Kathryn Budig - Aim True: Love Your Body, Eat Without Fear, Nourish Your Spirit, Discover True Balance!

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E ach of us will have our own reaction to the words aim true. The phrase generally means that were going in the right direction, that our path is correct, and our choices are well made. If I were to ask a group of people to give me a definition of aim true, they could easily come up with an agreed collective statement, yet each will have a unique definition. Thats the beauty of aiming trueits universal and personal all in the same breath. As you journey through these pages, my hope is that each word will bring you closer to your own definition of what it means to aim truea verbal tattoo that lives in your heart, showing how you want to live your life.

Aim true is my own personal mantra. I grew up in Kansas. It was a beautiful place in time where cell phones did not exist and I could be let out to play as long as I was home for dinner. I absolutely adored it. I spent hours inspecting plants, sucking out drops of sweetness from honeysuckles, feasting on mulberries, and creating armies of snails. Those days spent outside were fueled by my imagination and love for anything magical and epic. I would play Robin Hood and the full cast of characters all by myself, swinging from tree limbs and rolling down hills. I also developed an early love for ancient Greek mythology. I knew all of the gods and goddesses, demigods, titans, and monsters. Being a tomboy, I had a particular fondness for one goddess in particular.

Artemis.

Artemis (or Diana, in the Roman tradition) was known as the goddess of the moon and the hunt, and the protector of women. All of this appealed to me at the tender age of eight, as my other option was Aphrodite, and she liked boys. Ew.

My girl Artemis was the one who went to her father Zeus and told him she knew she was different. She had no desire to marry, but rather wanted to spend her life with her tribe of sisters in the woods where she could hunt, be in nature, and fully be herself. He granted her this, and off she went. In artwork, Artemis is always depicted bearing the crescent moon on her forehead, wearing a knee-length tunic, and carrying her bow and quiver of arrows. She marched to the beat of her own drum, and I admired her for that. I couldnt really understand how deep this admiration would go until years later, during another chapter of my life story...

I had been living in Los Angeles for years, and daydreaming had been replaced with day-to-day life management, like paying taxes. There was not a trace of Artemis or magical living on my mind. In fact, I had been dragging myself through the coals of the completely magicless dating scene. After being broken up with by what felt like Boyfriend #86, I had reached a point of desperation where I didnt care about Prince Charming anymoreI just wanted somebody, anybody, to love me. Whats worse than being broken up with by someone you adore? Thats rightsomeone you dont. I was feeling particularly pathetic one day when I received a phone call from a fellow yoga teacher telling me she had just started to date the guy who had dumped me.

Lets just add salt to the wound.

I took a deep breath and listened. Im a yoga teacher, after all. Ive been trained to accept honestly, to be nonreactive and open to all. Which I did to my best ability, then hung up and made a detour to go do what I do best when Im upsetshop.

I pulled up to my favorite local boutique and stormed in with a mission. I ransacked the store only to land in front of the jewelry section, where they had a display of charm necklaces. I browsed through the selection and stopped at the sight of a gold arrow dangling nicely next to a gold crescent moon. These powerful Artemis images opened a floodgate to my childhood memories that I had completely forgotten. Memories of being completely happy and fulfilled by myself and my imagination.

This moment struck me in the head like a frying pan. I decided to buy the necklace, but in particular, to wear the gold arrow around my neck every single day as a reminder that I am whole, I am complete, and I am very much in charge of my own happiness.

I walked out of that store revived and with purpose. Anytime I felt ready to throw myself a pity party, instead I would simply touch the necklace as a reminder of my strength. I mean, what would Artemis do if a guy broke up with her? Sit around and cry? No, shed pull out one of her arrows and move on!

So move on I did. Within weeks, I was feeling so much better I started to wonderwas there actual power behind this necklace? Was I reconnecting with a long-lost energy from my childhood that had protected me? What was going on here?

I sat down at my computer and started to research the goddess Artemis. I reread her stories, admired the paintings and sculptures, and stumbled upon a prayer written to her.

Artemis, goddess of the moon, make my aim true.

A trail of goose bumps appeared on my arms. I continued to read:

Give me goals to seek, and the constant means and determination to achieve them.

This was the beginning. I could feel it. I knew what it meant to have goals and determination, but in that moment, I also discovered that if I wanted to achieve them, I first had to aim true. I took a deep breath and realized, The work starts now. To determine what it means to aim true will change my life. Challenge accepted.

Are you ready to discover what aim true means to you?

You are fantastic. A unique being tackling this incredibly juicy human experience that is riddled with challenges, miracles, mysteries, and questions that guide and inspire your path. As someone with the desire to aim true, you know youre reading this book as an opportunity to embrace your talents and find a peaceful state of self-acceptance. Many health or lifestyle books like to point out whats wrong with you. Theyll address where youve gone astray, and then give you a long list of chores and ways to fix yourself.

Let me make something abundantly clear: there is nothing wrong with you! You are a fully equipped dream weaver who makes magic reality with your toolbox full of experiences and passion. Every laugh line on your face tells a story, any scar displays your strength, and stretch marks are code for growth and willingness to evolve and change.

In fact, we are all perfectly imperfect