Essential 2013

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
Le Petit Prince, Antoine de St Exupery

I’ve never been any good with New Year’s Resolutions.  They sit there, all nice and pretty on a clean piece of white paper, written with all the anticipation and goodwill of Columbus setting out to discover a New World.  And as Columbus ends up in an unintended locale, I, too, tend to veer severely off course.

It’s the same principle as why I don’t officially “give up” anything for Lent. 

Instead of declaring things I’m not going to do, or things I want to give up, I prefer, instead, to focus on the positive things I can accomplish.  I find it keeps me moving forward and more on course than giving myself a bunch of don’ts and can’ts.

For 2013, I thought I’d stretch myself even more and come up with a one-word theme for the year ahead.  Something that would be like a guiding light when things get muddled or confused.  A thought or idea that I can center my days around and use to help me make decisions and stay on track with the kind of life I want to be living.

After kicking around a lot of words, I’ve decided on Essential.

Essential is going to be my motto, my platform, my Brand’s slogan, if you will, for 2013.  It encompasses the realm of things, people, places, ideas and activities that are near and dear to me. 

Things that make my heart happy and full.

For me, personally, these would include, but not be limited to the following:  God, husband, children, spending time at home, reading, writing, visiting with friends, taking care of myself, exploring new food, music and places.

Life is too short, and now, more than ever, I want every day to count.  This means that before accepting each and every invitation or request for my presence or help, I need to measure it against my Essential criteria before accepting.

If I need to say no to that request because I need to use that time to work or write, the world will not fall off its axis.  If I need to say no to a weeknight invitation because I have two others that week, life will go on without me.  If I need to fall off the face of the earth until my toddler is a little older, people will understand.

This is going to be tough.  I realize that not everything I do can fall into my Essential  category, but I (as most women I know) need to break free from the chains of guilt over simply saying no to things that take us off course and stress us out.

Join me as I conquer 2013, Essentially.  It’s bound to be a bumpy ride, but I know we can do it.