2012; Hello, love♥

It's 2012.

No matter how many times I tell myself this, it never really ceases to amaze me. 2012... it's actually here. I've been looking forward to this year for quite some time now. 2012 marks the closing of one chapter of my life, and the opening of another. I will officially complete my last semester of high school, graduate with a group of people that I have grown up with, and complete my first semester of college. All before the ball drops again. It kind of blows my mind actually. I've reflected a lot on 2011, both the good and the not-so-good, and I've really made some goals for myself this year. I really believe that accountability helps when setting goals, so I am definitely going to need some help with these. That's why I'm sharing them with you! Will you help me? I'd really appreciate it... thanks! Here goes- My Resolutions for 2012 (in no particular order):

1. Take more pictures. Last year, I aimed for a picture a day, and that fell through in around April. This year, I'm doing the same. So you may end up with a lot of pictures of me off my computer, but that's life. (:

2. Continue on my health journey. I am a much healthier person sitting here today than I was a year ago, but I still have much room to improve. Bring on the healthy eating habits and persistent exercise! This one, I will definitely need help with. Who is with me?!

3. Invest in people more. I want to make it my goal to have no one that I know feel as though they are alone in this world. I want people to know that I'm there for them, and that I won't judge. And that I'm really good at hugs and ice cream. With this I also want to be more intentional about letting people know that I'm thankful for them. I am a firm believer that people need to be made aware of the good that they do in the world, but I feel like people don't talk about that much. So, I'm going to. And some people may get tired of hearing how wonderful they are, because I know some pretty fabulous people!

4. Be more transparent with those around me. I want to not only share the good, but also the not-so-good. I want to allow my imperfections to make me stronger, and not to hide them. I want to be more intentional about sharing the real me.

5. Smile more, be happier in general. I feel like if the world shared a few more smiles, it would be a much happier place. With this goal is a bigger goal of being intentional in my emotions. I want to choose to see the brighter side. I want to choose to worry and stress less. I want to choose joy.

6. Write more. Be it on here, or just in my personal journals. Writing is a huge way of expression for me, and I want to pursue it. I also want to be more intentional about sharing my writing rather than keeping it to myself. Another way of being more vulnerable and open to showing who the real me is.

7. Build connections on a deeper level than I have been. I've always been scared to get attached, to tie strings for fear of one day having to cut them. In short, I have major trust issues. But, I don't want to hold back anymore. I want to give myself to the friendships and relationships I have with other people. It's going to be a slow lesson, as I am pretty stuck in my ways. So, bare with me.

8. I heard a quote from Maya Angelou that said, "To those who have given up on love, I say 'trust life a little bit'." This is where my eighth resolution comes from. I want to trust life a little bit more than I have been recently.

9. Work on my bucket list. That thing keeps growing, so I need to keep marking things off. It's a delicate balance, the length of a bucket list. But that's a post for another day (;

10. I want to live 2012. I don't want to go through the motions in anything. I want to live every single moment to it's fullest, and take nothing for granted. I hope to inspire, dream, hope, and love this year with the fullest force possible. Even if I don't capture every moment, I want to be fully present in it. I'm excited for what this is going to bring.

And there it is, my 2012 goals. Some of them are a little steep, sure. But that's what goals are for, right? To give you something to aim for? Here's to 2012. Let's exceed expectation.♥

Love,

Sarah