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I don't want to be anyone but me. I don't want to be prettier or cooler or something I'm not. I just want to be a better, more accurate version of myself. I know who I am. I know what I could be. It's time to make it happen.
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Writer, Blogger at "Let Me Start By Saying"

Writer, Blogger at "Let Me Start By Saying"
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I look around me and see that things in my life have shuffled quite a bit since this time last year.

No, I didn't make any real New Year's Resolutions in 2012. I simply put my nose to the grindstone and got to work, in my own disorganized, optimistic way.

My kids sprouted around me. My husband stayed beside me. My friends were there for me. I achieved some goals, but others lagged behind. I made strides in a few areas, but they were hard to see through the piles of stuff I failed at.

Now, I think I need to make a few resolutions to help keep me on track. Big things, sad things, happy things, complicated things, little things and complete surprises have kept me going and thrown me for loops over the past twelve months.

It's up to me to keep my head on straight in 2013, amidst everything new on my plate and in my heart. No one else can do it for me.

So, for the first time in a long time, I have a list.

I don't want to be anyone but me. I don't want to be prettier or cooler or something I'm not. I just want to be a better, more accurate version of myself.

I know who I am. I know what I could be.

It's time to make it happen.

  • I resolve to stop in my tracks every day and be thankful for having my beautiful, growing, giggle-inducing kids.

  • I resolve to not let my love for them prevent me from making sure they learn respect, obey authority, understand right from wrong and know when they can, in fact, do better.

  • I resolve to surprise my husband with his favorite pretzels, because it really is that easy to show someone you still adore them.

  • I resolve to not let the fact that I am a terrible housekeeper make me feel like I'm not a good mom, yet attempt to have one week a month when we take clean clothes from actual closets or drawers, instead of hampers in the dining room.

  • I resolve to work harder at achieving my career goals.

  • I resolve to help others achieve theirs, whether or not they ask for it.

  • I resolve to prioritize for real this time. (Facebook does not actually need to be checked every fifteen minutes.)

  • I resolve to drink a little less coffee and get a little more sleep.

  • I resolve to accept that this will be the hardest resolution to keep, unless 3-6 extra hours miraculously attach themselves to every new day.

  • I resolve to be harder on myself without being mean to myself. I deserve to earn the rewards I desire.

  • I resolve to stop talking about my dreams and do the scariest thing of all: Go get them.

    • Starting...now.

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