This is a letter to me from a colleague. I was at work on a similar letter and could not have said it better

Everyone,

As many of you know I have had the incredible opportunity to partner with some very exceptional organizations and people this year which hold the same ethics around education, trust, integrity, and uncommon knowledge as I do. 

I'm very fortunate to be surrounded by many people after living a good life.  

Due to these new relationships I have also been given the opportunity to incorporate the science, philosophy, art and engineering of business studies, I have been working at for the past two and a half years, into my own organizations and business.  

As I plan for the new year I thought it important to share how I’m doing it with everyone I thought would value the process as well.  I want us all too may have the best opportunity to grow, succeed and flourish during the next several years as things in our world continue to change at an increasingly rapid pace. 

For us to produce the results in our careers that will enable us to earn sufficient incomes, to live good and free lives, it is imperative that our offers, practices, narratives and strategies are superior,  powerful and intentionally designed as well. 

In a rapidly changing knowledge based economy those who are simply just working hard will continue to be marginalized - as we have seen during the past few years - and commoditized to the point of suffering and despair.  We – unlike our parents and Grandparents – will not be rewarded or honored for our hard work; but will be valued only by our knowledge and ability to design more effective and efficient strategies, tactics, and practices for ourselves, our employers or our businesses.  

As the New Year approaches I know many of us begin to think about what we would like to accomplish in 2010.  

This is our first opportunity to either follow the "herd" or break loose and achieve something different, valuable, special. 

I think we can all agree that nothing exceptional really just happens without effective and clearly defined goals, strategies, and tactics.  We need to take time to plan!  

If you have made goals in past years and failed to achieve them please consider this: How you think about and define these goals is the base of our plans, and if there is something weak, missing, incomplete, or flawed then we are in trouble before we even get to New Years eve.  

Simply making a resolution doesn't mean your entitled to it!

So this year I invite you to “NOT” make a typical, ordinary, or common New Years resolution list. 

I invite you to professionally take the time and care to sit down and “On Purpose” define your lifestyle ambition holistically and with integrity.  Do this as if your life depended on it because it does.

Unfortunately by the time we suffer the consequences of not planning it is too late to do anything about it. 

I realize that this kind of rigor is not for everyone, but for those of you who are going to be "getting after it" this year, please feel free to call me to discuss this.  It is also okay to pass this all on to anyone else you know whom is after something more than normal.

Do it - and have a great 2010.

For more information, you may reach me at john@influenceecology.com

John Patterson