Then you might want to try The 30 Day Ultimate Beauty Makeover, a new ebook by me, Trisha Bartle. While it gives real tips for improving your wardrobe, hair and makeup, it also helps you achieve higher self esteem and a better life.

I wrote this book because so many women only worry about what’s on the outside. Though how you present yourself on the outside is important, so is how you feel on the inside. This book covers both aspects.

The 30 Day Ultimate Beauty Makeover provides over 40 pages of top content. Each day, read an informational chapter teaching you how to improve, plus both an assignment and extra credit to help you apply what you’ve learned. Here are some example days from the book:

• Day 2: Finding the Right Foundation for Your Face
• Day 8: Find Out Your Season
• Day 11: Sculpt the Perfect Eyebrows
• Day 15: Get Rid of Negative Things in Your Life
• Day 27: Surround Yourself With People You Love

Praise for The 30 Day Ultimate Beauty Makeover:

“This is not a boring how-to book but an essential guide to be a better you in a month. A lot of things can happen in a month but sometimes you don’t see changes. However, with a wonderful guide like this, I hope you will see some differences in your life.”
- Dao Lam of My Makeup Blog

You can buy The 30 Day Ultimate Beauty Makeover today for $8 . The price goes up to $13 on September 15, 2010, so act fast.

Why did I have high blood pressure? I was overweight and inactive.

My doctor suggested I start exercising and losing weight. If you’ve struggled with weight, then you know how tough that really is. But after 2 years of taking blood pressure medicine every morning, my doctor took me off my medicine last July.

*Cue the celebration!*

She was so impressed that I’d lost 25 pounds, exercised every day and lowered my blood pressure. Let me tell you: it feels really good to have your doctor be proud of you and say things like “You look smaller! I can really tell!”

How did I do it? Well, the specifics will come on another day.

I just wanted to say that motivation can really change your life. I was finally motivated to improve my health. To stop taking medicine every day. To be a “normal” 20-something.

And with that motivation, I achieved my goal of fixing my blood pressure. And I continue to lose weight and feel great.

What have you done to reach your goals today?

Photo by Bernard Goldbach

The goal to the 10 Days to Ultimate Beauty is to improve your beauty both inside and out. And since this has to do with goals and motivation (though beauty-related), I thought I’d tell all of my Motivation Files readers as well.

So go check out the 10 Days to Ultimate Beauty over at Makeup Files.

“How am I going to live today in order to create the tomorrow I’m committed to?”

- Anthony Robbins

Anthony Robbins is one of the most famous motivational speakers in the world. I’ll admit, I have one of his books: Awaken the Giant Within.

Like Robbins says, you can do something every day that will slowly work toward the life you want. Even if it’s something small, each little thing will help you reach your goals.

Have you done something today to reach your goals tomorrow? If not, you’d best start now.

Photo by Fluff

I had that problem.

I had such lofty goals, that I never seemed to get to the finish line. I was afraid that I just wasn’t able to do it. In short, I needed proof that I could reach a goal.

To prove to myself that I can reach my goals, I made an easy, fun goal to do each day for a month.

Halloween Movie Month: A Case Study

I love movies. I watch one about every other day. I also love horror movies. In September of 2009 I decided to start a Halloween Movie Month for the month of October to celebrate Halloween. I vowed to watch a Halloween movie (horror, scary-themed comedy, or a movie with Halloween in it) every day of October.

For added incentive, I also vowed to post what movie I watched on my personal Facebook account, along with a short synopsis/review, for all my friends and family to see.

Fun Results

Not only did I achieve my goal of watching a Halloween movie every day, I had fun! It was exciting to watch each movie and post about it. I expected my Facebook friends to ignore my updates about it every day, but most of them really enjoyed it. Some even said they looked forward to it every day.

Afterward, I felt really good about myself that I accomplished this goal. Even though it was something that I liked to do and wasn’t too big of a stretch to complete, the completion motivated me to do more. Since then, I’ve done other 30 day challenges, including counting calories and exercising every day.

Not only that, I plan to do another Halloween Movie Month for October 2010, this time with a completely new list of Halloween-themed movies.

Now It’s Your Turn

If you’re having trouble reaching your goals, make your own fun 30-day challenge. Here’s how:

1. Pick something you like to do, whether it’s reading books, going for hikes or drawing pictures.
2. Make a vow to do that thing every single day for a month. If you like reading, vow to read 50 pages of a book each day (you’ll finish a few books in a months time). If you like drawing, you could vow to draw a different self portrait every day. Or, if you like hiking, you could vow to go for a half-hour hike each day.
3. Update social media with your daily results. Whether from Facebook, Twitter or your personal blog, update your readers and friends every day once you’ve done what you promised. Even if it’s a simple, “I walked today!”, the accountability will help you stay motivated.
4. Celebrate once the month is over. Reaching your goals, even if they’re simple and fun, is something you should celebrate. Have a party or buy yourself something nice.
5. Make a new goal. Now that you have the momentum created from reaching your goal, don’t stop. Make a brand new goal. This time, try something a bit harder. If you could reach the other goal, you can reach this one, too.

Photo by Leo Reynolds

I’ve tried so many different methods, it’s hard to count. I’ve found, through my travels, that some methods work a lot better than others. Not only that, what may work for one person may not for another.

If you’ve found a good method for tracking and achieving your goals for yourself, I (and my readers) would like to hear it.

How often do you use this method? How long did you take to find it? What have you achieved in your life using this method?

Let us know in the comments!

Photo by The Joy of the Mundane.

I found some things difficult (the cardio in Level One, all of those darn planks in Level Two) and some things easy (most upper body strength moves). Overall, I really did feel a change not just in the way that I looked, but the way I felt, too.

First, let’s get the cold hard facts out of the way.

Following the Numbers

Sure, I could tell you how much I weighed then and how much I weighed now, but it isn’t about the actual weight. It’s about how much I’ve changed.

• Weight: –8.8 lb.
• Bicep: –0.5 in.
• Forearm: –0.5 in.
• Chest: No Change
• Upper Waist: –1.5 in.
• Waist: –0.75 in.
• Hips: –2.25 in.
• Thigh: –1 in.
• Calf: –1 in.

That means I’ve lost a total of 8.8 pounds and 7.5 inches overall.

Other Changes

While I look better overall, I’ve noticed the most changes in my shoulders, back and ankles. I’m not surprised about the shoulders and back. The 30 Day Shred has a lot of moves for these areas in all three levels of difficulty. A change in my ankles/calves is the surprising thing. I’ve lost weight before and I’ve never noticed the lower portion of my legs getting skinnier. I’m very pleased with that.

I also feel better in general. That was one of the first things I noticed after starting The Shred. While the workout may have been tough at the time, I always felt amazing afterward and for the rest of the day. I feel like I could handle a lot more activity than I used to.

Future Plans

Although my 30 days are over, that doesn’t mean I’m done with working out, or even The Shred. I plan to vary things up now by alternating every day between all three levels. This way, my muscles won’t get used to the exercise and perhaps I’ll gain more muscle and lose more weight.

I’ve also added yoga in to my night routine. It’s a relaxing thing to do before bed.

So no, I’m not done working out or losing weight. Perhaps I’ll update Motivation Files with my progress as time goes by. You may even see a before-and-after picture or two!

If you’ve done the 30 Day Shred, how were your end results?

30 Day Shred Synopsis

Want to read how my progress was as I went along? Here are all of my 30 Day Shred posts:

• Starting the 30 Day Shred
• 30 Day Shred – Day 5
• 30 Day Shred – Day 9
• 30 Day Shred – Day 14
• 30 Day Shred – Day 19
• 30 Day Shred – Day 25
• 30 Day Shred – Day 29

As you may remember from my last update, I was debating whether to finish out the 30 days with the Level Two exercises or to move on to Level Three. In the end, I chose to go with Level Three.

Although it was certainly harder than the previous levels, Level Three was still doable. To give you an indication at the increased level of exercise, normally the warm-ups would consist of two bouts of jumping jacks. In Level Three, you do one bout of double jump ropes and one bout of butt kicks.

I have to tell you, I’m thrilled at my progress. I’m a lot stronger now than I was a month ago, that’s for sure.

Here’s a day-by-day synopsis of my journey using Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred:

Level One

• Day 1: I could barely breathe through the cardio and had to stop frequently. Afterward, I was insanely tired for the rest of the day.
• Day 2: I was able to do more of the cardio and wasn’t tired like day 1. My arms, specifically my shoulders, ached in a good way.
• Day 3: I wasn’t nearly as achy after this workout. It seems my muscles are getting stronger and getting used to the strength exercises.
• Day 4: I woke up from 9 hours of sleep to feeling like I needed 9 more. I slept for most of the day, but took a break to go do the shred. I half-assed it in the cardio, but that’s better than nothing.
• Day 5: Was almost able to get through all of the workout without stopping today. The first section of the cardio is the worst. Jumping Jacks/Jump Rope/Jumping Jacks/Jump Rope, all without stopping in between each move. Ouch!
• Day 6: Still doing alright with the workout. I really busted out the move for the final ab section: bicycles. Unfortunately, I overdid it. I have a delicate neck and constantly holding up my head for 1 minute straight made my neck hurt for the rest of the day.
• Day of Rest
• Day 7: Back in the saddle! Decided to alter the Bicycle moves and am doing alternating oblique moves with transverse ab moves in between. That means my neck is saved.
• Day 8: Though I made a concerted effort, I STILL couldn’t get through all the cardio.
• Day 9: The strength is starting to be easy. I even upped the size of my weights for the lying chest exercise. If it weren’t for the cardio, I would feel ready to move on to Level Two.
• Day 10: Really busted it out in the workout, never stopping. I think I might have overdone it and I ended up with a headache for the next two days.
• Day of Rest
• Day 11: Things are much easier now that I’m not stopping during the cardio portions.
• Day 12: I’m doing better at the butt kicks. Also, Valentine’s Day.
• Day of Rest
• Day 13: Since it’s gotten so much better, I made the decision to begin Level Two on Day 16.
• Day 14: I’m feeling good and not at all sore like I did in the first week.
• Day 15: My last day of Level One. It’s felt so much easier, I’m glad I’m done with it.

Level Two

• Day 16: I started Level Two and am feeling GREAT! All of the planks and arm exercises made my shoulders and back painful, but in a good way.
• Day 17: My shoulders are still hurting, but it’s alright.
• Day of Rest
• Day 18: I sweat so much during these workouts. Pouring sweat!
• Day 19: The hardest move for me is the V-Raise with weights. That’s weird for me since arm exercises are normally a breeze.
• Day 20: There are so many planks in Level Two. I’ve gotten a lot better at them, but they’re still not my favorite thing in the world.
• Day 21: I think I like the core exercises better in Level Two than One. They seem to hit more abdominal muscles.
• Day 22: Yeah, I’m sleepy. A break would be nice, but whatever.
• Day 23: I’m so excited that I’m almost done!
• Day 24: For some reason the workout was a lot harder today than usual. I just couldn’t get myself moving. I kind of half-assed the end of the workout.
• Day 25: Should I move on to the next level? I’m not sure!

Level Three

• Day 26: First day of Level Three. I was actually able to pull off jump ropes and butt kicks with no problem. I struggled with those in the beginning of the 30 days. Progress!
• Day 27: I’m really noticing a change in my body. Even my calves/ankles look smaller!
• Day 28: I SO didn’t want to work out today. I made myself do it anyway.
• Day 29: I pushed myself harder and did less of the modified moves.

I’ll let you know about my final results on Monday, so stay tuned.

“To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.”

- Henri Bergson

You may think that certain things about you and your life is permanent. “This is just who I am. It won’t change.”

Think of yourself as a work-in-progress. Your life may be perfect right now (although the odds on that are low.) Still, you can always make it better. Don’t be afraid to change.

Sure, change is scary. I’ve personally always been afraid of it, whether it’s good or not. But if you don’t change, you’ll never realize your potential.

So quit being scared, and go exist, change and mature.

I can either finish up the 30 days with Level Two, or I can start Level Three tomorrow and do 5 days of that.

While I haven’t officially decided yet, I’m leaning toward starting Level Three tomorrow. I’m still doing a lot of modified moves on my current level, but I still may be able to move up.

We’ll see! Eeek, I’m almost done!

In the meantime, check out my progress thus far:

Level One

• Day 1: I could barely breathe through the cardio and had to stop frequently. Afterward, I was insanely tired for the rest of the day.
• Day 2: I was able to do more of the cardio and wasn’t tired like day 1. My arms, specifically my shoulders, ached in a good way.
• Day 3: I wasn’t nearly as achy after this workout. It seems my muscles are getting stronger and getting used to the strength exercises.
• Day 4: I woke up from 9 hours of sleep to feeling like I needed 9 more. I slept for most of the day, but took a break to go do the shred. I half-assed it in the cardio, but that’s better than nothing.
• Day 5: Was almost able to get through all of the workout without stopping today. The first section of the cardio is the worst. Jumping Jacks/Jump Rope/Jumping Jacks/Jump Rope, all without stopping in between each move. Ouch!
• Day 6: Still doing alright with the workout. I really busted out the move for the final ab section: bicycles. Unfortunately, I overdid it. I have a delicate neck and constantly holding up my head for 1 minute straight made my neck hurt for the rest of the day.
• Day of Rest
• Day 7: Back in the saddle! Decided to alter the Bicycle moves and am doing alternating oblique moves with transverse ab moves in between. That means my neck is saved.
• Day 8: Though I made a concerted effort, I STILL couldn’t get through all the cardio.
• Day 9: The strength is starting to be easy. I even upped the size of my weights for the lying chest exercise. If it weren’t for the cardio, I would feel ready to move on to Level Two.
• Day 10: Really busted it out in the workout, never stopping. I think I might have overdone it and I ended up with a headache for the next two days.
• Day of Rest
• Day 11: Things are much easier now that I’m not stopping during the cardio portions.
• Day 12: I’m doing better at the butt kicks. Also, Valentine’s Day.
• Day of Rest
• Day 13: Since it’s gotten so much better, I made the decision to begin Level Two on Day 16.
• Day 14: I’m feeling good and not at all sore like I did in the first week.
• Day 15: My last day of Level One. It’s felt so much easier, I’m glad I’m done with it.

Level Two

• Day 16: I started Level Two and am feeling GREAT! All of the planks and arm exercises made my shoulders and back painful, but in a good way.
• Day 17: My shoulders are still hurting, but it’s alright.
• Day of Rest
• Day 18: I sweat so much during these workouts. Pouring sweat!
• Day 19: The hardest move for me is the V-Raise with weights. That’s weird for me since arm exercises are normally a breeze.
• Day 20: There are so many planks in Level Two. I’ve gotten a lot better at them, but they’re still not my favorite thing in the world.
• Day 21: I think I like the core exercises better in Level Two than One. They seem to hit more abdominal muscles.
• Day 22: Yeah, I’m sleepy. A break would be nice, but whatever.
• Day 23: I’m so excited that I’m almost done!
• Day 24: For some reason the workout was a lot harder today than usual. I just couldn’t get myself moving. I kind of half-assed the end of the workout.
• Day 25: Should I move on to the next level? I’m not sure!

I’ve lost some more weight! I’ll update you fully on everything I lost once the 30 days is up.

If you’re doing the 30 Day Shred too, how’s your progress? Let us know in the comments!