Each new year that 'happens' along comes in the same old fashion. We celebrate the New Year with parties and toasts to something new...something different...something better. We make New Year's Resolutions. We try really hard to keep them. Somehow or other they go by the wayside very quickly. We repeat the pattern year after year. Our intentions are always good, but life just seems to get in the way.

We have big dreams, huge expectations. We are not always in a position to fulfill the goals we have set for ourselves. I am included in this vicious cycle. There are so many things that I would love to accomplish...all at once! I know that it's simply not possible to do this. So this year I would like to offer you an alternative to the New Year's Resolution.

Instead of setting yourself up for the possibility of failure by breaking that resolution so easily, why not turn it around. This year I'm creating a 'blueprint' of what I'd like to accomplish. Thoughts can become scattered, even lost in the shuffle of everyday life. If we plot them out, make an outline of our life, and write them down than we can 'see' where we want to be.

What I'm working with I've started calling the 'step program'. There are so many things that I want to do. It's simply not realistic to try to accomplish everything at once. So I'm going to attempt to live my life in 'steps'. If we take small steps towards our goals than there is no feeling of being overwhelmed and those old New Year's Resolutions can actually be accomplished. So, in reality, I am creating small do-able resolutions with flexible time frames on them. As I accomplish each one I simply move on to the next. Because the goals are spaced out and the time frame is flexible...failure really isn't an option. One would have to give up entirely to not meet their destination.

Two of my immediate goals are to continue my writings and to offer more treasured gifts. Both I can do now. I would like to share this piece with you that I recently finished...Step by Step. This is a piece that was entrusted to me some time ago. It is entitled Stones.

I hope you enjoy these pieces and this coming year. May all of your small intentions turn into a beautiful year of growth, accomplishment and happiness.

Many Hugs,
Dawn Ellen