Where did the year go? December is wrapping up, and you know what that means: the New Year is right behind.

It's time to start seriously thinking about how you're going to market in 2010. How many alliances are you going to form? What are your 1st quarter and 12-month goals for doing business by referral? How about generating additional business by offering new services to your existing clients?

Fourth quarter 2009 means first quarter 2010 marketing planning! The economy is showing some signs of life, and the opportunity is yours to make next year a year in your business to remember, regardless of how 2009 is turning out.

Here are some powerful thought stimulators:

• Where do you want to be in five years?
• What do you want to be doing, and where do you want to live?

Think about those questions for a minute, and then come up with a realistic answer.
Something like, "I want to be working from home, living near the beach in Florida."

Then write down whatever it is you want to be doing and save it for later.

Now, ask yourself, "What steps am I taking to move my life in the direction I need to be going to reach my goals?

If you have a strategic plan and are following it, congratulations.
But if you don't have a plan or aren't taking steps to reach your goals, you're probably not going to reach them.

The good news is, planning five years ahead gives you the time to clean up any messes you might be in now, and start down the path to achieve success.

Whether you do this or not, a few things are certain:

• In five years, you'll be five years older.
• In five years, you'll be five years wiser (or not).
• In five years, you'll be five years deeper in debt (or not).
• And this is guaranteed; in five years, the world will have drastically changed around you - whether you change or not.

So if you want to change your future, start by taking steps to reach the future you want, today.

In the first CleanTip of 2010, (next Friday) I will share some remarkable trends I fully expect to come about in the next five years! Don't miss them!