I RESOLVE TO . . .

I Resolve To™ . . . Learn From Others - Day 90

I love learning new things.  I spend an enormous amount of time educating myself about my interests and passions by reading books and magazines, surfing the Internet, taking classes, talking with friends and colleagues, and working with mentors.  There are so many ways to learn new things.  One way that I stay on top of news and information about New Year Resolutions - surveys, Blogger posts, columns by experts and so on - is to subscribe to Google's News Alerts.  Pick your passion and register at the Google News Alert page, and you'll begin receiving current information and articles in your E-Mail box.  It's a wonderful tool.

Each week, for instance, I read hundreds of Blog posts by people who are working to achieve their New Year Resolutions. It helps me to learn more about 'what' people are doing, 'how' they are doing, what they think about their resolutions, and so on.  It's amazing how many people write about their resolutions, and how many actually stick with them.  More than you would think.  Some folks start them on January 1, while others procrastinate and start later.  Some work on them daily, others sporadically.  The patterns are as unique as the individuals.  The important thing, however, is that they are thinking about their resolutions, writing about them, and doing something to make them a reality.

I want to share an array of articles that I've gathered, since January 1, in my travels across the Internet about people who are pursuing their dreams and resolution tips on various topics.  I'm also starting a Blogroll that includes writings from who are actually working toward their dreams and passions.  I hope these articles and the Blogroll (as it grows over time) help you to fuel the fire of your own passions, dreams, resolutions, and daily goals!

• Resolve To Run SpringRunningMarch2008.pdf
• Resolve To Help Animals WRALPetTipsMarch2008.pdf
• Resolve To Drive Better - SafeDrivingResolution2008.pdf
• Saddest Day Of The year SaddestDayCanadaCom2008.pdf
• Two Women Enjoy CookBook Success -CookbookSuccess2008.pdf
• Weight Loss Tips From A Survivor - LifeGuideWeightLossTips2008.pdf
• Bets Keep New Year Resolutions Alive - LATimesArticleJanuary272007.pdf
• Following Through On Resolutions - HelenaIRExerciseArticleMarch2008.pdf

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 30, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved 

I Resolve To™ . . . Go Dark For Earth Hour At 8:00 P.M. - Day 89

At 8:00 P.M. tonight I plan to turn off my lights, computers, televisions . . . 'go dark' in observance of Earth Hour.  I'm going to relax with a book or magazine by candle light.  What a nice way to enjoy an hour out of a busy day!  If you haven't heard about it, Earth Hour is the brainchild of the World Wildlife Fund in Sydney, Australia.  On March 31, 2007 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour - in an effort to inspire people to take action on Climate change. 

This year, cities and citizens around the world are taking part in Earth Hour.  It's a wonderful way to raise awareness about the dire impacts of Global Warming, as well as an opportunity to educate people about the small, daily steps that they can take that will add up over the long haul - and make a huge difference for the health of the planet. 

Here at IResolveTo.Com, I write about simple, common sense steps that people can take to make their dreams, resolutions and daily goals a reality.  Those simple steps apply to virtually any endeavor, including what an individual can do to protect the environment.  First, you have Dare To Dream - open your mind to the wonderful possibilities, and consider what you can 'do' or 'be' if you set your mind to it.  Second, you have to Decide to 'go for it', make a commitment to your dream.  Third, you have to Define specifically what you plan to achieve, and make a one-sentence resolution such as:  I Resolve To . . . exercise for 30-minutes each day by walking, biking, swimming, lifting weights, doing Yoga, and playing tennis, in an effort to be healthy, fit, toned, and happy.  Fourth, you have to Develop A Plan that will enable you to take small, specific, measurable, steps toward achieving your dream.  Fifth, you have to Do It Daily - achieve one or more small daily steps - goals each and every day.

One of the reasons that so many people fail to achieve their New Year Resolutions is that they set the bar too high.  They have unrealistic expectations.  A second reason that they fail to achieve their resolutions - and in turn their dreams and goals - is that they don't begin with a resolution about which they have great passion and desire.  My message today is to give your most passionate dreams another try this Spring.  Don't give up on them.  And as you breathe some life into your dream -consider doing something inspiring to show gratitude for all your blessings.  Do something for the environment.  Start today with just one small action:  'Go Dark' for one hour.  Then do some reading about Global Warming and ways that you can reduce your Carbon Footprint one small step at a time.

To get you going here are some of the latest articles about Earth Hour, as well as a collection of websites that I have compiled as part of my own effort to educate myself and others about Global Warming and how small daily actions can really add up over time . . .

Earth Hour March 29, 2008:

• Google Turns Lights Out For Earth Hour EarthHourGoogle32908.pdf 
• First Cities Go Dark EarthHourCNN3292008.pdf 
• Lights Out Across Globe EarthHourReuters32908.pdf 
• Canada Prepares For Earth Hour EarthHourCTVca3292008.pdf 
• Australia, New Zealand Lead Earth Hour EarthHourVOA3292008.pdf 

Climate Change -Take Action Today!

• Clean Air-Cool Planet 
• Carbon Footprint 
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Personal Emissions Calculator 
• Climatecrisis.net - An Inconvenient Truth 
• Conservation International 
• Direct.Gov.UK - Calculate Your Carbon Footprint 
• Environmental Defense - Fight Global Warming 
• StopGlobalWarming.Org 
• Environmental Defense - 'How To Pick A Better Bulb'.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-Department of Energy, Energy Star.
• ConservaStore - Light Bulbs.
• EnvironmentalLights.com - Light Bulbs.
• FastCompany.com - How Many Lightbulbs Does It Take To Change The World ( FastCompanyComLightBulbs.pdf ).

Earth Day - April 22, 2008

• Earth Day Network 
• Earth Day - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
• World Wildlife Federation 
• Earth Day - EnviroLink Network 
• About.Com Earth Day - Washington, D.C., Maryland & Virginia

Arbor Day - April 25, 2008

• Arbor Day Foundation 
• Wikipedia - Arbor Day 
• Plant-A-Tree-Today 
• Clean Air Gardening 
• United Nations Environment Programme - Tree Planting 
• Trees Are Good 
• American Forests

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 29, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved 

At 8:00 P.M. tonight I plan to turn off my lights, computers, televisions . . . 'go dark' in observance of Earth Hour.  I'm going to relax with a book or magazine by candle light.  What a nice way to enjoy an hour out of a busy day!  If you haven't heard about it, Earth Hour is the brainchild of the World Wildlife Fund in Sydney, Australia.  On March 31, 2007 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour - in an effort to inspire people to take action on Climate change. 

This year, cities and citizens around the world are taking part in Earth Hour.  It's a wonderful way to raise awareness about the dire impacts of Global Warming, as well as an opportunity to educate people about the small, daily steps that they can take that will add up over the long haul - and make a huge difference for the health of the planet. 

Here at IResolveTo.Com, I write about simple, common sense steps that people can take to make their dreams, resolutions and daily goals a reality.  Those simple steps apply to virtually any endeavor, including what an individual can do to protect the environment.  First, you have Dare To Dream - open your mind to the wonderful possibilities, and consider what you can 'do' or 'be' if you set your mind to it.  Second, you have to Decide to 'go for it', make a commitment to your dream.  Third, you have to Define specifically what you plan to achieve, and make a one-sentence resolution such as:  I Resolve To . . . exercise for 30-minutes each day by walking, biking, swimming, lifting weights, doing Yoga, and playing tennis, in an effort to be healthy, fit, toned, and happy.  Fourth, you have to Develop A Plan that will enable you to take small, specific, measurable, steps toward achieving your dream.  Fifth, you have to Do It Daily - achieve one or more small daily steps - goals each and every day.

One of the reasons that so many people fail to achieve their New Year Resolutions is that they set the bar too high.  They have unrealistic expectations.  A second reason that they fail to achieve their resolutions - and in turn their dreams and goals - is that they don't begin with a resolution about which they have great passion and desire.  My message today is to give your most passionate dreams another try this Spring.  Don't give up on them.  And as you breathe some life into your dream -consider doing something inspiring to show gratitude for all your blessings.  Do something for the environment.  Start today with just one small action:  'Go Dark' for one hour.  Then do some reading about Global Warming and ways that you can reduce your Carbon Footprint one small step at a time.

To get you going here are some of the latest articles about Earth Hour, as well as a collection of websites that I have compiled as part of my own effort to educate myself and others about Global Warming and how small daily actions can really add up over time . . .

Earth Hour March 29, 2008:

• Google Turns Lights Out For Earth Hour EarthHourGoogle32908.pdf 
• First Cities Go Dark EarthHourCNN3292008.pdf 
• Lights Out Across Globe EarthHourReuters32908.pdf 
• Canada Prepares For Earth Hour EarthHourCTVca3292008.pdf 
• Australia, New Zealand Lead Earth Hour EarthHourVOA3292008.pdf 

I Resolve To™ . . . Go Dark Tomorrow! - Day 88

In observance of 'Earth Hour', tomorrow I will turn out all my lights, television, computers - go dark.  What is Earth Hour you ask?  Earth Hour was created by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Sydney, Australia in 2007.  According to the World Wildlife Earth Hour Website, on March 31, 2007, 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour - in an effort to inspire people to take action on Climate change.  Interestingly, according to the WWF website, "... If the greenhouse reduction achieved in the Sydney CBD during Earth Hour was sustained for a year, it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year."  That fact alone convinced me to join Earth Hour tomorrow . . . but beyond that, I believe Earth Hour is a great way to raise awareness and to get people 'thinking' about Global Warming.

Here at IResolveTo.Com it's Tip Day for ways to 'Give The Boot To Our Carbon Footprints'.  In 2008 my New Year Resolution is to 'show gratitude' for my blessings by 'giving back' and the environment is one of my recipients.  On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I dedicate my columns to news and information about small daily steps that each one of us - individuals, corporations and government - can take to reduce our Carbon Footprints and, in turn, the threat of Global Warming.  Consider the huge, long-range impact on the environment if each one of us takes small 'habitual' steps - like driving fewer miles, using more energy efficient light bulbs, and turning off lights when we leave rooms.  My goal, as an individual, is to urge others to follow my lead, and take small steps each and every day toward protecting the environment.

If you want to achieve any dream, resolution, goal - including helping to protect the environment - desire, commitment, education, and enthusiasm are all important ingredients.  You have to 'want' to make a difference.  You have to educate yourself about the 'issue at hand' and what you can 'do' - then follow through.  Often, taking that first step is the hardest part.  But if you take one small step at a time, day after day it really adds up.  I urge you to this weekend to do two things:  1)  Remember your own dreams - breathe some life into them this Spring; and, 2)  Do something for the environment tomorrow - 'Go Dark' - then educate yourself about other things you can beyond tomorrow . . . on Sunday, Monday, next week, next month, and beyond.

To get you going, here is a link to an interesting WWF video about Earth Hour and Climate Change, and tomorrow, I'll follow up with more articles about Earth Hour . . .

• World Wild Life Fund:  Where It All Began

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 28, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved   

I Resolve To™ . . . Be Kind To All Critters! - Day 85

One of the things I love about my house is that I have a sun room with huge windows that overlook the woods out back.  My yard, garden beds, and trees are full of birds, squirrels and other animals.  I love watching them from my sun room.  The downside, however, is that the birds zoom into the glass sometimes, thinking that they're headed for trees on the other side of the sun room.  That happened today. I was startled by a loud thud and ran out to see what happened.  A Blue Jay had hit the glass.  He was breathing and blinking slowly, but stunned, so I picked him up.  A friend once told me, when this happens in the winter, pick the bird up and keep it warm in the palm of your hands.  I've done that a few times and it worked, the birds eventually perked up and flew off.  After 15-minutes of cradling beautiful Jay, thankfully, he was fine and flew straight and strong to a nearby Hemlock Tree.  I felt so good afterward.  Some days it really is the little things that count.

My point in telling this little vignette from my day is not to receive a pat on the back for a job well done, but instead to remind folks - myself included - to put some extra feed in the bird feeder, and water in the bird bath (the poor doves were sitting in my empty bird bath yesterday, and when I finally went outside with a jug of water - they were much happier).

Today is also Tuesday, and that means it's Tip-Day for PreMeditated Acts of Kindness.  My 2008 Resolution is to 'Show Gratitude' for my blessings by 'Giving Back'. The point behind PreMeditated Acts Of Kindess is to give more conscious thought to my actions and the way that I treat others - and the way that I treat 'myself'.  In 2008 I'm urging folks to join me and do the same - to work at being kind because it's the right thing to do, without worrying about receiving anything in return, be it kind gesture or word, though my experience is that kindness shown is usually returned in kind.

My message today is simple:  remember the critters inside and outside, wild and tame.  They're innocent creatures deserving of care and kindness.  In my travels across the Internet, I ran across a good article written by Wake County Humane Educator, Vanessa Budnick, for WRAL, Raleigh, North Carolina.  She offers eight things we can do to help animals:  WRALPetTipsMarch2008.pdf.  The American Humane Association is also full of wonderful tips and information.  If you need special incentive, check out their listing of public awareness events:  'Be Kind To Animals Week' is coming up the first week in May.

Animals are such wonderful companions.  They offer such sweet, unconditional love.  The least we can do is return that love in kind by taking proper care of them, giving them attention and understanding.  A little bit of conscious kindness goes a long, long way.

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 25, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved   

I Resolve To™ . . . Stay On Top Of Global Warming News - Day 84

Happy Monday!  Now that Spring is officially here, why not consider renewing your New Year Resolutions, and perhaps doing something beneficial for the environment?  Monday, Wednesday and Friday here at IResolveTo.Com are Tip Days for ways to 'Give The Boot To Our Carbon Footprints'.  In 2008 my New Year Resolution is to 'show gratitude' for my blessings by 'giving back' and the environment is one of my recipients.  Three days each week I dedicate my columns to news and information about small daily steps that each one of us - individuals, corporations and government - can take to reduce our Carbon Footprints and, in turn, the threat of Global Warming. 

Consider the huge, long-range, positive impact on the environment if each one of us takes small 'habitual' steps - like driving fewer miles, using more energy efficient light bulbs, and turning off lights when we leave rooms.  My goal, as an individual, is to urge others to follow my lead, and take small steps each and every day toward protecting the environment.

This week I'm dedicating my 'help the environment' posts to an array of news articles about Climate Change, Global Warming and the Environment.  I've gathered this first batch of articles during the first three months of the year, as I worked to educate myself on topics ranging from Earth Day to carbon footprints, carbon offsets, plastic bag conservation, and energy efficient lighting:

• EarthDayHistory.pdf  - Earth Day
• EarthDayHistoryUSEPA.pdf - Earth Day
• CleanAirCoolPlanet2008.pdf  - Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
• EarthTalkArticle122707.pdf  - Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
• FastCompanyComLightBulbs.pdf - Energy Efficient Lighting
• PlasticBagsWorldWatchInstitute.pdf - Plastic Bag Conservation
• SanDiegoComEcoAwareness2008.pdf - Small Changes Add Up
• NewYorkTimesFTCCarbonOffsetsJanuary2008.pdf  - Carbon Offsets
• ChristianScienceMonitorCarbonOffsetsJanuary2007.pdf - Carbon Offsets
• BusinessWeekAnotherInconvenientTruthMarch2007.pdf - Carbon Offsets

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 24, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved   

I Resolve To™ . . . Pursue Activities That Lend Inspiration And Joy To My Life! - Day 83

Inspiration . . . . that wonderful act of stimulating the mind, body and soul to high levels of activity and high levels of feeling, enables each one of us to create, achieve, succeed, and ultimately find reward, fulfillment, and joy in this world.  Each one of us has moments in which we are truly inspired by others and by ourselves, by our own performance, our own actions.  It's a heady day, indeed, when your fingers fly effortlessly across the keyboard and you write fabulous prose.  It's an adrenalin rush and feeling of fulfillment when you run a personal best in a marathon.  It's a feeling of joy when you put the final touches on a work of art.  It's a sense of satisfaction when you sculpt and maintain a beautiful, healthy garden.  Name your passion and you'll find inspiration in your own actions, and in the actions and creations of others . . . music, art, writing, architecture, movies, the natural world, animals, education, the theater to name just a few inspirational venues.

Personally, I love to write and I love to create photographs.  My creative motto:  Words And Pictures, Pictures And Words, A Creative Life Does Make.  When I write every day, I feel whole, happy, accomplished, and fulfilled.  My writing doesn't have to be perfect.  I don't need to 'write a personal best' each and every day.  But I do need to 'show up' and simply 'do my best'.  Some writing days are better than others, but that's okay, peaks and valleys are part of the creative process.  The more I create - write, photograph, design - the more I want to write, photograph, design . . . 'doing' builds confidence, momentum, enthusiasm, passion, motivation, self esteem, and most importantly, a body of creative work.

I write most frequently here at I Resolve To . . . because my daily mission is to help others to achieve dreams, resolutions and goals.  Here at IResolveTo.Com I also blend my photography, design and writing skills to create inspirational products for my Cafe Press Store.   But I also have another blog, my first, ACreativeLife.Com, where I have posted essays, poems, quotes, and photos since 2005.  And I have a photography portfolio KimSimpson.Com.  I don't necessarily believe that 'more is better'.  I needed different venues for different creative projects.  Unfortunately ACreativeLife.Com is on the back burner right now, while I focus on I Resolve To . . ., my product designs, and my photography portfolio where I am posting a daily image in 2008, in an effort to more consistently catalog and show some of the housands and thousands of images I have captured.

I categorize my creative pursuits, above, for one reason:  To show that small steps taken toward dreams each and every day over a long period of time can make those dreams come true.  If you want to be a writer, write.  If you want to be a photographer, shoot photographs.  Whatever your personal passion, 'do it' every day, or as often as you possibly can and you will achieve and succeed over time!! 

My creative interests are broad and varied, but they are intertwined and blend together into one large creative tapestry.  They are as necessary to my life as air, water and food.  I don't have time to 'do' something in each creative area of my life every day - so I prioritize.  I make a decision about what I intend to achieve in a given year, build a plan to make that dream a reality, and take small daily steps (goals) every single day.  Over time, year after year, those small daily steps have helped me to generate a body of photographic work about which I am proud.  Those steps have helped me to research, plot and flesh out the characters for a novel - that I began more than 10 years ago, and am now finally ready to write.  Those steps have helped me to build I Resolve To . . .

If you have a dream, but aren't quite ready to launch . . . start educating yourself about what it takes to make your dream a reality.  Hit the library, surf the Internet, take a class, join a club, find a mentor who can guide you in your journey.  The more information you have, the less daunting and scary it will be to begin taking small daily steps toward making your dream real.  One of my favorite books is Julia Cameron's The Artists Way.  I read it at the time I launched my first business For The Record PPA, Inc. in Washington, D.C. 10 years ago.  Her insight and advice was enormously helpful.  She convinced me to insert journaling into my daily life, and 10 years later, I still do her 'morning pages' every day.

You can find inspiration all around you - the trick is to open your eyes, ears, mind, senses, and to use your experiences as fuel for your own creative pursuits.  One of the things I'm doing to inspire myself starting the weekend of my 50th birthday, April 18, is to see one Academy Award winning movie each and every week until I have seen all 80 award winning movies in 2008-2009.  I love movies, screenplays, books - also art, music, museums, nature, and on and on.  Inspiration and joy is all around. All you have to do is look for it . . . then open your mind, dare to dream, and make a decision to 'go for it' . . . pursue your passion and be happy!

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 23, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved   

I Resolve To™ . . . Check-In And Plan For The Next 12 Weeks! - Day 82

Are you ready for the weekend?  Ready to spend just a bit of time on yourself, your dreams, resolutions and daily goals?  I hope you're able to carve out some time for yourself today - time to daydream about what you hope to achieve, as well as to count your successes for the first 12 weeks of 2008.  Yes, three months have already passed since January 1 when we pondered what we hoped to 'do, be, have, see, create, achieve, feel, learn' . . . and crafted resolutions with the intention of making it to the finish line, victorious and fulfilled.  While this weekend marks the end of year's first quarter - Thursday, March 20th, was the official start of Spring.  If you need a 'second New Year in 2008', another blank page on which to write your life story, why not use the renewal and rejuvenation that arrives with Spring to jump start your dreams, resolutions and daily goals? 

I like to review progress, plot course, and make course corrections for my dreams, resolutions and goals in my journal and on my calendars every day.  Those daily Check-Ins help to keep my dreams front and center, along with my specific plans and priorities - my 'Things To Do' for the day/week/month.  Not everyone has time review every day, but a weekly Check-In serves the same purpose because activities are still fresh in your memory, and planning ahead for one week is immensely achievable.  Reviewing and brainstorming anything less than weekly can make it difficult to remember important details, plan enough 'next steps' - and most importantly, to keep your dream on the front burner.

Reviewing journal notes and tallying 'wins and victories' each week is a wonderful way to build confidence, lend inspiration, and increase motivation, momentum and enthusiasm.  But a word of caution:  as you read through your notes searching for 'victories and milestones' it's important to be realistic about what you can achieve in a day, week, month, or year.  I believe in making huge dreams a reality by taking small daily steps for one year, then for a lifetime.  Once a dream is habit - firmly a part of daily life - a person can then implement a realistic long-range timeframe for ongoing, permanent achievement. 

It's also important to note:  sometimes actual results are few and far between when viewed on a daily basis; and sometimes they simply don't happen fast enough to keep enthusiasm high.  Achieving dreams takes time, patience, determination, and hard work - lots and lots of elbow grease.  Sometimes when you do everything 'right' - you may not succeed according to your own personal expectations.  Then there are the obstacles that appear from nowhere and hinder progress.  While it's impossible to identify every obstacle - making an effort to consider the 'possible obstacles' early, and braintorming solutions, helps to keep forward momentum in place.

I'm in the process of a thorough review of my own dreams, resolutions and daily goals.  My biggest problem is that my actual 'To Do List' is always far longer than the hours in a day and week.  I understand that delimma, and am careful not to beat myself up when I don't complete all tasks as planned.  Instead, I adjust the timeline, and give myself credit for what I have achieved.  In coming weeks, I'm going to be busy moving I Resolve To . . . forward with new product designs, my daily columns, an E-Book, video, and some new sections on the website.  I'm also working on my 'gratitude' project and am taking daily action to help the environment, show kindness to others, draft a fundraising letter for my 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk in October, as well as launching a training strategy for the 60-mile walk.  Those are just a few of my priorites and next steps.  The important thing is that I know what I want to achieve, I have a plan and a timeline, I keep track of my milestones, and I 'act' daily.

Bottom Line:  We make 'keeping' New Year Resolutions more difficult than it needs to be.  When you have a dream, desire, enthusiasm, patience, passion, and persistence, and a plan you can achieve anything!

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 22, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved   

I Resolve To™ . . . Plant My Baby Trees Today! - Day 81

Happy Friday - Happy Spring! The Spring Equinox arrived yesterday in Virginia with sunny skies and gusty winds . . I'm so happy it's finally here.  I use the first three months of the new year - the cold, dark, wintry months - to work indoors on my New Year Resolutions by doing my homework, research and writing.  As soon as the weather warms, I head outdoors to tend my garden beds, and care for my shrubs and trees.  This year, I'm planting new trees of varying sizes to beautify my yard, and to help the environment.

It's Tip Day for ways to 'Give The Boot To Our Carbon Footprints'.  In 2008 my New Year Resolution is to 'show gratitude' for my blessings by 'giving back' and the environment is one of my recipients.  On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I dedicate my columns to news and information about small daily steps that each one of us - individuals, corporations and government - can take to reduce our Carbon Footprints and, in turn, the threat of Global Warming.  Consider the huge, long-range impact on the environment if each one of us takes small 'habitual' steps - like driving fewer miles, using more energy efficient light bulbs, and turning off lights when we leave rooms.  My goal, as an individual, is to urge others to follow my lead, and take small steps each and every day toward protecting the environment.

As I mentioned Wednesday, I joined Nebraska's Arbor Day Foundation and they sent me eight tiny trees for becoming a member (a Scarlet Oak, Northern Red Oak, American Sweetgum, Silver Maple, White Flowering Dogwood, Washington Hawthorn, two Sugar Maples, and two Red Maples).  I haven't planted baby trees before, so I read their instructions this afternoon, soaked the roots in a pail of water for several hours, prepped the soil in one of my garden beds, and gave them a new home.  Based on what I've read about planting trees, watering is key to healthy growth, so that's going to be a priority.  I'm also perusing catalogs for other deer/drought-resistant plants, shrubs, and trees to plant.  The droughts in recent years have been pretty hard on area plants, so I'm going to work hard this year to plant new growth.

Are you ready to head outside, get some exercise, fresh air, shed the coat, and perhaps do something that would help the environment?  Planting trees is a great way to help stave off the ill effects of Global Warming because trees absorb Carbon Dioxide.  If you want to read more how to plant trees - or to ways that you can reduce your Carbon Footprint, surf through these websites - I found them to be very useful:

Arbor Day - April 25, 2008

• Arbor Day Foundation 
• Wikipedia - Arbor Day 
• Plant-A-Tree-Today 
• Clean Air Gardening 
• United Nations Environment Programme - Tree Planting 
• Trees Are Good 
• American Forests

Climate Change -Take Action Today!

• Clean Air-Cool Planet 
• Carbon Footprint 
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Personal Emissions Calculator 
• Climatecrisis.net - An Inconvenient Truth 
• Conservation International 
• Direct.Gov.UK - Calculate Your Carbon Footprint 
• Environmental Defense - Fight Global Warming 
• StopGlobalWarming.Org 
• Environmental Defense - 'How To Pick A Better Bulb'.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-Department of Energy, Energy Star.
• ConservaStore - Light Bulbs.
• EnvironmentalLights.com - Light Bulbs.
• FastCompany.com - How Many Lightbulbs Does It Take To Change The World ( FastCompanyComLightBulbs.pdf ).

And if you need a little added inspiration to get out and do your part for the environment - I leave you with this thought from The Quote Garden:

"Will urban sprawl spread so far that most people lose all touch with nature?  Will the day come when the only bird a typical American child ever sees is a canary in a pet shop window?  When the only wild animal he knows is a rat - glimpsed on a night drive through some city slum?  When the only tree he touches is the cleverly fabricated plastic evergreen that shades his gifts on Christmas morning?"   Frank N. Ikard, North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, Houston, March 1968

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 21, 2008
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I Resolve To™ . . . Be Happy, Kind, Carefree - It's The First Day Of Spring! - Day 80

Spring Has Officially Arrived!  The sun is shining, blooms are bursting, and the sky is blue - what more can you ask?  Why not take a moment to appreciate some of the small, simple wonders of daily life today?  Grab your lunch and spend some time outside.  Take a long walk or dust off your running shoes.  Head out into the garden to prep your garden beds.  The possibilities are endless . . . why not look for some inspiration in your surroundings while you're at it?   Look 'up' while you're walking at the blue sky instead of 'down' at the sidewalk.  Smile at a stranger.  Do a little daydreaming and while you're at it, re-kindle your motivation and desire for your New Year Resolutions, dreams and daily goals.  I love Spring because, for me, it's like New Year's Day, Round Two - another new chance to start anew, another new blank page on which I can write my life story.  I'm going to make the most of it and I hope you will too!

Today is also Thursday, and that means it's Tip-Day for PreMeditated Acts of Kindness.  My 2008 Resolution is to 'Show Gratitude' for my blessings by 'Giving Back'. The point behind PreMeditated Acts Of Kindess is to give more conscious thought to my actions and the way that I treat others - and the way that I treat 'myself'.  In 2008 I'm urging folks to join me and do the same - to work at being kind because it's the right thing to do, without worrying about receiving anything in return, be it kind gesture or word, though my experience is that kindness shown is usually returned in kind.

With that in mind - my act of kindness today is to send you these warm words of inspiration from one of my favorite websites, The Quote Garden.  I hope to add a little joy to your day - and maybe encourage you to breathe some life into your cherished dream today . . . what do you have lose?

"It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!"    Mark Twain

"If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall."    Nadine Stair

"The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway."   Henry Boye

"The best portion of a good man's life - his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love."  William Wordsworth

"You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late."   Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Dream as if you'll live forever.  Live as if you'll die today."    James Dean

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 20, 2008
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I Resolve To™ . . . Plant My Trees This Spring! - Day 79

Happy First Day Of Spring - Tomorrow, March 20th Is The Spring Equinox!  Personally, I count down every year until the first day of Spring - it's my favorite season.  I love the fresh, clean sense of renewal and rejuvenation that comes with the long, harsh blast of March winds and calmer, warmer April days.  With that in mind, why not join me tomorrow, and consider doing something healthy for you during these wonderful Spring days?  Head outside and get a bit of exercise, take a long walk, or participate in your favorite sport. Or combine your desire to get some exercise and your interest in protecting the environment by spending some time in your yard:  plant a some new flowers, maybe a shrub or two, and a new tree!

It's Tip Day for ways to 'Give The Boot To Our Carbon Footprints'.  In 2008 my New Year Resolution is to 'show gratitude' by 'giving back' and the environment is one of my recipients.  I'm working to educate myself and others about small daily steps that each one of us - individuals, corporations and government - can take to reduce our Carbon Footprints and, in turn, the threat of Global Warming.  Consider the huge long-range impact if each one of us takes small daily steps - like driving fewer miles, using more energy efficient light bulbs, and turning lights off when we leave rooms.  My goal, as an individual, is to urge others to follow my lead, and take small steps each and every day toward protecting the environment.

I'm jazzed this week because I received the six tiny trees that the Arbor Day Foundation sent me for joining. I'm an especially proud member having been born and bred in Nebraska!  I've already reserved a spot in one of my garden beds where I plan to plant these babies and nurture them until I can transplant them in their final home(s).  I have six acres of trees and garden beds - a lifelong dream -that I'm working hard to 'grow' and nurture. I'm also planting new trees as part of my long-range strategy, not only for the beauty and comfort that they provide to me an the critters that live here on this small patch, but also because these wonderful trees absorb Carbon Dioxide - CO2 is a key culprit in Global Warming. 

So, why not get moving?  Do something for your head, your heart, your health, and for the environment!  And while you're at it - don't forget about your own dreams, the ones that may be percolating on the back burner.  Why not use the spirit and the energy of Spring to help you rejuvenate your hopes, your wishes, your desires . . . your dreams?  What do you have to lose?

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 19, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved

I Resolve To™ . . . Think Before I Speak - Day 78

If you want to be kind to family, friends, strangers colleagues . . . be conscious of 'what you say' and 'how you say it'.  When you're not paying attention, or when you're feeling stressed or annoyed, or when you're rushed and harried - it is so easy to be short-tempered, curt, impatient, or rude to people, when you really don't intend to be hurtful.  One of my daily goals is to think before I speak - and to pay closer attention to how I'm speaking to people - my tone, delivery, and actual words - in an effort to show more kindness to others.

Today is also Thursday, and that means it's Tip-Day for PreMeditated Acts of Kindness.  My 2008 Resolution is to 'Show Gratitude' for my blessings by 'Giving Back'. The point behind PreMeditated Acts Of Kindess is to give more conscious thought to my actions and the way that I treat others - as well as 'the way that I treat 'myself'.  In 2008 I'm urging folks to join me and do the same: to work at being kind because it's the right thing to do, without worrying about receiving anything in return, be it kind gesture or word, though my experience is that kindness shown is usually returned in kind.

My education and background is in communications, politics and journalism, so writing and clearly articulating my thoughts are among my most prized skills.  I spend a lot of time thinking about what I say in meetings, at events, in written materials for work and my clients, here on my blog, and in columns that I write for Ezines.  I'm conscious of what I'm saying and how I'm saying it, and most of the time, I'm polite, mannerly and kind to others when I'm carrying on a conversation.  Alas, there are moments when I get caught up in heated discussions with differing ideas and points of view, and that's when I have to be most careful about 'what I'm saying, how I'm saying it' - and whether or not I'm giving the other person a chance to voice his or her opinion, and respecting that opinion.  It's a struggle to modulate at times, but it's worth the effort - showing respect to others and their opinions is an important way to be kind.

One of the biggest things that I'm working on is to be patient, polite, and 'nice' on the phone to service providers who are often providing 'awful service'.  Sometimes I get so annoyed keying in 15-minutes of answers on the telephone, then sitting on hold - by the time I actually get to a human being it's hard to be patient and polite.  I'm working on that because these companies aren't going to give up their 'automated phone systems', and the person at the other end of the phone connection is usually doing his or her best to help.

Kind words speak volumes to the people that cross our paths . . . I believe in leading by example.  I'm working to be conscious of my words and actions each and every day because I believe small daily steps do add up to great things over time.  Imagine if you and I practice kindness, and urge our friends and family members to do the same, and they urge others . . . well you get the picture.  Small, daily PreMeditated Acts Of Kindness = Global Goodness!

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 18, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved   

I Resolve To™ . . . Celebrate The Arrival Of Spring This Week! - Day 77

Are you ready for a blast of fresh air, warmer temperatures, blooming tulips, bursting buds on trees, a new season, renewed inspiration for those New Year Resolutions, and an all around sense of rejuvenation?  If you answer 'yes' to any one, or all, of those prompts, you're ready for Spring.  This week, in addition to celebrating the arrival of Spring, I'm making a pitch, and offering some inspirational words to get folks jazzed about doing things to protect and preserve the environment.  During the winter it's hard to get motivated about your fondest passions, let alone new goals - but winter is almost over, and Spring is almost here, so no more excuses.  It's time to take action.

Here at IResolveTo.Com, Monday, Wednesday and Friday are Tip Days for ways to 'Give The Boot To Our Carbon Footprints'.  In 2008 my New Year Resolution is to 'show gratitude' for my blessings by 'giving back' and the environment is one of my recipients.  I dedicate my columns three days each week to news and information about small daily steps that each one of us - individuals, corporations and government - can take to reduce our Carbon Footprints and, in turn, the threat of Global Warming.  Consider the huge, long-range positive impact on the environment if each one of us takes small 'habitual' steps - like driving fewer miles, using more energy efficient light bulbs, and turning off lights when we leave rooms.  My goal, as an individual, is to urge others to follow my lead, and take small steps each and every day toward protecting the environment.

Today, I offer not facts and figures, but inspirational quotes from Thinkexist.com about Spring and the environment to get folks thinking, and jazzed about taking action!

"Our environmental problems originate in the hubris of imagining ourselves as the central nervous system or the brain of nature.  We're not the brain, we are a cancer on nature."  Dave Foreman

"I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security.  Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad.  Otherwise what is there to defend?"  Robert Redford - American Actor, Born 1937

"I can remember when the air was clean and sex was dirty."  George Burns, American Comedian, 1896-1996

"We are in a giant car heading towards a brick wall and everyone's arguing over where they're going to sit."  David Suzuki, Canadian Environmental Scientist and Broadcaster, Born 1936

"The more you exploit nature, the more our options are reduced until we have only one:  to fight for survival."  Morris K. Udall, American Congressman from Arizona, 1922-1998

"I can remember when you couldn't even mention environmental issues without a snicker.  But then in the 1970's people got tired of seeing the Cuyahoga River catch on fire from all the chemicals.  So one day millions of Americans marched.  Politicians had no choice but to take notice.  Twelve Congressmen were dubbed the Dirty Dozen, and soon after seven were kicked out of office.  The floodgates were opened. We got the Clean Air Act, The Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water.  We created the EPA.  The quality of life improved because concerned citizens made their issues matter in elections."  Senator John Kerry, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, Born 1943

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 17, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved   

I Resolve To™ . . . Head Into A New Week With A Positive Attitude - Day 76

Happy Sunday!  As you tackle your responsibilities, I hope you're able to carve out some time to relax, some time just for 'you', and maybe a bit of time to think about and work on your dreams, resolutions and goals - to think ahead about what you plan to achieve in the week to come.

A positive attitude makes the journey immensely more enjoyable and achievable.  With that in mind, I send you these warm words of inspiration and encouragement . . .

"You've done it before and you can do it now.  See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination."  Ralph Marton from Thinkexist.com

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."  Winston Churchill, (1874-1965) British Prime Minister, from Thinkexist.com

"To love what you do and feel that it matters how could anything be more fun?"  Katharine Graham, Washington Post Publisher (1917-2001), from Thinkexist.com

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 16, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved   

I Resolve To™ . . . Simply 'Do My Best' Today - Day 73

It's really tough to be perfect all the time . . . So many of us strive for perfection hour by hour, day by day, even though it's a futile pursuit akin to holding water in a strainer.  Why not lower the bar just a little bit, and give yourself a break today?  Take a deep, deep breath and be willing 'to simply do the best you can . . . nothing more, nothing less'.  Treat yourself with a little bit of kindness instead of judging yourself so harshly.  That's my plan for the day.

It's Tuesday, and that means it's Tip-Day for PreMeditated Acts of Kindness.  My 2008 Resolution is to 'Show Gratitude' for my blessings by 'Giving Back'. The point behind PreMeditated Acts Of Kindess is to give more conscious thought to my actions and the way that I treat others - and the way that I treat 'myself'.  In 2008 I'm urging folks to join me and do the same - to work at being kind because it's the right thing to do, without worrying about receiving anything in return, be it kind gesture or word, though my experience is that kindness shown is usually returned in kind.

Today, the focus is you and me . . . Instead of thinking about everyone else, why not give ourselves some credit and a pat on the back for all the good that we do - all of our hard work?  Why not devote a little quality time to you and me?  Do something nice for us . . .   Enjoy a favorite treat, or a favorite indulgence, something that will prompt a smile, relaxation and enjoyment?  It's time to take a break, do something nice and cut ourselves just a little slack by simply 'doing our best today - nothing more, nothing less'.  To lend a little inspiration, I offer these quotes from Thinkexist.com . . .

"I've been called many names like perfectionist, difficult and obsessive.  I think it takes obsession, takes searching for the details for any artist to be good."  Barbra Streisand - American Producer, Singer & Actress, 1942 -

"The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself."  Anna Quindlen, American Bestselling Author & Journalist, 1953 -

"People throw away what they could have by insisting on perfection, which they cannot have, and looking for it where they will never find it."  Edith Schaeffler

"In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect.  Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful."  Alice Walker, Writer, 1944 -

"Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it."  Salvador Dali, Spanish Painter, 1904-1989

"The greater the emphasis on perfection, the further it recedes."  Haridas Chaudhuri

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 13, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved

I Resolve To™ . . . Surf For Ideas! - Day 72

Whatever you want to learn, it's at your fingertips on the Internet.  I just love surfing, reading and learning.  It's Wednesday - Tip Day for ways to 'Give The Boot To Our Carbon Footprints'.  In 2008 my New Year Resolution is to 'show gratitude' by 'giving back' and the environment is one of my recipients.  I'm working to educate myself and others about small daily steps that each one of us - individuals, corporations and government - can take to reduce our Carbon Footprints and, in turn, the threat of Global Warming.

In doing my research, I recently discovered The Sierra Club's Blog - The Green Life, which, based on its listed archives, has been online since June of 2007.  Surfing through the site I ran across a variety of interesting posts and categories for folks who want to 'Live Green'.  Here is a quick sampling, enough to wet your appetite and get you going:

• New Year, New You
• 5 Green Ideas We Love For Valentine's Day
• Step Lightly
• Fast Facts
• Good Eats
• Hey Mr. Green - Advice
• Trendsetter - Interviews

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 12, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved

I Resolve To™ . . . Shower Others With Small Daily Acts of PreMeditated Kindness - Day 71

Happy Tuesday!  The first day of Spring is fast approaching, just eight days from now . . . You can feel it in the air, see the bursting buds on trees, and smell the sweetness of renewal during these longer, warmer days.  Spring can truly be inspiring.  Why not use it to breathe some life into your dreams, resolutions and daily goals?  Why not use this time of rejuvenation to think about how you're treating others?

It's Tuesday, and that means it's Tip-Day for PreMeditated Acts of Kindness.  My 2008 Resolution is to 'Show Gratitude' for my blessings by 'Giving Back'. The point behind PreMeditated Acts Of Kindess is to give more conscious thought to my actions and the way that I treat others.  I'm urging folks to join me and do the same - to work at being kind because it's the right thing to do, without worrying about receiving anything in return, be it kind gesture or word, though my experience is that kindness shown is usually returned in kind.

With that in mind, I offer this inspirational story and quotes from The Quote Garden, one of my favorite websites . . .

"During my second year of nursing school our professor gave us a quiz.  I breezed through the questions until I read the last one:  "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"  Surely this was a joke.  I had seen the cleaning woman several times, but how would I know her name?  I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.  Before the class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our grade.  "Absolutely," the professor said.  "In your careers, you will meet many people.  All are significant.  They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello."  I've never forgotten that lesson.  I also learned her name was Dorothy.   Joann C. Jones

"Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something and has lost something."  H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."  John Wooden

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 11, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved

I Resolve To™ . . . Get Inspired This Spring - Day 70

Happy Monday!  It's Tip Day for ways to 'Give The Boot To Our Carbon Footprints'.  In 2008 my New Year Resolution is to 'show gratitude' by 'giving back' and the environment is one of my recipients.  I'm working to educate myself and others about small daily steps that each one of us - individuals, corporations and government - can take to reduce our Carbon Footprints and, in turn, the threat of Global Warming.

Spring is fast approaching on March 20 - just 10 Days away.  Time to get out in the yard - maybe plant a tree or two, which helps to absorb Carbon Dioxide.  Or maybe start a recycling project, plan an Earth Day project, or join in an Earth Day Celebration.  So many different possibilities.  Unlike January 1, when we make our New Year resolutions in the dead of winter (cold weather, short days, holiday hangovers) - the blooms are ready to burst, the sun is out, the weather is warming, and we're heading into the season of REJUVenation!!

So as you ponder your dreams - including a gift or two for the environment - I offer these warm thoughts of inspiration from The Quote Garden to get you moving in a positive direction - or if nothing else, food for thought . . .

"And Man created the plastic bag and the tin and aluminum can and the cellophane wrapper and the paper plate, and this was good because Man could then take his automobile and buy all his food in one place and He could save that which was good to eat in the refrigerator and throw away that which had no further use.  And soon the earth was covered with plastic bags and aluminum cans and paper plates and disposable bottles and there was nowhere to sit down or walk, and Man shook his head and cried:  "Look at this Godawful mess."    Art Buchwald, 1970

"The packaging for a microwavable "microwave" dinner is programmed for a shelf life of maybe six months, a cook time of two minutes and a landfill dead-time of centuries."  David Wann, Buzzworm, November 1990

"I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad.  Otherwise what is there to defend?"   Robert Redford, Yosemite National Park dedication, 1985

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 10, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved

I Resolve To™ . . . Treat My Time Like Gold! - Day 69

Time is precious.  It's finite.  Once it's gone, it's gone, you can't 're-do' past moments that have ticked by.  But think about it . . . do we really treat the time we have like the precious commodity that it truly is?  I run 'hot and cold' with the way that I treat my time, and how I best use it. 

I strive to focus, keep my priorities front and center and my 'eye on the prize', as I handle work for my clients, and as I work toward my own dreams, resolutions and goals.  I maintain calendars, a written daily journal, and lists of tasks to be accomplished both daily and months into the future.  I do daily and weekly Check-Ins to track my progress, make course corrections and reward myself when I have big 'wins'.  All of that would indicate that I run 'hot' with the way that I treat my time, more than I run 'cold'.  It would indicate that I make good use of my time, and for the most part I do use time wisely.

At the 'hot' end of the spectrum, I easily slip into the groove - the zone in which your fingers fly as you write; you cross one task after another off your 'Things To Do List'; your decisions are 'right on'; and you feel productive with a capital 'P'.  Those days are wonderful.  They make you feel great.  They feed your confidence and self esteem.  They make you, your boss, or clients happy.

Then there are those days at the other end of the spectrum that run 'cold' in regard to your energy level, your focus, your decision-making, your use of your time, and in turn your productivity.  Sometimes, unfortunately, your the day is hijacked by events outside of your control - you're 'Overtaken By Events' - OBE.  Alas, on those 'cold days' we, at times, hijack our own productivity.  Procrastination is typically a key culprit.  We have tasks at hand that we just don't want to do.  They will get done - they're required - but the motivation just isn't there, so we put them off.

You know how that goes.  Instead of focusing and applying yourself you find other things to do:  Check E-Mail.  Surf the Internet.  Make un-related phone calls.  Take un-related phone calls.  Wander off to do things that aren't 'priorities'.  You get the idea.  We all do it.  We waste time.  We fritter it away.  Sometimes we do it unconsciously as we put off the inevitable: sitting down and focusing on those tasks that we just don't want to do (usually very important to 'what we do for a living', or non-negotiable personal responsibilities, nonetheless we postpone).

My point is this:  We only have 24 hours in a day.  Using that time wisely on things that move work, dreams, goals, responsibilities, and priorities forward makes us feel happy, fulfilled, and productive because we are achieving what we need to achieve.  The alternative, procrastination - putting off the inevitable - causes stress and it puts us squarely behind the eight ball, as we fall behind on deadlines, then are forced to race to catch up. 

Personally, my plate is full of priorities that are really important to me.  I don't always feel enthusiastic about all the tasks, but when I fritter my precious time away on needless things, it hurts me by chipping away at my health and reducing the time that I have to relax and participate in pleasurable activities.  The solution?  Stop checking the blackberry every two minutes.  Respond to E-Mail a few times each day.  Tackle your most important projects first, not last.  Be conscious of what you're doing and why you're doing it.  Treat your time like gold - invest carefully.  Time is your most valuable asset and once it's gone you can't have it back.  If you spend it it wisely it reaps dividends like well invested money in the bank.

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 9, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved

I Resolve To™ . . . Get Caught Up! - Day 68

The light at the end of the tunnel is fast approaching!  It's Saturday and that means it's time to do a weekly Check-In on how I'm progressing with my dream, resolution and daily goals.  In 2008 my resolution is to 'show gratitude' by 'giving back' in four areas:  1)  Wallk 60 miles for the Washington, DC Breast Cancer 3-Day and raise $3,000.  2)  Volunteer at a Virginia Horse Rescue Farm.  3)  Learn more about how to combat Global Warming and Take Action!  4)  Engage in PreMeditated Acts of Kindness.

I've been going strong with my efforts to learn more about how to combat Global Warming, and to be more 'Consciously Kind' to others (to really think about my words and actions and strive to be kinder).  I've fallen a bit behind in posting all of my columns, but have a plan to catch up.  While I intend to keep working on my environment/kindness daily goals, I need to get busy with my fundraising effort for the Breast Cancer 3-Day.  So, a letter to friends, family and colleagues is going out in March. I'm following my team-mate's strategy:  finish the fundraising then move on to training.  While I work out 3-4 days each week, I'm not definitely not in training yet for a 60 mile walk, so that's on the agenda for April, May and the summer months.  And I have identified a horse farm that where I would like to volunteer time and money - that's also a project for this summer.

So that's all good news - and I will be caught up with, or on schedule with this part of my 2008 New Year Resolution.  This month, however, I also need to get caught up with all of my writing and creative projects related to IResolveTo.Com.  That will happen, as I have a plan in hand, I'm working hard to make good use of my time, and I'm definitely enjoying the journey!  So, while I may not be as far along in my plans as I would have hoped, I'm happy with the progress that I've made, and ready to move on to the next set of challenges.  Spring is right around the corner . . . If you've given up on your New Year Resolution, or haven't made one yet, there is a new opportunity looming to pursue a dream.  Why not 'go for it', what do you have to lose?

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 8, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved

I Resolve To™ . . . Prepare For Spring! - Day 67

Spring is just 12 Days away . . . what better time to breathe some life into your New Year Resolution, or better yet to make one now if you didn't make one on New Year's Day!  My resolution in 2008 is to show 'gratitude' for my blessings by 'giving back' in four areas:  1)  Wallk 60 miles for the Washington, DC Breast Cancer 3-Day and raise $3,000.  2)  Volunteer at a Virginia Horse Rescue Farm.  3)  Learn more about how to combat Global Warming and Take Action!  4)  Engage in PreMeditated Acts of Kindness.

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I dedicate my posts to what I'm learning about Global Warming - and offering tips for small daily steps that each one of us can take to 'Give The Boot To Our Carbon Footprints'.  If you want to fulfill a dream, keep a resolution, or achieve goals - small actions taken each and every day add up to big results over time.  The same is true for protecting and preserving the environment.  If each one of us takes action via small daily steps - like driving fewer miles, using less plastic bags, reducing electricity consumption, to name just a few useful tactics - those actions will reduce our carbon footprints (the measure of our activities on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases that are produced, and measured in units of Carbon Dioxide). 

Since Janary 1, I've reported on topics ranging from energy efficient light bulbs to Carbon Offsets, and provided a wide range of links to useful websites.  I plan to continue to do my homework, and to take my own small daily actions to reduce my footprint - but my focus soon will move outside to my yard.  I have six acres of trees, a yard and garden beds.  It's a lot of work, but I love being outdoors and getting my hands dirty.  I love tending my trees and plants.  They're beautiful and beneficial in the fight against Global Warming because they absorb Carbon Dioxide.

With that in mind, I'm preparing to plant some new trees and shrubs along with my flowers in April and May.  I joined the Arbor Day Foundation and am getting 10 trees for joining, which is exciting.  I'm also perusing their catalog for new shrubs to plant.  I'm really itching to get started and so looking forward to Spring this year.  I hope you'll consider planting a tree or two and making a commitment to reduce your Carbon Footprint.  Perhaps you'll also think about breathing some life into one of your dreams between now and March 20th, the first day of Spring!

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 7, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved

I Resolve To™ . . . Engage In PreMeditated Acts Of Kindness By Creating Lasting Memories For Dear Friends - Day 66

© Copyright Kim M. Simpson * All Rights Reserved

I Resolve To™ . . . Learn More About Carbon Offsets For Consumers, Government & Political Campaigns - Day 65

Carbon Offsets . . . the more I dig into what they are and what they do, the more questions I have.  Which is fine, that's part of the process of educating yourself when working toward a dream, resolution, or daily goal.  It's Wednesday, and that means it's Tip Day for ways to 'Give The Boot To Our Carbon Footprints'.  In 2008 my New Year Resolution is to 'show gratitude' by 'giving back' and the environment is one of my recipients.  I'm working to educate myself and others about small daily steps that each one of us - individuals, corporations and government - can take to reduce our Carbon Footprints and, in turn, the threat of Global Warming.

In recent years Carbon Offsets have become a hot topic in the discussion about Climate Change, so I'm doing an on-going series of columns about what Offsets are, and the pros and cons of investing in them.  Not too long ago, I was contacted by member of the Standard Carbon Team offering information for my political clients.  Standard Carbon is a Seattle company, which among other things provides political campaigns with a package aimed at making them carbon neutral.  For informational/educational purposes I'm attaching their packet [carbon_neutral_campaign_packet.pdf] and January 2008 news release [carbon_neutral_campaign_pressrelease.pdf. 

A brief excerpt from the news release:

"Standard Carbon LLC has launched a program for federal election campaigns to track and eliminate their contribution to climate change by purchasing carbon offsets through the Chicago Climate Exchange.  To be certified Carbon Neutral, each candidate must sign a pledge and report its carbon footprint estimate to Standard Carbon for offsetting.  The program extends access to the same carbon offsets purchased by the "Green the Capitol" Initiative to make its official US House business carbon neutral..."

Speaking more generally about the Carbon Offset industry as a whole - as I understand it from various descriptions and definitions, Offsets are tradable emissions reductions that are used to balance emissions from various sources.  It is a somewhat new industry described by some experts as loosely regulated.  With that in mind it pays to educate yourself just as you would educate yourself about any investment.  Recently I provided a range of articles and websites that offer the pros and cons of Carbon Offsets, which I list again here [not as an endorsement of any company, concept, or opinion, but strictly for informational purposes], with some additional, new resource links:

• TerraPass.Com
• CarbonFund.Org
• TreeHugger.Com
• The Climate Trust
• CarbonCounter.Org
• David Suzuki Foundation
• Wikipedia - Carbon Offsets
• The Environmental Defense Fund
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Climate Change
• NewYorkTimesFTCCarbonOffsetsJanuary2008.pdf
• BusinessWeekAnotherInconvenientTruthMarch2007.pdf
• ChristianScienceMonitorCarbonOffsetsJanuary2007.pdf
• Joint Statement By WWF, Friends of The Earth and Green Peace on Carbon Offets:  WWF-GP-FoE_on_offseting.pdf

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 5, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved

I Resolve To™ . . . Be Conscious About My Words & Actions - Day 64

Do you ever feel like you're sleep walking through your days?  Like you're moving from one activity to another without much conscious thought about the choices you're making, or what you're actually doing, and why you're doing it?  It's easy to fall victim to routines and days that are scheduled chock full of activities and responsibilities from sunrise to sundown and beyond. 

I often feel like that because I have so much on my plate, by choice.  I have long lists of dreams, resolutions, goals, as well as daily work and home responsibilities - and while I strive to focus on one thing at a time, one step at a time, one day at a time - I'm often racing from one task, meeting, event, activity, to another in an effort to get it all done.  When you're harried like that from too much to do - or at the other end of the spectrum, bored and unchallenged by familiar activities (you may still have too much to do, but perhaps not things that you really want to be doing) you can fall into the trap of sleepwalking through your days.

When that happens everyone loses:  you, me, and all of the people that we interact with on a day-to-day basis.  It's Tuesday, and that means it's Tip-Day for PreMeditated Acts of Kindness.  My 2008 Resolution is to 'Show Gratitude' for my blessings by 'Giving Back'. The point behind PreMeditated Acts Of Kindess is to give more conscious thought to my actions and the way that I treat others.  I'm urging folks to join me and do the same - to work at being kind because it's the right thing to do, without worrying about receiving anything in return, be it kind gesture or word, though my experience is that kindness shown is usually returned in kind.

When we're sleep walking through our days we may not even notice how we're treating others.  On days like that perhaps we're showing . . .

• An impatient attitude toward store clerks who might not be moving as fast as we would like. 
• A snappish response to a colleague's question because of a stressful day. 
• 'No manners' during a long commute filled with bumper to bumper traffic and unhappy drivers.
• Inadequate interest in and responses to a child's innocent questions and requests for 'attention'.

The intention may not be to behave with impatience, cruelty, bad manners, or lack of consideration but it happens.  As I've said before when I behave badly - fail to show simple human kindness to others - I 'feel bad'.  Next comes the apology and extra effort to do better.  Some days it's a struggle - that's called 'life'.  But I find that I do much better when I am really working to 'be present' in the moment, and am thinking about what I am doing and saying and how I'm behaving.  Meditation, exercise and walking helps me to be more 'conscious' and 'present' - and 'yes' kinder because that is my goal.  I'm also working my way through a number of books, and when I've sorted out the ones that are most helpful to me, I'll post the titles. 

For now . . . I leave you with these words of inspiration in the hope that acts of kindness out-number acts of impatience, cruelty, bad manners, and lack of consideration in our days . . .

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around".  Leo F. Buscaglia - American Guru & Advocate Of The Power Of Love - 1924-1998

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 4, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved 

I Resolve To™ . . . Take Simple, Small, Daily Steps To Reduce My Carbn Footprint - Day 63

Happy Monday!  It's Tip Day for Environmental Preservation - ways to 'Give The Boot To Our Carbon Footprints' and reduce the threat of Global Warming.  In 2008 my New Year Resolution is to 'show gratitude' by 'giving back' and the environment is one of my recipients.  I'm working to educate myself and others about small daily steps that each one of us - individuals, corporations and government - can take to reduce our Carbon Footprints and, in turn, the threat of Global Warming.

Since January 1, I've written about a variety of small steps that we can take on a daily basis to reduce our Carbon Footprints - while those steps might be small, they do add up over time, particularly if I'm taking them, and you're taking them, and we urge others to do the same.  Rather than simply being a New Year Resolution - it becomes a movement - global change for the better! 

I believe in making big dreams a reality with small daily steps - and I'm trying to reduce my Carbon Footprint the same way.  My Carbon Footprint is the measure of my activities on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases that are produced, and measured in units of Carbon Dioxide.  Some of the things that I'm doing:

• Monitoring My Driving:  I plan my calendar so that I drive into D.C. 'strategically' two, or three days each week, with most of my work appointments and errands occurring on those days.
• Reducing my use of plastic bags.
• Installing Energy Efficient Fluorescent Light Bulbs.
• Turning off lights after I leave the room; turning my computer off when I'm not using it, television when I'm not watching, and so on.
• Planning to plant new trees on my property this Spring because they absorb Carbon Dioxide!
• Brainstorming new topics to research, so that I can expand my knowledge about Global Warming and what individuals, corporations and governments can do to reduce our Carbon Footprints.

I'm applying the I Resolve To . . . System of achieving dreams, resolutions and goals to my effort to protect the environment.  I started with a dream. I made a decision to 'go for it'.  I defined what I wanted to do.  I'm building a plan.  I'm doing it daily.  It's simple, straightforward and it does produce results over time.  I hope you'll join me both in doing something to reduce your Carbon Footprint - and pursuing a long-held dream!

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 3, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved

I Resolve To™ . . . Maintain A Positive Attitude In The Coming Week - Day 61

One simple thought for today and the coming week . . . work to maintain a positive attitude.  Even if things aren't going your way, aren't working out the way you hope - or maybe it's just one of those days in which everything is going wrong - take a deep breath, understand that you will 'get through it', and know that tomorrow is a new day.  Something wonderful could be right around the corner.

Pour your time and energy into something that will move your priorities - your dreams, resolutions and goals - forward.  Instead of dwelling on the 'negative', focus on something good and 'positive'.  Change the channel!  With that in mind, I send you these warm words of inspiration from The Quote Garden . . .

"The best things in life are unexpected - because there were no expectations."   Eli Khamarov, Surviving on Planet Reebok

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.  One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise."   F. Scott Fitzgerald, Author of The Great Gatsby

"Surrounded by people who love life, you love it too; surrounded by people who don't, you don't."   Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

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!

Need More Inspiration?  Wear Your Resolution!  Make Every Day New Year's Day.  Make Every Day Count.  Visit my resolution shop by clicking this link:  http://www.cafepress.com/iresolveto

Kim M. Simpson - March 2, 2008
Copyright © I Resolve To™ . . . * All Rights Reserved