Happy New Year! For many of us, January marks the beginning of new goals that we set for ourselves. The start of the new calendar year also marks the countdown for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games happening this summer. Therefore, I thought I would set the year off on the right track for all of us by showcasing a mentor of mine, Chandra Crawford, who has excelled in achieving her goals as a Gold-Medal Canadian Olympian and Founder of the organization, “Fast and Female.” I’m excited that today Chandra is sharing her insights to help us all #fuelpersistence in our personal and professional goals. Chandra is a positive role model, who I am honoured to feature on Arianna’s Random Thoughts. With this interview, my hope is that Chandra will empower us all with some practical strategies for achieving our dreams.

“What can you do with a Psychology degree?” is a question many students (either prospective or current) ask about the program. I bet you have asked yourself a variation of this question before starting your training.  What students really want to know is: “How can I apply the skills and knowledge I learn from my Psychology studies outside the school setting?” and “What will result?”

While I was an undergraduate student at Carleton University, I remember asking the same questions. However, now through gaining professional experience in the field and finding my way, I can tell you there are SO many routes to apply your degree.  

Over the years I have received the comment that I’m too nice when responding with anything that life throws at me. The comment is usually seen as a bad thing – that I didn’t handle the situation properly.

Our society tends to favour loud and aggressive people. I have been told that I should be more assertive to get ahead in life.   However, when they mean be more assertive, they mean aggressive and loud.  Just because I don’t respond in the same way that they do doesn’t mean my opinion is less valuable or I’m less powerful than them.  Sometimes their opinions and comments are hard to ignore; you always hear them because they make a lot of noise. However, I truly believe actions speak louder than words.

My birthday is coming up this week.  In the past couple of years, I felt like a failure around this time of year because I was reminded of milestones of adulthood that I hadn’t yet achieved. However, this year my outlook has changed and I am embracing the day!

Today, I am taking that step through writing out my thoughts on an issue that is sensitive and personal to me: body-image bullying. In the past, I was ashamed to discuss this subject but I soon realized that this is an important topic to share.  I have come to learn that if I don’t speak up, who will?    

Years ago, my second-year social psychology professor shared a case with our class that taught me to never rely on someone else to take action.  My professor was talking about the famous Kitty Genovese case that occurred during the early 1960’s. In a populous U.S. neighbourhood one morning, Kitty was attacked on a street and left to die over a 45-minute period. Kitty’s death was heart-breaking for its needlessness: 38 people witnessed her attack, but none did anything to help her! Kitty’s story is not the only documented case of the Bystander Effect; there are many more where people didn’t do anything to help someone in extreme need; they thought another person was taking care of it. 

Last year, I went with an amazing friend to our local Lululemon store to browse their products, which we both love. While there, I saw vision boards on display which the staff had created. I thought the boards were really interesting, so my friend and I went up and looked at them closely. I have wanted to make a vision board ever since my hairdresser told me about it a few years ago. The boards on display were so beautiful that I was inspired to make a vision board myself, as I was just about to graduate and had so many dreams I wanted to pursue.

Bethany Butzer, Ph.D. is an author, speaker, researcher and yoga teacher who helps people create a life they love. She offers tools, techniques and resources that promote wellness on all levels: mind, body and spirit. She serves as a catalyst for positive change and a guide on your path toward living in authenticity. Check out Bethany's book, The Antidepressant Antidote, follow her on Facebookand Twitter, read her blog posts on Positively Positive, and join her whole-self health revolution here.

Throughout conversations with others lately, the words "freedom to fail" frequently come up.  It seems that many people are too afraid to make mistakes and as a result they stay in the safe zone.  For example, when trying to achieve excellence in a certain area, mistakes will happen along the way.  However, I know many individuals who only put in a minimal effort so no mistakes are made. My friend Adam Panacci shares an account of this situation.

Many people say that you should visualize where you see yourself in the future.  Instead of writing out what I see myself doing in the future, I thought I would show you a picture, which you can make on the Oprah website.