Hello Friends!  It is the first of January of 2008.  And I am still trying to figure out what is going to happen when Y2K hits.  Doesn't that seem like just yesterday?  I remember all of the panic and planning that went on as all of our computers were supposed to crash and struggle as the year 2000 rolled over.  And I am still waiting.

I thought I would spend a few moments today and share with you some resolutions that I am making for the New Year.  As always, please remember that these are 'amateur' resolutions :).  So always seek advice with professionals before copying any of mine :):).

1.  To stay with my approach in a disciplined fashion.  But occasionally, when the 'writing is on the wall', go ahead and do something that isn't completely on the straight and narrow.  I recall in 2007 when I saw that Starbucks (SBUX) wasn't acting well.  I love the store.  The stock had been great for me.  The stock hadn't hit any sale points, yet I unloaded shares because they came in with some week same store sales numbers, and as I recall they missed slightly on earnings.  It paid to think a little.

2. To give credit to others more often.  This year I would like to expand my reading of other blogs and comment more on what some very bright and innovative minds are writing.  There are so many great thinkers out there and we can all learn more from others if we spend the time.  This will also increase the possibilities of integrating what I write more into the 'blogosphere'.  I do enjoy reaching more readers and having them stick around more than the 0:00 seconds that my Sitemeter reads on their visits.  This also includes encouraging all of you to comment and write letters more often so that we can increase the amount of two-way discussions here on this website.  Please be aware that if you email me at bobsadviceforstocks@lycos.com I shall try to answer your comments either directly or on the blog.  But I cannot guarantee that I shall be able to respond to every letter even though I read all of them.

3. To blog less and to blog better.  I cannot be blogging every single day.  It just isn't physically possible.  Although I come close.  But to continue to work on improving the content with as much educational links as possible.

4. To learn more about charting, day-trading, and short-selling.

5. To integrate political commentary into the blog.  Occasionally I digress and offer some political observations here on this website.  While we can all agree that profitable investing is useful, there will likely be large ranges of opinions on these controversial topics.  I have been reluctant to enter into these discussions except on rare exception, and while I am not sure it is the wisest thing for this blogger to do, blogging is a personal affair that is shared with the public.  I have many different hats, and one of them is as a very political person.  How I do this, I haven't decided.

6. To work hard at staying humble.  It is easy for my head to 'get bigger' as I blog and write as if I really have all the answers.  I don't.  I am capable of failure, my approach may or may not work long-term, and there are many brighter investors out there.  I have been very lucky to have so many 'followers' over at the Covestor site.  But I trust that these followers are interested in my thoughts on stocks and not necessarily my performance which lags many great fellow investors.  I shall try hard to stay ahead of the S&P (which I accomplished in 2007), but remember that we all must work to refine out techniques, enhance our understanding, and recognize that our accomplishments may all be just one step ahead of failure.

7. To stay upbeat about investing, blogging, and my family. Without being so pessimistic at such an early time in the year, I have a wonderful group of readers on this blog.  I love to sit down and write about things and share with all of you my thoughts, and I have a wonderful family that I can be proud of.  Without sounding Pollyannish, there is much for me to be 'glad' about :).

8. To continue to look at ways to improve the functionality of my blog and maybe, perhaps, develop some index :).

This may be just Part I of my resolutions so stay tuned.  Meanwhile, I would like to wish all of you the best of years in 2008.  May you find happiness and success as well as an occasional profit.  May all of you experience the best of health and find the strength to deal with all of the challenges that may lie ahead for all of us this year.  And maybe we can find 2008 a year that has more Peace and Well-Being for each inhabitant across the globe who may find reason to have more hope than discouragement about their own lives and families.

Bob