Happy Wednesday, everyone!

I hope you are enjoying the final days of 2014. I know I am getting excited to say “goodbye” to the old year and welcome 2015.

I think I have found a recurring theme among some of the blogs I like to follow. There has been a lot of buzz about Diane Von Furstenberg the past couple of weeks and her quote ” I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew the kind of woman I wanted to be.” It is easy to see why these words have inspired many thoughts and discussions in the blogging world and why they are particularly inspirational as we head into a new year and fresh beginnings.

In my personal life I have been re-inventing myself for several years. For those of you who do not know, I once was close to 300 lbs and full of self-doubt.  My friends and family saw my potential but I could not see it for myself. Slowly things began to shift in my life. I am literally half the weight I once was, working out about five days a week. I still struggle with anxiety and self-confidence from time to time but I can honestly say I am much more confident now than I ever was in the past in just about every area of my life. I look for challenges and adventure in everyday living and I am blessed to have people in my life who will nudge me forward when I show signs of hesitation in setting new goals for myself.

So what kind of woman do I want to be? The list is long. I know that I want to be the kind of woman who inspires others to realize that as long as they have breath in their body there is a chance to change and become the person they aspire to be . I want to encourage others to think deeply about life and not accept the status quo out of ease or convenience. I want to have lots of adventures, travel, and meet fascinating people. The ability to enjoy the gift of life throughout the changing times and seasons I experience while cultivating an air of graceful elegance is what I am aspiring to develop within myself.

Making resolutions is  a ritual meant to improve our lives. However, many people fail and eventually give up on the idea of setting out on new beginnings each January. I believe the reason for this is because a resolution is like treating a symptom without addressing the underlying cause of the affliction. Losing weight, getting more exercise, getting out of debt etc. are great goals to achieve but most of us do not address the underlying reasons as to why we are overweight or in debt. Creating the lives we want to live is not a hit or miss shot to embark on every January 1st but an ongoing transformation with ups and downs, successes and failures, that take place over the course of our lifetimes. It starts by taking an honest look at how we see ourselves in the present moment, deciding who we want to become, and then start behaving as if we are already that person. It is not a lie, the person we want to become is already deep inside us waiting to be discovered. Decide who you want to be and when  February rolls around if you find that you have eaten some cheesecake, bought something on credit, or still haven’t cleaned out your closets, rather than going back to life as usual see it as part of the journey of becoming who you were meant to be. Celebrate the times you said “no” to eating dessert, followed your budget, and made your bed in the morning.  You will discover that you are, in fact, changing and becoming more the person you have envisioned in your mind.

Tonya Leigh at French Kiss Life has a great post and podcast on the subject if you are interested in gaining further insight into creating the kind of person you want to become. She is a life coach and works primarily with women, but hey, I am sure guys can find a useful tidbit or two as well in her thoughts and insights.

I am so glad to have interacted with you in 2014 through the blog and look forward to hearing from you in 2015. My best wishes for a wonderful year ahead, filled with endless possibilities.

As always, I would love to hear from you! Do you have any goals or resolutions for 2015?

Thanks for stopping by the blog!

Until next time,

Laura