Are you ready for the New Year . . . a new blank page on which you can write the next chapter in your life story? Are you ready for a challenge? If so, please join me in the coming year in taking the Seventh Annual I Resolve To® . . . Challenge: 365 Resolutions For Health & Happiness. I started the 'Challenge' in 2009 when I created my photo tapestry of 'Daily Resolves'. Small daily steps that you can take for health and happiness that add up to big results over time. Patience, Passion, Persistence, Pays!
The mission, should you choose to accept it, is very simple: Do at least one thing each and every day to promote health and happiness for 'YOU'. If you do at least one thing each day, that is one victory each day . . . wonderful positive momentum and achievement that starts small, but grows over time like money earning interest in the bank! The list of possibilities is infinite and should be tailored to your own dreams, resolutions and daily goals. I am not going to presume to suggest dreams and resolutions that you should pursue, that is up to you; but I hope you will find inspiration here at I Resolve To . . . In the coming year, make every day New Year's Day. Make every day count. If you need some help - a little nudge, tips, advice, and news about the best ways to make resolutions a reality - please use IResolveTo.Com as one of your resources.
In 2015 I will continue to post Health & Happiness Resolutions, also known as 'Daily Resolves' in photo-resolution form, to spur your creative juices and mine! I believe in leading by example. I practice what I preach and I put my energy where my mouth is. One of my mottos is "Do what you love. Love what you do". I live by that creed. Each year, I pursue dreams, resolutions and daily goals that are on my 'Lifetime Resolution List'. Exercise, for instance, is one of my 'Lifetime Resolutions'. I post my Photo-Resolutions - Daily Resolves - in seven categories randomly interspersed through the year to keep attention focused in each area:
- Food/Nutrition
- Health/Exercise
- Gratitude/Giving Back/Spirituality/Values
- Fun/Adventure
- Work/Dreams/Creativity
- Home/Family/Friends
- Lessons Learned/Accountability
A bit of history: In 2005 I launched my first blog around my creative interests (writing and photography) and my New Year Resolution to exercise every day. I tracked my daily exercise on a wall calendar, daybook and Blog, in an informal, mini-case study, and found that I exercised 80 percent of the year. In 2006 and 2007 I tracked my exercise resolution, and explored creative writing and photography projects. Most importantly, I also formally launched I Resolve To . . . in an effort to help others with their resolutions via simple, common sense strategies and systems that I developed out of my own resolution experiences, research and lessons learned.
Fast-forward: In 2008, I paired my love of sports and exercise with my resolution to 'give back' and 'show gratitude for all that I have and all that I am' - my theme for the year. I trained for, and participated in, the Washington, DC Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk October 3-5, 2009. I got plenty of exercise, met wonderful people, and raised more than $3000 for Breast Cancer Research. It was a fabulous experience and I fulfilled two of my resolutions. I was so inspired, the next year I did the October 9-11, 2009 Washington, DC Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk and raised nearly $3000 for Breast Cancer Research. I served as the Camp Services Captain for the October 7-10, 2010 and September 23-25, 2011 Walks in Washington, DC Walk and donated my time and skills throughout the year help make the walk a huge success. I am happy to say that I signed up to Volunteer for the October 12-14, 2012 Washington, DC 3-Day and walked 60 miles, raised $2300 and served as Camp Services Mentor Captain for Captains across the country. I am committed to working toward a cure so that one day women will no longer suffer with this horrible disease.
As part of my 'gratitude theme', I also made resolutions to be consciously kind through 'PreMeditated Acts of Kindness', 'Give The Boot To My Carbon Footprint' (by learning more about how to protect the environment and taking action), and volunteer my time on a Virginia Horse Rescue Farm. I have made good on three out of four gratitude resolutions in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and I intend to achieve all four resolutions in 2015 (I hope to finally make quality time to volunteer on a nearby Horse Rescue Farm - though to do that I will need to take something off my plate this year!). Bottom-line: My dreams, resolutions and goals move gradually from spark of an idea to concrete results because I 'decide on a course of action, schedule tasks, and follow through with the tasks each day' . . . I turn 'To Do's' into 'Ta Da's' through patience, passion and persistence.
One simple way that I like to frame resolutions: Resolutions with a 'Capital R' and resolutions with a 'Small r'. Resolutions with a 'Capital R' are major life-changing pursuits (full-blown dreams, made specific with a firm, dedicated one-sentence resolution that states the 'who, what, when, where, and why, and how' of the intention, and made real with concrete daily action over the course of one year, or sometimes several years). Resolutions with a 'Small r' are simple 'Daily Resolves' (small tasks and activities) that build new habits that promote health and happiness over time. In a circular way of thinking: 'Small r' resolutions (Daily Resolves) also are the small daily steps that cumulatively enable us to achieve major dreams over the long haul.
The I Resolve To . . . Challenge at its most basic level can be aimed at 'Small r' activities . . . in an effort to get folks in the habit of doing a minimum of one thing every single day that will promote good health, happiness and joy. Some days you may do just one 'Small r'. Other days you may do 20! The bottom-line: Pursue at least one health and happiness resolution, one day at a time, for one year - for you! At the end of a year, you may discover that those 'Small r' Daily Resolves helped you not only promote health and happiness, but also to make a dream a reality via focus, commitment, passion, patience, and persistence - all key ingredients to success in achieving any size resolution!
Personally, in 2015, I again am taking my dreams, resolutions and daily goals to the next level. I intend to continue my exercise program, tackle 'Daily Resolves' each and every day, participate in the 2014 Washington, DC Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk by donating, engage in PreMeditated Acts of Kindness, Give The Boot To My Carbon Footprint, and volunteer on a Horse Rescue Farm. These activities will enable me to make good on my on-going theme to 'give back by showing gratitude' - and for the third year in a row I will focus on the theme that actually sits at the core of I Resolve To . . . - RESOLVE = RESULTS. In 2015, I plan to use my resolve to promote big results for my top priorities (my plan of action is written and ready to go!). FINISHING longtime projecs is on my list of prioriies.
That said, in 2015, I also am heading into year number seven of my creative project, which is a full-blown dream - my own personal version of the I Resolve To . . . Challenge. In 2009 I successfully wedded my love of photography and writing by creating 365 unique, inspirational Photo-Resolutions - 365 Resolutions For Health & Happiness. My intention in creating 365 Photo-Resolutions was/is to inspire myself and others to 'Do What You Love. Love What You Do' - and in turn, make and keep New Year Resolutions by keeping them front and center every single day. I don't propose anything in my 365 Resolutions For Health & Happiness that I don't already do, or intend to do (or have accomplished). Each resolution is part of the tapestry that is my life and serves as a playbook for my current and future health and happiness resolutions.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I turn the fruits of my creative 'Photo-Resolution' labor into short videos meant to encourage others to continue taking one small step after another toward dreams each and every day. In 2015, these colorful, inspirational images will continue to be released in a series of I Resolve To® . . . Daily Resolve Calendars and new merchandise to help folks keep dreams and resolutions front and center. Stay tuned - close friends will receive initial prototypes this week!
To browse through the photo-resolutions in video-format click thorough the links below . . .
- I Resolve To . . . Challenge Video #1 - January 2009
- I Resolve To . . . Challenge Video #2 - February 2009
- I Resolve To . . . Challenge Video #3 - March 2009
- I Resolve To . . . Challenge Video #4 - April 2009
- I Resolve To . . . Challenge Video #5 - May 2009
- I Resolve To . . . Challenge Video #6 - June 2009
- I Resolve To . . . Challenge Video #7 - July 2009
- I Resolve To . . . Challenge Video #8 - August 2009
- I Resolve To . . . Challenge Video #9 - September 2009
- I Resolve To . . . Challenge Video #10 - October 2009
- I Resolve To . . . Challenge Video #11 - November 2009
- I Resolve To . . . Challenge Video #12 - December 2009
- I Resolve To . . . Challenge Video #13 - January 2010
- I Resolve To . . . Challenge Video #14 - February 2010
- I Resolve To . . . Challenge Video #15 - March 2010
- I Resolve To . . . Challenge Video #16 - April 2010
In closing, my on-going mission is to provide folks with a simple, common sense system, tips, resources, and advice about making and keeping resolutions. The catch is that I am not advocating resolution-setting in the traditional sense: Making a wish at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve about something that you want to 'stop doing', or something that you feel you 'should be doing'. Based on statistics, chances are good, those resolutions will fail without a different approach. I also am not urging you to tackle a new major, life-altering resolution each month because it is an unrealistic proposition given the crush of ordinary daily responsibilities. Instead, I urge you to consider focusing on one theme and a handful of resolution categories for your Challenge, or perhaps one major dream and a couple smaller projects that you can make real with Daily Resolves. Don't set yourself up for failure by biting off far more than you can chew!
I also urge you to open your mind and change the way you think about New Year Resolutions. They can be powerful tools if handled properly. Instead of 'giving up' on New Year Resolutions, change the paradigm. Lose the fear of coloring outside the lines. Try a new approach. If you have been making, and failing to keep, the same resolutions year after year, stop! In 2014, do something positive just for you. Do what you love and love what you do! Give the I Resolve To . . . Challenge a shot. When you have built momentum and are confidently achieving daily 'Small r' resolutions, I urge you to choose one dream about which you have great desire, interest, and passion, then 'go for it'. Define your resolution - the 'who, what, when, where, why, and how' that will make it a reality. Build a plan with a timeline and deadlines, and follow through with at least one small step each day to make that dream a reality. Think of the journey as a 365-day marathon, not a 30-day sprint. But keep in mind, you don't have to run the whole marathon today. Today you simply need to take that first step, and one step tomorrow, and another step the next day. Passion, Patience, Persisetence Pays! Resolve365!
This is just a snapshot of the many ingredients that are necessary to make and keep a New Year Resolution. Bottom line: All the books, videos, systems, blogs, and advice in the world can't generate results 'for you' - they are simply tools. If you truly want to achieve a dream, change something about yourself, or create a new habit, it is entirely up to you to make it happen with ingenuity, hard work and sacrifice. It is your choice. It is up to you. Only you can make your resolution a reality . . . but the joy and reward you will find along the way will make the journey worth it!
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!
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