Introduction

Hello, friends, family, and whoever stumbles across this blog!

One of my New Year's resolutions is to write a blog, so here it is. This blog will contain tips and advice, quotes that inspire me, and words to live by. Each day will contain a new pearl of wisdom, so by December 31, 2013, you will have 365 pearls! Pick them up and make a necklace!

So here is my first little nugget for you: make New Year's resolutions! I have made at least one every year since I was a sophomore in high school, and I usually keep them (There is one exception. My food diary resolution lasted two weeks, mainly because counting calories and measuring out my portions with measuring cups was going overboard in a very unhealthy way). This year, along with writing this blog, I will read Anna Karenina, start composting, go to my yoga and spinning classes more than once a month, and stop dating online (Sorry, OkCupid. You're becoming an addiction.). I'm going to try to stick to all of them, especially this blog!

The New Year is about making a fresh start, so why not give yourself a goal? Of course, make it something you know you can achieve. On Dick Clark's special this year, one of the Top 5 Resolutions that people were making was "fall in love." Well, you're just setting yourself up for failure then. You can't guarantee when you'll meet the right person; you have no control! So, make it something manageable and reasonable. If it's to lose weight, don't say you're going to lose 50 pounds in one month: it's not gonna happen. If it's to save money, write yourself a budget (even use an online tool like Mint.com); don't just save your loose change in a jar. And whatever you decide, stay with it! Tell your friends about your resolution, and have them hold you accountable (see the January 2013 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine). You'll feel so accomplished when you know that you set a goal for yourself, worked to achieve it, and see it through.