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Happy New Year Folks! Today is the first day of the rest of our lives for those of us who enjoy making New Year Resolutions. We have received the gift of a blank page in our life story. We received the gift of time: 365 days to write the next chapter, One resolution, One day at a time.

Are you ready to make the most of these gifts$%: Consider the wonderful rewards that await each one of us if we choose the path of achievement, the path that will enable us to fulfill our cherished dreams. Think about the sights and sounds we will experience, the people we will meet, the things we will learn if we summon the courage to make the journey, and enjoy it one day at a time.

I'm ready. Are you$%: Personally, I've been making and keeping New Year resolutions for most of my life. I'm a 'Serial Goal-Setter'. I've read scores of books in search of the best strategies for success. I practice strategic planning as part of my business, which provides communications, fundraising and photography for Members of Congress, non-profit organizations and associations in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. I truly enjoy making and keeping resolutions and goals. I passionately enjoy the journey: pursuing my dreams, goals and resolutions.

Creating my business was a dream. In 1999, armed with the motto, 'Do what you love, Love what you do', I built my business from the ground up around the things I love to do. Working from home was another dream. I live that dream. I work from home on projects I love. Over the years I've achieved a wide variety of other dreams, resolutions and goals. On January 1, it's tradition to flip through my journals. I reflect on my successes, mistakes, learned lessons, and my future prospects. Reflecting in this way is both humbling and empowering.

Fortunately, I'm blessed with family, friends, colleagues, and mentors who provide a helping hand. I'mthankful for that assistance and my intention, in 2007, is to offer that same 'helping hand' toothers. I admit, some of my goals, resolutions and dreams sit idle on my 'Things To Do List', but they're on that list for one reason: 'Someday I will make those dreams a reality'. I diligently pursue my dreams because they are the centerpiece of my life. I pursue them because I've learned 'how' to achieve them. I pursue them because I 'can' and I 'do' achieve them.

You can successfully pursue your 2007 New Year resolution - your dream - too! It's within your reach. It's within your power. It's up to you to make that choice. Do it today! If you want to make and keep your resolution, a word of caution. Please be very careful to avoid the 'someday, someday, someday mousetrap': a white mouse spins and spins on a wheel to nowhere. That wheel takes you no closer to your dreams. Instead it delays your progress day after day, until you've run out of days, end of story. Don't fall into that trap. Consider, instead, a simple, common sense way of achieving New Year resolutions.

FIRST STEP: Dare To Dream..

Open your mind and forget about drafting that tired list of 10-20 things you hate about yourself, or feel you must change, the one you drafted a year ago and buried somewhere on your desk. I call it the 'Sins List'. You buried that list for a number of reasons: too many vague goals, no commitment, no desire, no plan. In 2007 you don't need a 're-do, or a do-over' for failing to achieve your 'Sins List'. Instead, learn your lessons and move on, forget about the past. In 2007 'Just Do It': One Resolution, One Day At A Time For One Year - Successfully Pursue Your Dream! You don't need to be a 'Serial Goal-Setter', and you don't need a Ph.D. in Strategic Planning. With faith, hope, optimism, conviction, passion, and a plan you can make your dream a reality in 2007!

Forget about the promise you've made to yourself in the past: 'I will do it someday'! In 2007 Do it today: One resolution, One day at a time for One Year! You probably already have the talent, desire, commitment and, most importantly, the dream. Maybe that dream is just a small spark in your heart and soul, known only to you. There is no better time than the present to turn that spark into a flame and fan the flame with all you're worth. Stop waiting for 'someday' to arrive. Do it today!

In 2007 try something different. Think outside the box. Don't be afraid to pick up that bright red crayon and color outside the lines. Visualize your dream in whatever way works best for you! But act with one system, one purpose, one simple framework, one clear-cut blueprint that will guide you up the mountain to the pinnacle of success.

Lose that boulder chained to your back: those tired 10-20-must-do-resolutions from 2006, 2005, 2004! In 2007, pursue just one cherished dream, or make one important changein your life. If you have true interest, desire and passion about your resolution, you will be strong and determined enough to see your plan to completion. Once achieved, that dream will be with you for life. You don't have to abandon it and race on to the next goal.

If your dream is to learn photography, you'll build on your skills year after year. If your dream is to exercise, you'll put on those tennis shoes each and every day. Your dreams become lifelong habits that you enjoy day after day, year after year! They are you - unique! They are with you for life! If you pursue just One resolution, One day at a time for One year, dedicating just 30-minutes each day - that's a full 7.5 days logged each year. Think about it. That's a lot of time! Even if you only work on your resolution a few days each week, or 20-minutes each day, the time compounds like interest in the bank.

Another important consideration: forget about achieving your dream overnight. That strategy will send your dreams to the 'goal graveyard'. Writers don't write best-sellers overnight. Athletes don't make it to the Olympics in just a few practice sessions, they practice, practice, practice, every single day. These folks are dedicated to their dreams.

If you're dedicated to your 2007 resolution, you can achieve great things too, and you don't have to devote all your time and attention to that one single goal. Devote just 30-minutes each day for one year and get on with the rest of your life. There will be days you simply can't work on your resolution, life is busy. Our dreams are often overtaken by events, but that's okay, don't beat yourself up. You'll get back on track. That's life. Everyone encounters potholes, detours, and bumps along the way.

Take the very first step now. Open your mind. Dare to Dream. If you were given all the time and money in the world, what dream would you passionately pursue in 2007$%: I asked a close friend that question last spring and he scratched his head, and said "read and travel more". He can do those things right now if he makes that choice, and he doesn't need all the time and money in the world to do it. He just needs to make a decision and act on it!

SECOND STEP: Decide.

After all, resolve means to decide firmly with great determination. In 2007, open your mind, dare to dream. Make a leap of faith: Decide to 'go for it'. In those initial steps, you'll have made enormous progress. Your life won't change overnight. Anyone who promises overnight, instant change is likely selling snake oil. Realistically, your life will change gradually. If you make the journey, one day at a time, the daily rewards add up and can make profound change for the better over time.

THIRD STEP: Define.

Specify your resolution concisely in one sentence. Don't 'resolve to exercise more'. Instead, 'resolve to exercise for 30-minutes each day by biking, walking, gardening, swimming, playing tennis, stretching, doing Yoga, and working out with weights'. You don't have to do all those things everyday, but that resolution is specific and measurable. It will also keep you interested for a long time because it's fun, gives you choices, and makes you feel great, both mentally and physically. Trust me. That exercise resolution works!

It was MY resolution in 2005. I was determined and I worked out 80% of the time for 30-minutes daily. In 2006 I worked out 65% of the time for 30-60-minutes daily, a lower percentage because I chose to take a break from exercise and a variety of other projects to avoid burn-out. That break was a wise decision. I'm now rested and ready to 'go for it' in 2007!

FOURTH STEP: Develop A Plan.

For many people that's one of the hardest steps. To be successful, you have to create order out of chaos. You wouldn't build a house without a blueprint. You wouldn't travel from New York to San Francisco by car without a roadmap. The same is true for resolution-keeping. It's easy to make them, hard to keep them. There are several important ingredients to building and implementing a successful plan:

1. Creating a managable 'Things To Do' list in which all tasks are broken down into small daily steps;
2. Doing daily, weeekly and monthly progress reviews;
3. Devising course corrections, as you do your progress reviews; and,
4. Avoiding that 'goal-killer' procrastination, instead motivating yourself to stick with your resolution roadmap, your blueprint for success!

! Sounds Simple$%: It is!

This strategy is based on common sense, perfect for busy people. In closing, this week, since you have the gift of time, 52-weeks, open your mind and Dare To Dream. Above all, take your time, do your homework, build your plan. Learn to walk before you run. If you don't raise the bar too high, you'll learn to soar over it in 2007!

Remember: I Resolve To Achieve My New Year Resolutions, One Resolution, One Day At A Time For One Year. It's your choice. Do it today. Turn your resolution into reality in five simple, common sense steps: Dare To Dream, Decide, Define, Develop A Plan, and Do It Daily. Make your resolution a permanent Lifetime Resolution, something that's with you for good! Above all, Be A Resolutionista, someone who makes resolutions, keeps resolutions, and enjoys the journey! Let's Go For It!