Social Sunday: Set and manage your expectations for 2010

While the holidays are supposed be happy and joyous times, rates of depression actually go up between Thanksgiving and New Year's.  Dr. Barton Goldsmith's  number one tip  for beating the holiday blues is:

Keep your expectations balanced. You won't get everything you want, things will go wrong, and you won't feel like Bing Crosby singing White Christmas. Remember that everything doesn't have to be perfect and don't worry about things that are out of your control.

Sage advice and good for setting your goals for the year ahead. 

Now, I am an optimistic person  and I thrive on challenges so of course I  feel let down if I can't conquer them. I notice that my  frustration level peaks when I focus too much on what I haven't accomplished rather than what I have done well.  Sounds simple and it is, just a spin on the old adage "Look at your glass half full rather then half empty."

My goals (that I am willing to share with blogword) for 2010:

• Become twice as proficient in  Spanish.  I understand a lot and am fluent in "Spanglish" but  I can count the time that I have actually used my Rosetta Stone CDS. So if I can manage to pop them in a few times a week, I should get there.
• Finish the first draft of my novel.  I could create an editorial calendar and attempt to commit to finishing a chapter a week or a month. But I do realize that this is an anxiety attack waiting to happen since my free time and my creativity comes in doses and can't really be scheduled. Now a few weeks ago I did finish the first chapter already and if I am blessed with a few creative spurts a week then I will get close to my goal.
• Focus on quality rather than quanity...somewhat of an oxymoron for self proclaimed fashionista.   Although I have been working on this for the past few years, the recession helped "jumpstart" my efforts.  I currently have more closets that I have ever had,and will probably ever have again in life, including a shoe closet and I am actually emptying them rather than filing them.  Okay I haven't quite made it to the consignment shops yet but one step at a time.

Of course if I somehow secure a pair of Jimmy Choos or Christian Louboutins's

...that would just fabulous. I do promise to give a current pair of shoes away.









Brian, a designer friend of mine in NY sent me an e-mail today and he signed it "May the Best of 09, be the worst of 2010"... here's to hoping.


Alicia "aka" Fashiona

Jimmy Choos for H&M

Alas...Fashiona and her alpha male boyfriend "M Tyson" parted ways last week...apparently two alpha people don't always mix. But Fashiona, like Carrie from Sex in the City, is the eternal optimist and will try romance again...soon enough. In fact the news that Jimmy Choo is launching a shoe collection for H and M was enough to cheer her up.

The Jimmy Choo for H and M line designed by Tamara Mellon will be available in 200 selected  H and M stores November 14.  

Photo by Courtesy Photo

An ad for the Jimmy Choo for H and M collection.

Fashiona just might wear a pair  to her next business dinner with her lawyer   Mr. Big.