Those of us involved in starting and running businesses (and that's millions of us) could describe the first decade of the New Millennium as a wild ride to say the least.  I won't reiterate here all the events we know so well that affected businesses large and small (every journalist and blogger will be doing that over the next couple days).  What I will say is that if the first decade is any indicator of what life will be like going forward, everyone should consider putting on their entrepreneur hats and tying them tight because it's going to be a bumpy ride.

I don't think what I just said is very profound.  Change is the name of the game--it certainly was true during the decade we just completed and everything is pointing toward a new decade of even greater change.  Of course, being a person who believes that change is a good thing, I'm preparing myself for opportunities that might not have been possible in the previous decade.  As I've said many times before, opportunity happens at the edge of chaos.  So if you're going to resolve anything this new year, resolve to bring some chaos into your life.  Yes, I did say chaos.  Try not to plan everything so carefully that you miss out on those serendipitous moments that lead to new opportunities. If your life is too stable and predictable,  you're always playing defense--reacting to things that happen TO you-- you probably haven't developed the skills you need to play offense and take advantage of change.  I personally can't wait to see what's coming. Yes, some of it will be scarey, but those who know how to maneuver the new playing field will do just fine.  In the New Year I'll share some of the things I do to deal with change. Until then, Happy New Year to all our readers.