Dear Colleague,

It's hard to believe we are leaving the last decade behind. It sure went fast. Ten years ago millions of people were celebrating the turn of the century that held for them great promise, adventure, and opportunity. Millions of others were loading up their basement bunkers with canned foods for the onset of Y2K, most of which ended up being donated to food shelters. Depending on how it is viewed, it's always the best of times and the worst of times.

Now we have Facebook, which has taken us to a whole new level with social networking, marketing, and global connection. Interestingly, Facebook started because a college guy wanted to impress the girl who broke up with him - an unorthodox beginning for what has become a $35+ billion company.

There are more remarkable stories of entrepreneurial success - think Zappos, Virgin Galactic, and Tesla - as well as financial reversals that rocked the world and will take years to recover. But either way, the decade is coming to an end and the question is, What's Next for You?

To answer that, Compendium Publishing offers a slim, red book entitled The 5 Book, Where Will You be Five Years from Today? The message is "Why not grow, what's holding you back? When was the last time, you did something for the first time?"

So let's look at what could be ahead for you and your career. What do you need to do now so when you look back at the end of the next decade, you can say, "I made something significant happen. I accomplished many of my goals. I had fun. I made a difference."

The first step is having the physical and emotional health to take on the next 10+ years. Younger Next Year, for Men, and Younger Next Year, for Women address this issue head-on. Their message is that growth is a choice; so is aging prematurely which can start happening in one's 20's. The way to ensure health and energy is both simple and hard. First, exercise every single day. Second, keep up with your relationships. Third, don't eat as much junk food. As we move into the winter months, we naturally get more sedentary and can go into hibernation. Counteract that now. Plan for a jam-packed winter with lots of activities and as much scheduled exercise as possible.

As coaches, we are seeing more courage, determination, toughness, imagination, and serious ambition by our clients than we have ever seen before. This is coupled with a genuine yearning for balance with family, friends, hobbies, and health. Most successful people know how to work long and hard. Their challenge is to learn how to be more balanced by identifying the key leverage points and focusing on the right things.

Following is an excerpt from our most requested E-Letter. A number of clients asked that we repeat it. C.O.P.E. is a strategy that worked for the last decade and will work for this decade too.

Here is to a strong finish for 2010, a thoughtful New Year's Resolution list, and the best decade ever!

	"Dreading Mondays is a ridiculous way to spend one-seventh of your life. Over the next 10 years you will receive the gift of 520 different Mondays. Change your approach to Monday and add almost 6 months back into your life this decade." -- The 5 Book ______________ "Don't complain on Facebook about your life or your job. Your employer, present or future, will probably see it." ______________ "Write down your goals and review them regularly. You will earn 9 times as much over your lifetime as those who don't." ______________ "View your life through the eyes of the other six billion people on Earth. Most would gladly trade places with you right now - and be ecstatic and grateful. " ______________ "The work environment, which also includes volunteering and cognitive hobbies, continues to be the most robust of all learning environments." ______________

1. Connectedness. We do get by with a little help from our friends and colleagues. In our coaching work, we call it The Circle of Influence. It's the group of 20 + people that we report to, are on teams with, have to collaborate with, or directly supervise. Each in his or her own way plays a role in making us better. Our job is to intentionally renew and grow our Circle of Influence with diverse individuals who bring out the best in us, and we do the same for them.

The 20 year old Olympic speed skater, Trevor Marsicano, faced childhood bullying, depression, severe injury, and yet had the determination to let his astonishing athletic skill not be denied. He said the best advice he ever got was "Surround yourself with positive people."

2. Optimism and then Gratitude. Quick story. Two shoe salesmen land in a little village. None of the villagers have shoes. One reports back to the company "No market here. They don't wear shoes." The other reports back "Huge opportunity. They don't wear shoes."

It takes the continual and sometimes intentional act of reframing events that provides fresh thinking and opportunity in our lives and our businesses. In fact, reframing means that there is a jewel (or a pony) in everything, somewhere.

With optimism and a sincere belief in the goodness of people, there is also gratitude. They go hand in hand. Ray Lewis, a former Raven's star linebacker who was acquitted of murder in 2000 in Atlanta, has dedicated his life to bringing exercise and health to the homeless. He has ongoing boot camps at homeless shelters in Baltimore where he personally leads the workouts. He also has regular work-out sessions for the police in Baltimore, which is a partnership that he probably never considered before his trial.

3. Purpose beyond Self. Look around your own company. Who has created sustainable happiness? What do they have in common? Some are over 50, others are under 30, some are fairly wealthy, some make minimum wage. But the thread that ties all happy people together is they have found a purpose beyond themselves. Maybe it is serving fried chicken in the cafeteria or maybe it is leading a company.

Medical research on happiness was conducted in Calcutta with people in desperate poverty and then contrasted with other populations. What they learned is that in Calcutta, if people had families to care for and some purpose beyond their own survival, their happiness level was almost on par with middle class American families.

While cash flow and low debt will alleviate much angst and anxiety, by itself it doesn't create happiness. Sound financial decision-making only accounts for one spoke on the wheel. The other spokes that make the whole wheel turn are leveraging and sharing beyond self-interest, providing service to others, and finding purpose in our work.

4. Engagement. There are job openings and promotions available in almost every company for those who will actively engage, contribute, and add measurable value. It's learning to look at the workplace with fresh eyes, as a "gig economy" where everyone - employed or looking for employment - hustles, learns, regroups, and retools.

Gallup Research determined that only 29% of employees in companies are actively engaged. The other 71% are either disengaged or actively disengaged. If these numbers could be reversed, what an unleashing of local, national, and global productivity!

No one can afford to give up and take themselves out of the game. No one can afford to walk to the sidelines, sit on the bench, complain, and blame. There is too much to be done and a lot of fun to be had.

If we are leaders, we have to lead. If we are team members, we have to engage every single day, all day. If we are looking for employment, we have to be upbeat, in the game and "attractive" to potential employers. Who wants to hire someone who is already disengaged, entitled, and complaining before they start?

The game plan is easy to remember, C.O.P.E - Connection, Optimism, Purpose, and Engagement. These four components are the basis of happiness. They worked in 2000 and will continue to work for you in 2011 and beyond.

In Five Years:
+ Columbus discovered a whole new world - the Bahamas, Cuba, and North and South America.
+ Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel
+ Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, went from zero net worth to $10 billion.

What are your 5 year goals?