Well, I did not complete the Sealy Challenge.

Turns out, reading one book of poetry a day when you have a puppy, is pretty fucking hard. But, I did get half of the Sealy Challenge done, which is still a huge accomplishment. 15 books in 15 days? I’ve never done that before. So even though I failed at one challenge, I still got myself further along in my reading goals for the year.

Moreover, I dominated in my personal and professional life.

I’ve been mulling over the next steps in my mental health process. I’ve pretty much completed my EMDR therapy. And since then, I’ve been thinking of all the things I never thought I could do, and now want to do. Things I would never have considered before. Like moving up in the corporate world. Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Writing a whole book of poetry every year. Writing three whole books of poetry every year. Learning to identify all of Oregon’s birds by their appearance, and then by the sound of their voice. Learning to identify all of Oregon’s trees.

The list goes on for a while. And this, too, is a kind of landmark goal for me because I have, for pretty much my whole life, been held back by the things I never thought I could do. When really, I can’t know if I can do them unless I give myself the chance. And even if I try and fail, like I did on the Sealy challenge, it gives me a new goal to set next year when August rolls around.

So why not at least set the goal and reach for it?

I have a new term for myself: boss business bitch. I don’t know what the rest of my life will hold for me professionally, but I do know that I want a lot out of my life. I know that I want to keep learning and growing. And I know that I look boss in my new business attire. (Seriously, the right clothes can build our confidence more than almost anything else.) I’m a Project Coordinator on two projects at work, and there’s a good change I will continue on and add Electrical Designer to my list of skills.

Today, I’m dressing like a CEO. Not with like, high end brands or anything cause I can’t afford, but with affordable clothes that still loo fantastic on me. I’m wearing a pair of black and white striped high-waist pants, a white cami, and an awesome pastel pink blazer that has become my new favorite article of clothing because it goes with absolutely everything. I can wear it with this outfit, with several of my dresses, with all of my skirts, with flats, sandals, heels, boots. It’s one item of clothing, and it’s completely changing my wardrobe on its own.

Last year, I rarely wore anything more than workout attire while working from home. But now, I’m dressing up. Not only because I do believe in dressing for the job you want, but also because I believe in manifesting our goals in any way we can. And dressing the way I see myself in five years is exactly how I can do that. So, I’m dressing like a CEO. It’s not that I think I will be a CEO, just that I see myself as a successful leader and I want to keep seeing myself that way. If that’s what I see when I look in the mirror, then I’ll never forget to keep striving.

So remember: don’t sell yourself short. Give yourself the opportunities.

And let yourself thrive.