living with purpose: lessons from 2012 to take to heart

My dears, as you can tell, I had taken a teeny hiatus from blogging to wrap up the end of year busyness, so apologies for the lack of posts and my usual holiday gift guides! Now that I'm on Christmas break in Pennsylvania and reflecting back on what a whirlwind year 2012 has been, I'd love to reboot the Living with Purpose column and share with you some lessons I've learned and am still working on. Please feel free to keep me accountable! :)

Keep your word, finish what you've started

"I am by nature a dealer in words, and words are the most powerful drug known to humanity." - Rudyard Kipling

Promises. Commitments... whatever the situation may be, I've learned that what comes from the mouth is usually taken to heart, so I'm working on being better at following up on what I say with action. We tend to focus on outward health and fitness, but the people I admire are those who exercise inward character and integrity in their day-to-day life and relationships.

Give yourself kindness and patience

"May there be kindness in your gaze when you look within." - John O’Donohue. 

How gentle are we with ourselves? This world is so caught up in performance and achievement, we oftentimes don't gives ourselves the grace that we would easily give our best friend or sister. Sometimes I stay up thinking "I could have worded that differently" or "That was probably a stupid thing to do"... It literally takes strength to be kind to myself, especially when I feel like I don't deserve it. If we're generous and forgiving to our friends and family, how much more do we owe it to ourselves? Be gentle with yourselves, friends :)

Get excited about your own potential

"Behind every successful woman is herself." - Anonymous

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right." - Henry Ford

Embracing our sense of self but also being flexible to grow is like balancing on a seesaw -- it's tough to be open minded and grounded at the same time. No matter what happens in 2013, I'm hoping to remember to encourage myself more along the way. Are you your own biggest champion? Even if I end up falling down, I'm hoping that I'll be able to pick myself up and be behind myself 100% of the way, one step at a time. I'm wishing the same for you. :)

(Photos via Modern Hepburn tumblr)