Growing up

Two-thousand and eleven is almost over, and I figured I'd reflect on it. 

In this past year, I've:

• Started a blog (July 25th, 2011)
• Started high school
• Moved
• Fallen in love
• Taken first place with my AMAZING team!
• Lost my grandma
• Gained best friends
• Turned 15
• Gotten a phone
• Cried myself to sleep a million times
• Worried about others opinions
• Been bullied
• Bullied
• Self-harmed
• Watched my brother fall in love
• Tried new things
• Broken a heart
• Lost weight
• Cut my hair (TWICE)
• Found God

And that's just a few things. I could go on and on, but in reality, that's not what I started this post to be about.

I started this to share my "Not new, but certainly improved years resolution.

I resolve to, as of January 1st, 2012, live for ME. Not for any of you readers, nor any of my "haters" per say, but for me. Not for society, or even my friends. Me. 

I'm not going to listen to all the bad things people have to say. I'm not going to rush through "growing up". I'm 15, not 25. But enough about what I'm NOT going to do. 

I pledge to be my own person, and to take a step back every so often to be thankful for all that I am, all that I have and all that I will ever be. I pledge to look at myself in the mirror and find one beautiful thing about myself, that day, because every day I am beautiful. I pledge to keep moving forward, and never look back, because the past is the past for a reason, and the future is mine to mold. I pledge to set boundaries, not by societal beliefs, but by my own beliefs and standards. I pledge to make healthy decisions, regarding my surroundings, activities and foods. I pledge to never talk bad about people because I don't know them as well as I may act. Even my closest of friends have secrets. I pledge get to know people before ever thinking ill thoughts about them, for only God knows why they act the way they do. I pledge to make a list of good things in my life, every time something bad or discouraging happens. 

Most of all, I pledge to make a change in my way of life. I want to be that person that everyone will remember for what they did for others. I want to be like Blazen McDonald (a middle school student from my area who died over the summer and left behind a grieving community filled with hundreds of friends from school). I want to make a POSITIVE impact on people and the community. And that starts today-- not New Years. So here's to a great new year, and a not-so-new resolution. I'm not giving up, this year. 

Growing up, one step at a time...

xoxo,

Marjean.♥