I couldn’t resist the chance to reflect on some great questions that will help me focus on a singular purpose for the new year. LOVE. Love for myself above all. To help me focus on that goal, and to frame the ways in which I’ll be best able to keep that goal in mind when setting smaller or more ambiguous goals about food or health or personal time, I thought this was a perfect set of questions.

13 Questions for the New Year

1. Because I wanted to make 2013 count, I… am setting a specific goal to love myself more.

2. Because fear of failure was no longer a good enough reason to not do it, in 2013 I… pledged to run a marathon in November.

3. Because I listened to the whispers inside, in 2013 I… will focus more on what I really need.

4. Because the things that brought me joy in childhood still do, in 2013 I… will sing more, dance more, color more, move more.

5. Because simple pleasures are so rich, in 2013 I… will spend more time away from the computer.

6. Because my body has served me so beautifully all these years, in 2013 I… will find a way to save up for at least one Pilates reformer session with the incomparable Diane.

7. Because the world needs my service, in 2013 I… will volunteer, somewhere, somehow, to do something that helps others in need.

8. Because of the remarkable people who have loved me and made me who I am, in 2013 I… will promise to stay open and honest with the people I love, ask for help and support when I need it, and GIVE support at every opportunity.

9. Because I am willing to believe in the power of forgiveness, in 2013 I… will genuinely let go of grudges, big and small, and set free the bitterness that sometimes collects.

10. Because the silence has gone on long enough, in 2013 I….will be more active and vocal in supporting the humanitarian causes that matter to me.

11. Because I am so blessed, in 2013 I… will remember how much I have to be grateful for, particularly on the days when I feel like the Universe has forgotten or mistreated me.

12. Because I vowed to be more radical, in 2013 I… will give up desserts in January, and maybe beyond. I will submit my manuscripts to publishers again.

13. Because I wanted, in the last days of my life, to remember this year with tears of gratitude, in 2013 I… will take risks, speak truths, and hug more people. I will stop measuring my success in the opinions of others.