My Commitment in 2013 to Myself…..

I am really proud of some of the things that I accomplished in 2012. At home, I de-cluttered our basement- which grew into a whole new addiction of de-cluttering things in my house and before long I de-cluttered most of our closets, drawers, and even our garage. In 2012 I took on a part-time job that I love- working on the iVoices program for iVillage, and I devoted myself to building and growing Momof6 too- attending three blog conferences (and was a presenter at one of them!), and joining forces with some pretty fantastic partners such as Blog Frog, and Clever Girls. And Momof6 as well as Pinterest inspired me to want to cook new things, create healthier lunches for my kids, create and craft more, and decorate the mantles in my home. And I spent some pretty amazing time with my family this year- traveling the eastern part of the US- exploring and growing and having fun together.

But as I look ahead to 2013, I know that one of the things that I really need to work on, is my internal dialogue. That voice in my head that is so critical at times- that gives me a hard time for skipping workouts, not eating right, for not getting “more done”. That voice comes from the same part of me that puts far too many things on each day’s to-do list and then is shocked when so much of it remains un-crossed-off at the end of the day.

And so I have a new word this year… a “theme word” if you will… and that word is “Peace”.

Peace means telling that inner voice that it is time to simmer down. Peace is admitting that I can’t do it all- and being okay with it. Peace means that it is time to slow things down a bit, to make those lists a bit shorter, to stop giving myself deadlines. Peace means being kind to myself first.

I took my new theme-word for a test drive during our holiday break to try it on and see how my inner-dialogue would embrace it. And I learned that even saying the word “Peace” to myself when the kids were bickering or the car ride was growing too long or when something or someone was demanding my attention when all I wanted to do was to enjoy a quiet moment to myself, simply saying the word “Peace” in my own head gave me the pause that I needed to feel that inner calm and decide on what reaction would lead to more “peace”.

And today I used “peace” as a mantra throughout the day when the kids returned to school and I attempted to tackle Mount Laundry, fridge and pantry re-stocking, and email catch-up all before noon. “Peace” reminded me that I didn’t have to get it all done today. “Peace” reminded me that my own happiness is important too.

I am pretty committed to my new theme-word “peace”, and I look forward to seeing where it takes me this year. Are you choosing a “theme word” for 2013? If so, I would love to hear what it is… so please leave a comment and share it!

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