has nothing to do with what we actually want. When we shift into the perspective of possibility, we can begin to discover what makes us happy and what looks like an ideal vision for ourselves.

This month we are getting down with setting vision and goals for ourselves! For more on how to create a vision and set goals, check out these worksheets. Share your progress on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #readysetgoals.

Chances are high you’ve seen Tess' name around Twitter and our Facebook page, answering your product questions or handing out virtual high fives for recent goals crushed. As one of our incredibly social savvy team members - Tess spends her days pursuing the internet and chatting with some of the coolest people out there (like you!). The conversations Tess has every day at work consistently inspire her and recently led her to create a badass goal - "the Ambassador Project".

Have you ever had one of those moments where you wonder “Is this real life?” Those happen to me on the regular in my job. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I work in social media. This vague title (much to the confusion of border control officers and my parents – hi, Mum!) allows me the opportunity to spend my days cruising the internet and chatting to some of the raddest people out here – you guys.  I answer tweets about anything from directions to the nearest store to the best places to sweat in your hood. I’m naturally chatty (ask anyone who’s ever been in a room with me) so getting up each morning to hear about all the cool and inspiring things our guests are up to is such a treat.

One group of people that inspire me daily are our  ambassadors. Now, I fully intend on finishing my degree and eventually winding up with my PhD in physiology but if the opportunity arose for me to be a professional marathon cheerleader, I’d drop the textbooks in a heartbeat. The thing is, I love athletes. I have the deepest respect for anyone who is willing to go all out to try something they’ve never done before. Nothing moves me to keep going than knowing that there are people out there getting up to 4am alarms to run track in the rain, juggling schedules to create workouts or showing up on their mats for their students. I’m a person who turns to sweat when things gets rough. I wanted to spend some time getting to know the people that have helped me through some of my darkest hours and might not even know it. It started with a simple declaration and lo, the Ambassador Project was born.

sweats so far

Yin Yoga – Elle Basten

Spin – Mike Porter

Spin – Natasha Lowe

Hot Yoga with Music– Sasha Smith

Hot Yoga – Heather McEwen

Barre Method – Carolyn Williams

the road ahead

I have a long, sweaty road ahead of me which is perfect for working off holiday shortbread and one too many spiked eggnogs.  After the YVR edition is complete, I’m headed to NYC to stretch, spin and sweat with our ambassadors in the city that don’t sleep. I can’t wait to see all of you on the mat, in the box or on the bike.

Feeling inspired? Get out there and get to know the ambassadors in your neighbourhood. Needing inspiration? You know where Tess can be found and she’d be happy to chat about your goals and sweaty pursuits. If you’re an ambassador and you want to sweat with her, leave a note or shoot her a tweet @thatgirlsix with the hashtag #ambassadorproject. Let’s get sweaty!

5:37:34
This is the time it took Kat, our junior people program manager,  to ride her borrowed steel bike from Vancouver to Whistler in her first GranFondo in 2011.

4:00:00
The time she set her sights on to complete the same grueling course in 2012.

How was she going to knock an hour and 37 minutes off her time? By setting a goal, getting the right bike and, of course, training hard.

step 1: find the perfect fit

I knew my borrowed bike just wasn’t going to cut it if I was going to finish sub 4 hours. I began scouring the Vancouver bike scene and was most impressed with The Bike Gallery on West 10^th. They understood that my bike is a part of me and that it’s really important for it to fit perfectly, especially since I have to sit on it for so long! Sidenote: If you’re in the market for a new ride, I highly recommend taking the time to find a shop that is as passionate about cycling as you are – it’ll most definitely be worth every penny thereafter.

step 2: getting fit

It was during that fit session at the bike shop that I discovered FitFX Studio, which was located just down the street. FitFX is a studio dedicated to coaching cyclists indoors and out. When I found out that they offered clinics to teach you how to ride in a group, I knew I had found a community that was going to help me achieve my goal – I was going to be sitting in the midst of 7000 other riders about to start a race, after all.

I began training with them twice a week for the hill series. I loved that I just had to turn up for the ride and Paul, the head coach, would have the route all worked out. Some days it was a ride up our local mountains, other days it was a series of shorter but more intense hill repeats. I learned how to ride in a paceline, which made me feel badass and Paul also gave me other training and nutrition tips along the way.

a hit and a miss

4:16:35. Was my time for the Whistler GranFondo 2012. As I crossed the line, I knew that I had failed to achieve my goal. A mix of emotions overcame me. I wanted to both celebrate and cry, all at the same time! Then, I had a thought; I had set myself an audacious goal. Knocking an hour and 37 minutes off my time is a BFD. I finished the race placing 22^nd in my category, knocked an hour and 21 minutes off last year’s time, had no mechanical issues and finishing feeling well-nourished, hydrated and strong. Even if I missed my time goal, there was still a lot to celebrate and I am so proud of this accomplishment.  Setting and sharing big goals makes me feel vulnerable but I would rather fall a little short of a huge goal than meet a mediocre one.

onwards and upwards

My legs hadn’t even fully recovered by the time I was committing to my next cycling challenge! In the spirit of big goals and vulnerability, I will be riding in the 2013 Gastown Grand Prix, a shorter, faster and much more intense race than the GranFondo… And with a lot more spectators!

what does “vision and goals” mean, anyway?

how V&G came to be at lululemon

As a former competitive athlete, Chip has always been a big believer in setting goals. Prior to creating lululemon in 1998, Chip became very interested in the practice of goal setting and creating a vision - how we as people define and create what we want in our lives. When he saw the power these principles had in his life, he incorporated the practice of vision and goal setting with his team at lululemon. It has been a part of our culture ever since.

why we are sharing this with you

We have seen the power of setting a vision and goals all around us – triathlons, languages learned, health goals achieved, houses bought, job changes (both coming and going from the company)…we’ve seen magical things accomplished that once seemed impossible, or at the very least improbable! We are so passionate about this practice that we want to share it with the world.

the practice of vision and goals

Like yoga, creating vision and goals for your life is a constant practice. Being intentional about how you approach this process will help you get clear about what you want – and how you are going to make it happen.

1.     get connected to your vision.

Find a place you find relaxing and get yourself settled in (think tea, a candle…maybe even sweatpants). Next, close your eyes and think about what your ideal life would be in 10 years if anything was possible. Don’t get caught up in tactics – i.e. “but how would I pay for that” or “that seems unrealistic.” Focus in and think about what this life would look like without caveats.

Pssst....we created worksheets especially for this exercise. Get down on it!

Attention à nos amis francos! Veuillez télécharger les feuilles de travail ici.

2.     determine what your ten-year goals are from this vision (we suggest three areas of your life to begin: personal, health and career).

In order to begin the path to the ideal life you just imagined, we begin by setting ten-year goals. What does this mean? Take a look at your vision. Do you want to sail around the Mediterranean? A few things will need to happen: money for purchase and upkeep, skill…what else?  And what order do these things need to go in for you to be successful?

example:

ten-year goal: I sail the Mediterranean captaining my new sailboat by June 1st, 2023

3.     do the same with five- and one-year goals.

Okay, so here’s the reason we set goals backwards: your five- and one-year goals should support you in attaining your ten-year goals, consequently helping you to your vision. Let’s use our sailboat analogy again.

examples:

five-year goal: I take lessons from the skipper of an America’s Cup vessel by August 1st, 2018

one-year goal: I put $400/month into a high-interest savings boat fund

4.     what can you do right now?

Goals can seem lofty or even unattainable. 50% of the goals on your worksheet should scare you a little – it is when we set these audacious goals that we tap into the life we really desire. This can be both exciting and a little daunting, too.

So what can you do right now? Well, look at your goals. Do you need to be physically fit or have some money set aside to achieve them? Are you accomplishing them by yourself or do you need to enroll other people? Begin planning and executing the things you need to do today in order to get the ball rolling.

vision and goals worksheets

Having a dedicated worksheet or book devoted to your vision and goals practice is key. We have created worksheets to help you brainstorm and ideate on what your vision for your ideal life is, and then also included pages designed to help you create a framework for your goals going forward. Think of this booklet as your vision and goals “hub,” a place for ideas to begin and then take off on their chosen path.

What are your vision & goals and how are you getting there? Share them on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #readysetgoals - we can’t wait to see and hear what you've got cookin'!

steph’s journey

This year, Steph Corker raced and completed IRONMAN Hawaii in under eleven hours. This sounds impressive, certainly; after all, this is Kona, the notoriously grueling race filled with sweltering temperatures and punishing headwinds. What makes this feat truly incredible is what it took for Steph to achieve this goal.

Five years before this, in 2007, Steph ran her first 10 kilometer race. Fast forward five years later and Steph has now finished a race consisting of a 2.4-mile (3.8 km) swim, a 112-mile (180 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run.

Here’s how it all went down.

After catching the adrenaline bug, Steph began running and riding her bike more and more frequently, in addition to swimming laps at her pool (she grew up swimming competitively in her hometown of Aurora, Ontario). In 2009 she set a BHAG for herself (big, hairy and audacious goal): finish an IRONMAN. She achieved this goal and continued to train for fun and various run and bike races, with the intent that by 2020 she would conquer IRONMAN Hawaii.

In 2011, Steph picked up Rachel Ross, an ambassador from our Ala Moana store who was going to race IRONMAN Canada; Rachel was attempting to qualify for Kona one last time at the Okanagan race – and in order to qualify, she needed to finish in the top three. A big believer in supporting others in their quest to make goals happen, Steph drove her to the race and cheered her on that day - lo and behold, Rachel won ensuring her spot in Hawaii.

On the drive back home to Vancouver, Steph realized that after watching Rachel go after her dream she also wanted to race IRONMAN Hawaii – and sooner than 2020 (after failing to qualify in 2010 at a shorter distance race, Steph had hung up her runners). However, seeing this ambassador fly to a different country just to qualify reinvigorated her desire to make it to Kona.

Steph came home and examined her life. What did she need to change to make her goal?

The first thing was time management. She got groceries delivered to her house, had her bike set up on a trainer in her living room and got a cleaning service once a month at her apartment. She relied on acupuncture and massage therapy to keep her body feeling strong and consistently ate clean food for fuel. She got up at 5:00am five days a week and stayed in on nights when her girlfriends were going out to try new restaurants and catch movies.

Finally the moment arrived: the race Steph had selected to be her qualifier for IRONMAN Hawaii. She felt good and ready, a long winter of sacrifice and hard work under her belt. With the scent of aloha in her mind, she took off. As luck should have it on that day, she finished just short in the nemesis position of 4th.

the second attempt

Dejected at missing the chance to qualify again, Steph began to question if 2012 was her year. However, some strange energy in the universe kept her IRONMAN dreams alive. A sponsor (yeah you, Newton Running!) stepped up to secure her a spot eight weeks later at IRONMAN Canada. The only caveat? It was taking place in only eight weeks - not a lot of time for recovery. Luckily, she had a crew of rad friends and family who knew she had what it took to try one more time. Steph remembered when Rachel tried (and made it) in the 2011 IRONMAN Canada race. Instead of thinking of all the reasons why it wasn’t possible (like the fact she had only eight weeks between races!), Steph signed up and headed to the Okanagan on August 26th. With her crew of ever-supportive peeps cheering her on, Steph had her fastest race ever and qualified for IRONMAN Hawaii.

kona bound

Steph had just finished her second IRONMAN in eight weeks – and now she had another race only a month away. She was excited and also nervous – the amount of time (or lack thereof it) was daunting. Nevertheless, instead of focusing on all the reasons why it wasn’t going to work, Steph kept her mind on her routine. She headed to Hawaii a week early to prepare for her big day – and guess what? Her crew of loyal supporters all came too!

On October 13^th, 2012, Steph finally got her chance at her dream: IRONMAN Hawaii. She took a deep breath, filled with the smell of flowers and salt water and knew this was her day.

sweet, sweet victory

Steph took off and gave the race everything she had. Despite having raced only a month before, she was able to find what it took to have the race of her life. Despite blisters that formed on the bike, she turned in her fastest marathon time ever and a IRONMAN personal best. Every step was a choice and she remembered that when times got tough in the lava fields.

10 hours, 54 minutes and 37 seconds. 

Five years before, Steph hadn’t run more than 10 kilometres. Now she had completed Kona in less than 11 hours, not only beating her wildest dream time but also the sun setting into the Pacific. Her moment of aloha had come.

key takeaways from steph’s journey

1. have a support system that ROCKS.
As incredible as Steph’s drive is, a critical ingredient to her success was her amazing crew of friends and family. This tribe cheered her on, encouraged her when things were tough, believed in her when things seemed impossible…heck, they flew half way around the world just to see her sweat!

2. everything is a choice.
There were lots of reasons why this goal might have seemed impossible. Logistics, blisters, time commitment, money (news flash...triathlon bikes are more expensive than some cars)….all of these things could have stopped Steph, but she realized that it was all a choice. While there were some tough conversations, sacrifices and tight timelines, she made it happen.

3. when you want something bad enough, failure isn’t scary anymore.
Steph wanted this goal so friggin’ badly that it no longer became terrifying to go after it. The fear of never having the experience was far greater than the pain at mile 22.

What is your biggest, scariest, most exciting personal goal? We've created a vision and goals program to help you begin setting goals and figure out what your ideal life looks like. Get into it!

"Do what you love. Keep pushing through. The good times will come." - Lisa Brooking

Everyone needs a reminder now and then to do what you love. For our Coquitlam ambassador Lisa Brooking, a tough race turned into a motivational experience that encouraged her to keep following her passion: running.

watch the video

If you were to look up the words “inspiration” and “possibility” in the dictionary we’re quite certain you’d find our former educator, Betsy’s, name listed in their descriptions (hey Oxford, we’re proposing a rewrite). Not only did she find the courage to leave an unfulfilling career in HR to follow her dreams of being a life coach, she also recently crushed a jaw-dropping goal: 365 days of sweat (which is exactly what it sounds like it is).

Rumor has it you set a BHAG to sweat for 365 days. True?
Yes. I am a firm believer of the statement, "you have to live it to give it." As a life coach, I wanted to make sure that I was living a healthy life that had a consistent workout ritual (which I preach often). Not only were my workouts inconsistent, I also knew I was capable of a whole lot more. Last October (2011) I was on a run in a park and the idea popped up in my head. After the run, I came up with a name for the adventure and started blogging that evening. Initially the blog was a way that my friends and family could help hold me accountable to my goal but it transitioned into a beautiful space of inspiration for others.

So did you really sweat 365 days in a row?
Yes and no. I worked out for 365 days in a row but sometimes my body needed a break and I listened. Those days I would walk for 45 minutes in my neighborhood or go to a slower paced yoga class. I did not sweat (much), I just moved. It is important to listen to what your body needs no matter what your fitness goals are. When you are able to truly listen, you will be able to complete the goal a lot easier than if you push it so hard that it breaks.

What did achieving the goal mean to you?
The most important thing that it taught me is how powerful I can be when I fully commit myself to something. Everyone has self doubt and for me it kept coming back to, "you cannot complete anything!" By finishing this goal I was able to prove myself oh-so wrong. Now that I know that I am capable of completing things, my world seems endlessly full of possibilities. That's a pretty wonderful feeling.

Was there ever a point where you wanted to throw in the towel?
There were a few times when I felt like throwing the towel in my husband’s face! However his patience and soft encouraging words helped to keep me going. I have to admit that working out while you have the flu is one of the worst feelings around!

Favourite ways to sweat?
Good ole' fashioned running outside and yoga. Right before my wedding I became addicted to Yoga Sculpt (a power yoga class with weights and cardio) because of the high-intensity it helped lower my stress levels. My advice to future brides? Find a class similar to this and thank me later!

So does this mean you had to workout on your wedding day?
Yes! My bridesmaids and I ran a mile to a local park, where another one of my friends met us to lead 45 minutes of yoga. A few family members also came along for the ride. It was a beautiful way to start a day that celebrated love!

Did you try a bunch of different ways to sweat to change it up?
I did but I kept coming back to my favorites. I found that it was easiest to stick to my goal by doing the tried and true workouts most of the time. The strangest thing I did was going to a fitness concert in Denver called "OMG Fitness!" There were over 1,000 people wearing all white covered with glow in the dark paint, while completing a bootcamp class. I sweated my butt off, danced like a maniac and walked out of the event with my friend in hysterics. It completely pushed me out of my comfort zone and I am always thankful for that - primarily when I am done!

Hit us with some words of wisdom – what else did you learn?
Like anything in life, you make the things that are important to you a priority. If you do not have your health, then you have no life. Deep, right? Take care of your health and cultivate it by providing yourself with a healthy lifestyle. You will thank yourself a thousand times over for all of the benefits that continue to unfold.

Also, let go of the expectations that you have for what your body should look like. I thought that by the end of this my love handles would be non-existent. Nope, although they are smaller, they still linger around like that last guest at a dinner party. Once I was able to let go of what I thought my body should look like, I began to love my body as it is. Same goes with what my body is capable of during workouts. No hefty expectations means less pain. Try it, it feels so much better than hankering for a life of six-pack abs.

Anyone else out there attempt something like this before? 

Haven't we all emerged from the tree break at the top of Grouse Mountain (or any other grueling hike for that matter) and said 'I'd love to do that 13 more times?'*

*Disclaimer: For those of you who haven't hiked the Grouse Grind the 3km trek straight up Grouse Mountain is often lovingly called Mother Nature's staircase... which is entirely inaccurate unless by Mother Nature you mean a terrible monster and by staircase you mean a smorgasbord of creaky wooden planks, uneven terrain and an unimaginable plethora of mosquitoes. Fun, right?

steph takes on the grind

It’s no secret we’re big on goals here – make that big on big goals – so when the head of our recruiting team, Steph, proclaimed she was going to summit the peak of the Grouse Grind 14 times in a single day (smashing the current women’s record) we suppressed our immediate urge to call her crazy and, instead, showed up at the base of the mountain at 6AM ready to will her to the top over a dozen times.

getting out of the daily grind for a different kind of grind

Throughout the long and hot day, co-workers from our office and local stores made appearances to cheer her on. The power of declaring goals has never been more apparent: friends and strangers alike came out to do a Grind (or two, or three) with Steph and dozens more came out to do their first Grind ever knowing that they could conquer their own personal goals alongside someone else crushing hers.

dream bigger, fail harder

On the 11th summit (all of which were under one hour), Steph burst out of the trees with the biggest smile on her face saying, "Well, I guess that's what 11 Grinds looks like!". Daylight hours were dwindling and it appeared that 14 Grinds wouldn’t be in the cards before the night fell. Knowing it would feel better to finish on top (no pun intended), after 33km of vertical climbing and 44,000+ feet of elevation conquered, Steph called it a day (an awesome one at that).

a note from steph on failure

"Thank you for your hearts, your full days, your Grinds, your cheers, your snacks and your smiles; online and offline. Simply seeing you out there made my heart sing. I set a goal and failed. It was worth every damn step along the way. I hope you will set goals and crush them…and sometimes fail too. It keeps us feeling like we are living lives bigger than we could have imagined."

What are some of your big hairy audacious goals?

Something you should know about Thea, one of our Vancouver educators, is that she loves to dance for fun. For her, a successful party is simply not complete without a sweet, sweet dance floor. She tells us how her passion for dance (and a belief that it can bring communities together) led her to a series of Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals and a future date with Ellen.

I lost touch with dance in any sort of formal way after I finished school. It wasn’t until my sister’s wedding, 3 years later, that my passion was reignited with the brilliant plan of creating a flash mob as a gift! I choreographed a ridiculous routine to Beyonce’s ‘Put a Ring On It’ and made a step-by-step instructional video. The guests learned the steps prior to the wedding and busted it out an hour into the reception. It was awesome! The next winter, during Vancouver's Olympics, 5000 spectators watched as a 3000 strong flash mob danced my choreographed routine up and down Robson St. This second success gave me a new sense of energy, momentum and purpose (and an opportunity to set some goals.).

 

setting big hairy audacious goals

Focusing on my strengths and my passion for dance, I set my first BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal): I create an online instructional dance choreography business by January 2011.

It felt scary, foreign and ridiculous to create a business out of thin air. That, by the way, is how you know a goal is a BHAG. If it scares the crap out of you or seems impossible, it is a BHAG. It's been a year of huge learning, perseverance and patience but I have successfully created my business, Just For Fun Dance Party, and can check that BHAG off the list.

Of course there is always another juicy one waiting around the corner. My current BHAG gets me excited every time I think about it: the Vancouver Bust Out! It's an opportunity for Vancouverites to get together and create a unique and hilarious experience. A Bust Out is like a flash mob but it's NOT a secret. The goal is to engage with our greater community and do something just for the sake of fun!

the bold declaration

• 500+ Vancouverites participate in the Vancouver Bust Out on July 23rd during the Khatsahlano Music Fest.
• Ellen DeGeneres sees the video of the Bust out on youtube and invites me to teach her and her audience the dance. (I've assigned you a special ring tone, Ellen).

join in

Come join in the fun and bring all of your friends and family. We dare you all to try learning the first few moves and NOT giggle. Check out  justforfundanceparty.com or find the Just For Fun Dance Party Facebook page so you can learn the moves at home.

Or come practice in person with Thea. Here is the schedule of rehearsals for the Bust Out! happening on July 23rd:

• Wed July 13 from 8- 9pm @ lululemon West 4th (2113 W 4th Ave)
• Wed July 20 from 8- 9pm @ lululemon West 4th (2113 W 4th Ave)
• Fri July 22 from 7:15- 9:15 @ Semperviva Kits Beach (2201 W 4th Ave).

want more

• learn how to create powerful goals
• dance. sing. floss. travel. it's right there on the manifesto

There's a unique physical balance that is different for every individual. Some bodies may be able to run 7 times a week. Some, like mine, cannot. Listening to your body is probably the most important part of any athletic training regimen, one that I tend to forget with my "go hard or go home" attitude.

About a month ago, I made a "to do" list in preparation for my first half marathon. A runner I may not be yet, but a list maker I am. Here's a snapshot of my list:

• get new runners!
• run 5 times a week
• weight train, yoga and spinning once a week each
• eat 6 times a day to fuel for activity
• tune up at the city's 10K, that's only 3 weeks away

Two weeks later, I'm down and out (this would be the trouble part I mentioned above). My knee was wobbly, my achilles was throbbing, and my rotator cuff was just plain uncomfortable. Looking back at my original list, I think I brought "gung-ho" to a new level. I should have known better than to dive right into it. As a child, I was full of semi-functional body parts, evidence of a small athlete with big dreams. When I set a goal, I get excited, and that voice of reason gets … unreasonable.

Stretching behind the pant table at work earlier this week, a friendly woman asked me what was wrong. "My whole right side!" I replied half jokingly. We started chatting about running and not before long she was revealing her own athletic goals and recovery secrets. She was tall, strong and training for a triathlon this summer.

Her best piece of advice for me? "Why aren't you listening to your knee? You know, it's great if you run your half marathon this year. But it won't mean much if you can't run with your kids in ten years. Listen to your body."

Most runners schedule a day of rest and almost all athletes believe in down time. Studies have shown that it's when you are not running that the muscle rebuilds itself and gets stronger. If the muscle doesn't receive enough recovery time, continuous training will break it down more than build it up. As much as I am dedicated to my running goal, I am just as committed to my newfound running mantra of "run hard, rest harder".

So what am I doing on my day off? Listening to my body and actually taking a day off!

Above: Mark (a Business Analyst at the SSC in Vancouver) is working up a sweat in our Pipes SL top and Run: Response Shorts.

I heard those words the other day from one of my students at a barre workout studio where I teach. I hear it all the time, and it's part of lululemon's manifesto, but this time, those three words pierced me deeply.

After class I learned that my student was getting ready to travel to Italy. Her sister surprised her with the trip and she was taking her children as well. "Wow!", I told her. "I have been dreaming of going for so long."

My husband and I celebrated our 25th anniversary a few years ago, and I was hoping that we could celebrate in Italy. I made it one of my goals for the year, and we even made plans to go with another couple. But as the date approached, it didn't seem likely to happen. Life took over, and there were so many other things that zapped our savings. My husband was on disability for over two years, and it really affected our finances. Our anniversary came and went. The couple we were going to go with went without us. "Oh well", I thought. "Maybe once we get back on our feet we'll go."

It's been 2 years, and Italy has turned into a "someday" goal once again. Until that day in class, that is.

You see, after I told my student how much my husband and I wanted to go, she said "Do it now"! She and her husband always said they'd go someday too, but then he passed away before they ever got the chance, which is why her sister is taking her and her children. I realized I had to just find a way and go!

What might you be putting off for someday? "Do it now", before you miss the opportunity. I've already begun checking out airfare and dates, and I just signed up to take Italian for travel. I'm so excited!

Buon viaggio!