So. This post has been brewing in my head for some time now. I realize it’s now February 1st, BUT better late than never, right?

Here we are. Another year older (I’ll be 37 this year! Duuuude.) and a little wiser (hopefully). New adventures, new opportunities, new chances, more learning, more wisdom, more living.

With the arrival of a new year comes reflective time.

For me, I’ve always looked at a new year as a chance to start all over. To begin new. A clean shiny slate that is waiting to be written upon. I like that feeling. But as the year goes on I feel and see myself losing that excitement that I once had on January 1st. Old routines come back, the same tapes play in my head, and year after year I beat myself up over not changing some of the things I so excitedly set out to change so long ago.

But I also have noticed that as I get older, those feelings tend to be less and less and I see that I am serving myself more grace. I am not perfect and I shouldn’t strive to be….really, I’m only just beginning to give myself this break. It is a bad habit to break. If you knew my childhood, you’d see where that need to be perfect came from. But it’s so exhausting. I find being real + open + raw + honest makes my life so much more richer than I ever imagined it could be. I love more. I see more. I accept more. I learn more.

And that’s what I want to continue to do this new year and for the rest of my life.

I’ve given a lot of thought to how I want this year to look + feel to me. I feel like I am on the verge of something HUGE within myself and I’m just dipping my toe into the unknown, not knowing what the result will be. But I LOVE that feeling. I have no idea what I’m doing a lot of the time but I like where I am going.

I’ve had huge ups + downs in my life over the past two years – emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually and every single one of those high and low moments have taught me so much about myself and who I am and what I am capable of.

I learning to know what I want.

I’m finding out what I don’t want.

I know that I get one shot at this life and I’m giving it my best shot.

There is so much I want to learn, accomplish, see and feel.

This is the year I do it. This is the year I learn, accomplish, see and feel.

This year, 2012, I own you.

I am looking forward to a year full of wonder + growth + love + adventure with an extra large side of awesomesauce. I know and expect some challenges + disappointments + struggles and I know that I am prepared to meet them head on when they come along. But I feel confident in knowing that I can get through it and in the end come out a better person than I was before.

I feel big + exciting things coming my way. I feel good about where I am in my life. I feel grounded. I feel ready to kick 2012 into high gear and learn more about myself, those around me and this thing we call life.

I know it’ll be my best year yet.

I hope that you are living your life to your full potential and are willing to give everything your 110%. Be open to new ideas + new thoughts + to yourself. Love yourself. Be gentle. Give yourself grace. You deserve lots of awesomesauce this year. Own it.