Twice a year, the Design team gets turned loose in Europe. Our mission: get educated and inspired. (This is one of the many times I stop and ask myself, "How the hell did I get such an awesome life?" )

How the hell did you get such an awesome life, Katie?

This time, the itinerary included tradeshows and beer in Munich, followed by more tradeshows, macaroons, and shopping in Paris. The travel necessities I can never leave home without:  luon, running shoes, and a travel mat for impromptu hotel room yoga sessions. The cat didn't make it into the suitcase despite his best efforts.  I figured customs might have had something to say about that one.

The bare necessities, cat not included.

We travel in packs and we travel in style.  The Bon Voyage Duffel is apparently a clear favorite with the group.  With so many organizational compartments, it's a life-saver. (I'm the designer but i'm not biased, I swear.)

The duffel is the new suitcase

Goal semi-completed:  "I drink beer in Germany with my flannel-clad boyfriend by September 2011."  Andrea was a great stand-in seeing as the flannel-clad boyfriend is still outstanding. (Applications are currently being accepted.)

katie + beer + Germany + flannel-clad boyfriend stand-in = goal 75% acheived

Early morning runs in Paris helped clear our heads and offset our calorie consumption. If there happens to be a shortage of bread and butter in the city of love, I swear it's not our fault.

Au revoir, Europe! We'll be back before you even have a chance to miss us. 

 A Heathrow-bound Katie hits the road in her luon and faux-fur vest. We love.

want more?

• Get to know Katie. Read her love list.
• See what we love about London. (Can you tell we're dreaming of getting away?)
• Set some travel goals. We have what you need to get started.
• Browse Katie's masterpieces. Check out our latest bags here.

Hmmm..maybe it's time the Digital team did some research abroad? Where would you want to meet us for yoga and a cappuccino?

Try this at home. Post your goals to kindle your inspiration. 

How are you feeling about your goals now that the New Year's hype is behind you? Maybe that January 1^st gusto has dwindled a bit. Sometimes it helps to see what others are up to. We spied on some goals around the office to spark our inspiration. We got chills. Hopefully you do too.

in the spirit of sharing goals

Katie, Design

• I chest bump Minnie Mouse at the finish line of the Walt Disney World Marathon by 2020.
• I attend Wanderlust by 2011.
• I enroll in a raw foods cooking course by November 2011.

Matt, Leadership Development

• I complete 10 items off my 100-before-100 List by December 2011.
• I present at TED Global by September 2020.
• I spend a weekend with Jason Mraz on his avocado farm by September 2020.

Laurie, Planning

• I run the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon in less than 2:15 by May 2011.
• I publish my book titled "30, Single, With A Bulldog” by 2020.
• I create a Vancouver budget by August 2011. ("God knows I need it in this city!")

Laura, Recruiting

• I ride the Gran Fondo by September 2012.
• I am featured in Dwell by June 2020.
• I walk ten metres on my hands by February 2020.

Carolyn, Digital Innovation

• I have done hot yoga for 365 consecutive days by 2015.
• I drink wine from every winery in the Okanagan Valley by December 2011.
• I am offline after 10pm each night.

Laurie and her feel-good energy.

tips for staying motivated

"I surround myself with a community of goal setters. This makes it easier to bring my goals into our day-to-day conversations, meaning I already have a clear vision of what my future looks like just by talking about it often." - Carolyn

"The energy you give out is the energy you receive in return. Everyday I know that I am the one that is responsible for making my energy a great one. Setting goals keeps me motivated and excited for what’s to come which breeds some amazing energy for all." - Laurie

"I share my goals with anyone and everyone. Bringing them up in conversation keeps them in the front of my mind and enrolls those around me to keep me on track." - Katie

feeling inspired again?

Thought so. If you need help reviving your goals, get what you need on our goal setting education page. You can also read the posts below for our week's worth of goal coaching.

goal week breakdown

• Day 1: What's the goal of goal week?
• Day 2: What is a goal?
• Days 3 & 4: What does your ideal life look like?
• Day 5: How to create powerful goals?
• Day 6: Put your goals out there.
• Day 7: Love your failures.

We are equally inspired by Laura's goals and her visual interpretations of them.

What goals are you going to re-ignite?

Websites: My Saturday mornings are consumed by the following:

• refinery29.com (sign up for their email blasts...highly addictive)
• advancedstyle.blogspot.com (think the sartorialist, but with old people...amazing. I can’t wait to be 80 and crazy!)
• http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com (I just recently gave up wheat and her recipes make my mouth water)
• http://nymag.com/daily/fashion (I could spend hours here)

Magazines: Nylon, Vogue, Marie Claire. US versions are a monthly must—I treat myself to the international versions when I travel.

lululemon items to work out in: I’m a basic kinda gal. Give me a Flow Y Bra, an oversized Racerback tank and some Wunder Unders and I’m good to go.

Way to sweat: Hot vinyasa flow. If Vancouver ever got a Baptiste studio, I’d die.

Film: I’ve got a three-way tie going on at the moment: Lagerfeld Confidential, Valentino: The Last Emperor, and Unzipped. I love watching documentaries about crazy fashion designers. I heart Karl hugely.

Place to run: My absolute most favourite runs were when I was in high school and would run cross country in the fall—I love the smell of wet leaves and running through all the colours.

Font: Times New Roman. Again, basics kinda gal.

Way to spend a Sunday morning: Stretchy pants, a hot bowl of oatmeal, and a cat in my lap.

Last Monday we met Jurgen from recruiting. Today, start off your week by meeting Katie from our accessories design team.

what is something unique or surprising about you?

I have a twin brother. He's massive -- think ‘Shrek’-like proportions. Not sure how we survived a womb together, but that might explain why we were 6 weeks early.

where is your favourite place in the world?

Anywhere there’s a yoga mat--too cliché? How about New York. Hands down. I feel oddly comforted the minute I get into the city and can smell the nut vendors.

what is your favourite way to sweat?

Hot yoga. Preferably a heated vinyasa flow class. Any time, any place, I’m there. Nothing feels better than dripping buckets.

what gets you up in the morning?

My cat, appropriately named ‘Skurvy’. He likes to wake me up at 5 am by licking my eyelids. It was cute the first time.

a goal you've achieved that you're proud of?

‘I am in a committed relationship with a handsome hunk of a man by November 2010." Oh wait, wrong goal.

‘I maintain a consistent blog by December 2010’. I’ll be heading up a weekly designer-based blog entry on our lululemon blog and can also be found blogging on Saturdays at www.vancouveryogareview.com

Interested in possibilities on the design team? Check out our careers page: http://www.lululemon.com/careers, and if you have any design questions be sure to ask away!