Our ambassador Holly brings her practice to the Soho community

Before you can set powerful goals, you need to identify what your values are. We asked to get a peek at Holly’s recent pursuits. Her response? “I am in the process of altering my goals AGAIN.” No problem - that's perfect. We explored what it takes to get clarity on the goal setting process. She thinks of it like trying on clothes. We like the sound of that.

Setting goals is a ongoing process for me. Sometimes defining them in words can be daunting. I’ve come to think of it as trying on clothes – there’s no need to commit, you can just see how they fit. By saying your goals out loud and writing them on paper, you try them on. Some fit better than others and that’s ok. Through the process of goal setting, we find our authentic voice and can articulate what we want to live for - but it isn't without effort. It’s something I’m working on right now. It is not easy. Things worth doing are seldom easy.

where to start

Sometimes we can get stuck on where to begin. A good place to start is to identify what moves you. I’ve discovered there are a few themes I live by, like a personal manifesto. They cultivate my inner space and create my outer experience.  They are my foundation for setting powerful goals. 

holly's themes

• The world is coming from you, not at you.    
• Love is more powerful than fear.  
• Gratitude is the greatest currency.  
• Be kind and gentle with yourself. 

I'm focusing on these as I create my future. Time to grab my journal and hit the dressing room, so to speak.

where to go from here

• Get the basics on goal setting. We can help.
• Re-ignite your goal setting fire. Read this post.
• Check out what else Holly is up to in Soho and beyond. Visit her site.

We’re inspired. Still haven’t penned your goals? No worries. Start by focusing on what inspires you. What will you try on? 

Give the gift of your time. Why not make a snowman with that special person?

As the season approaches, I'm thinking a lot about gifts. The tradition in my family involves ample gift giving of the tangible kind. Beautifully wrapped boxes and ribbons and bags, oh my! All filled with things the recipient will certainly love to have. Some extravagant, all thoughtful for certain.

This year, such abundance of things poses a conundrum.

For the past few years, I've been getting rid of many "things": from teapots to tables, furniture to footwear, lamps to a luxury vehicle. They weighed me down. Drained my bank. Kept me addicted. (Once the rush of newness wears off, then what? MORE. NEWER. Repeat.) They stressed me out. I call these things: Psychic Fat. And I've been on a mission to trim down. Hence, the conundrum.

I don't want more things, I want fewer things. I want more quality time and connections with the people I care about. But we're approaching the biggest gift-giving time of year when it's probably easiest just to purchase a new thing. HELP! In an ongoing effort to brainstorm non-thing gift ideas, as well as what to request when asked "what do you want", here's what (pathetically little) I've come up with so far:

- Music (via home-made CDs)
- Request donations to favorite non-profits/charities
- Home-made coupons (for some one-on-one time, a foot rub, to cook dinner, etc., complete with a by-when date!)
- Anything you know the person likes to make... (knitted pot-holders or a scarf)
- A request to look through an old photo album together
- um...um...um... (there must be more?)

If any of you have great ideas to share let's help each other!

The Tight & Mini came out recently and I was skeptical at first sight. What was that flap of fabric? Did I really need another pair of leggings? How different could this pair be? Of course, the minute I put them on, I found all the answers to my questions.

The mysterious flap of fabric turned out to be a great little detail that created coverage over my bum (the look of wearing a tunic without having to wear all the layers) and hips. The design of this extra piece is smart too as the waistline is stitched down and tacked in the back so it doesn't fold or roll up.

The rise on this style is a lower waist than any other legging we've done so far. I personally am a fan of a lower waistline and really like where they sat on my hips. With something so low, it was great that a drawstring waist was added to the equation for extra support should I need it.

Bonus: You can alter the length of the tights! 5 bar tacks can be found on the inside seam on either leg. As long as you cut just under that seam, the inside seam will not unravel. Genius!

With so many features packed into this design, it's everything BUT Tight & Mini!

The Tight & Mini gets me from work, to yoga, to play!

For more info and some Tight & Mini close-ups, visit: http://shop.lululemon.com/The_Tight_and_Mini/pd/np/560/p/1485.html

2. Being aware in the moment will keep you safe.

3. Be passionate in life, food, health and love.

4. Treat travelers to your city like long-lost friends because they will quickly become friends and you will then have new places to visit your new long-lost friends.

5. Travel. Lots. Learn many languages so you can meet new people in the places where you travel. This leads to an extraordinary diversity of holiday cards!

6. You are never too old to learn something new.

7. Your children are never living too far away for you to help them with their home renovations. And support their decorating vision - even if they want to paint their walls high-gloss fuschia.

8. Retirement isn't the end of an era, it's an opportunity to reinvent oneself.

9. A solid accordionist can add a certain something to any band – reggae, country, pop, latin, klezmer… even hip hop!

10. Take any and every opportunity to jump into a polka contest – even if you are uninvited, you could win a trophy!

My dad is really awesome. His name is Terry Holum but prefers the name T-Hol, to which we all oblige. I inherited a lot of great traits from him like my addiction to chocolate, excessive competitiveness, and an over all laid back sense of life and humor. I love my dad more than anything as he has supported me without fail in every aspect of my life, with the exception of when I once dyed my hair hot pink. Literally it was neon and I was 16, but we've moved on.

He taught me to play baseball, which turned out to be the first love of my life. Taught me to ride a bike. He had innovative ways of making me a better softball player such as teaching me to catch and judge fly balls by launching potatoes out of a "spud gun" in the backyard much to my mom's delight.

He taught me to fight my own battles, when I felt life was unfair, and let me challenge my teachers and coaches on my own. I thus survived AP calculus even though to this day I know Mrs. Wilson hated me and graded my tests on an extreme curve.

In college when softball for the first time in my life was challenging for me, he never let me show an ounce of wavering, and came to every game my freshmen year just to watch me sit on the bench. He told me to prove to the coaches why I should play everyday at practice and be the best cheerleader on the bench. I am not a cheerleader, and this one was tough to hear, but I played the next year and he was right.

When I faced a bout with cancer and had a softball worth of tissue removed from my inner thigh and had to be on crutches for 6 weeks, he made sure I had the top of the line ergonomic crutches that actually had shocks on them and I was able bounce around like "Tigger".

Since I began my career with lululemon I have realized that my dad's love reaches beyond a classroom or baseball diamond, it has surprisingly made its way to a yoga mat. My dad has worked in construction for the past 30 years, built our home from scratch, plays every sport known to man, will only drink Coors Light, which is referred to as "God's Brew" in our house, and is not exactly the portrait of a yogi. Think of Paul Bunyan practicing tree pose, and you can imagine my dad in his first yoga session. Nonetheless every Saturday morning you will find him and my mom tucked in the corner of our La Jolla store practicing yoga with the other guests in our community.

He now brags to the rest of his "God's Brew" drinking crew after slo-pitch softball games of his pain free joints thanks to yoga, which at most times he is met with a lot of laughter and banter. But he proudly shows them the inside of his Metal Vent Tech shirt that says "And make sure to drink a beer or two along the way", and he is right back in there with the studs at Hooley's Pub.

He has found a way to be a part of my life by exploring an area he would never even consider beforehand. He is a man who is comfortable in his ways, and hates the idea of the unknown and change. For him to practice yoga and to say the words "hey get me one of those mandukas so I can get into crow's pose" gives me goose-bumps and truly reminds me how lucky I am to have him as a father. From the softball diamond to the yoga mat, he has been there so hopefully he will be happy at father's day brunch with his new manduka mat instead of golf clubs this year. I am literally getting married in a week from Father's Day, and cannot think of a luckier girl to walk down the aisle on the arm of my daddy. Who by the way requested a yoga session the morning of the wedding to stay calm and centered…gotta love him.

Happy Father’s Day T-Hol, I love you! Namaste.

This first episode Julia and I hit up downtown Vancouver to quiz the crowd on their yoga vocab knowledge as well as drop some science on us about the complimentary yoga and fitness classes all lululemon stores offer to their community. Ch-Ch-Check it!

Char In My Suitcase Ep.01 from lululemon athletica on Vimeo.

My sisters and I share the same parents but we have our own bodies. I may be able to get into the splits and hold a gnarly headstand, but when it comes to endurance activities, all three of my sisters can pass me in a heartbeat. My friend Jessica commented while I was feeling left behind in the dust during a family hike that "the girls are just built differently."

Our bodies shape the type athletes that we become. Athletes come in all shapes and sizes too. Look at gymnast Shawn Johnson and basketball player Yao Ming.

Think of your body as a unique gift that is designed to perform like none other. How would you start loving your body if you stopped comparing it to others? What image you would have of yourself if mirrors did not exist and we based our image off of how we felt inside? After a sweaty hike or a killer dance class my body reaches a potential so high I could flash the sky at the top of a mountain...

Love your body and the possibilities it has for reaching your highest physical potential.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in our lives! Read some stories from the men of lululemon about the loves of their lives, their moms!

Rob: Director of Operations at lululemon athletica

My mother Marge was born in the small farm and mining town of Yatesboro, Pennsylvania. My mother loves nature and is especially fond of the ocean. She has a great sense of family and the home both her and my dad created was one of love and support that allowed me to become the person I am today. Christmas is a special time as mom transforms the house into a winter wonderland of trees and lights and enough food to feed an army. Going home to this day during the holidays makes me feel like a child again.

My mother always told me to trust myself no matter what the situation. No matter what the outcome she was always there for me.

I want to thank my mom for always keeping me grounded and for teaching me about all the little things in life. Most importantly how to love. My mother also to taught me how to cook and it remains a passion that we both share and a love of mine to this day.

Thanks Mom,

Love Rob

Nate: Film and Motion Designer at lululemon athletica

Tell us about your mom: Grew up in southern Ontario... she loves scrapbooking...just because.

What's the best piece of advice your mom ever gave you?: "Do what you think is right".

I want to thank my mom for: Letting me take the van that one weekend in high school...

Chuck: Web Manager at lululemon athletica

My Mom grew up in a big family in tough times in Nova Scotia and accomplished her RN degree before marrying my Dad and moving across the country to Port Moody. She raised four boys, and did it with care, love and composure. She set the bar very high for me as a parent for patience and her approach to parenting.

The best piece of advice my mom ever gave me is to always think about how your actions affect other people.

I want to thank my mom for teaching me how to be a parent.

Jon: Sales Audit Analyst at lululemon athletica

Without a doubt, my mom played a major role in my life while I was growing up. She was not a typical stay-at-home mom but more like "Superwoman". Neither did she wear a cape nor have superpowers but she was always there when I needed her help. While growing up, she would constantly remind me to work hard and plan for the future. Without her advice, I would never be where I am now.

I want to thank her for valuable advice and her years of support. (And I am not just saying this because it is Mother’s Day.)