Attempts to introduce skateboarding to the 2012 London Olympics have failed.

The International Olympic Committee wanted to debut the sport to increase the youth appeal of the 2012 Games.

Skateboarders have been divided over the idea of taking part in the Olympics. Some would have welcomed the exposure; others said it would lead to a conformity that doesn’t lend itself to the sport that grew out of the Californian surf craze.

As the deadline for a completely new sport at London 2012 has long passed, the only chance skateboarding has to be included is if it is adopted by an existing Olympic sport as a discipline. The International Cycling Federation did not even consider adopting skateboarding as a "wheel-based" sport.

However, the federation remains in talks with the IOC about introducing an additional form of BMX for London. The cycling sport will make its debut at next year's Beijing games but, by 2012, a "freestyle" discipline could be added.

Do you think skateboarding and BMX should be included as Olympic sports?

Last month we addressed the importance of setting S.M.A.R.T. goals for ensuring a path to success. Whether your goal is to run a marathon, shed some pounds or help your team make the playoffs, staying motivated will get you there. I teamed up with Toby Guillette, the endurance sports specialist, to discuss strategies that will keep you on track to reach your goals.

There will always be obstacles along the way to reaching your goal. When you encounter hardships or setbacks, stay focused by using positive self-talk. Self-talk is the internal dialog that reflects and creates our emotional states. Your self-talk can influence your self-esteem, energy level, performance and even your health.

According to sports psychologist Dr. Andrew Jacobs, a study on negativity and positive thinking found that the average person requires 12 positive statements to overcome one negative statement. For example, if you say that hitting a certain pitcher is "too difficult," you have to say "I can hit this pitcher" 12 times in order to give you a better chance to make it.

So what is the solution? Use awareness and practice to change your negative self-talk. The first step in beating the cycle is recognizing how often you think negatively. The second step is substituting positive thoughts for the negative ones. Instead of telling yourself "I feel slow and tired" remind yourself that "I will keep my pace and finish strong."

In addition to saying the positive statement, visualize yourself being successful in your mind, and see yourself doing it over and over. Once you become aware of your negative thinking, and substitute the negative thoughts with positive ones, you will have a much greater chance at succeeding.