Goodbye to All That - Burdened by the weight of wouldas, shouldas, and couldas, a former compulsive goal setter discovers the freedom of giving up.

Don't know about you, but this time of year, with the back-to-school sales and newpencil smell in the air, always makes me want to reinvent myself. When I was a kid, every fall was another chance to cast aside the embarrassments of the previous grade and turn into the totally cool individual I was born to be. (I'm still waiting.) Now it's another chance to launch my own version of New Year's resolutions. Let's call it my Fall Agenda of Improvements and Laudable Successes (a.k.a. FAILS). I look at running gear and consider signing up for a marathon. I invest in a new skin care regimen. I stock up on accordion files so I can finally get my papers in order.

- By Abbi Waxman - Illustration by Abbey Lossing

Don't know about you, but this time of year, with the back-to-school sales and newpencil smell in the air, always makes me want to reinvent myself. When I was a kid, every fall was another chance to cast aside the embarrassments of the previous grade and turn into the totally cool individual I was born to be. (I'm still waiting.) Now it's another chance to launch my own version of New Year's resolutions. Let's call it my Fall Agenda of Improvements and Laudable Successes (a.k.a. FAILS). I look at running gear and consider signing up for a marathon. I invest in a new skin care regimen. I stock up on accordion files so I can finally get my papers in order.