Year-end is a time for reflection. Did we accomplish what we planned? What are we proud of and what could we have done better?

It is also a time to look ahead. Some people make resolutions and others set goals. Compared to resolutions, goal setting is hard. Resolving to be a nicer person is easier than having to explain to yourself why you didn't double your revenue like you said you would. But if you miss the goal it doesn't mean that you failed. And if you meet the goal it doesn't mean you can coast.

The other thing people do at the end of the year is make predictions. So in the holiday spirit, here are some resolutions, goals and a prediction for 2009.

Resolve to stay positive and seize opportunities. Remember what is most important in life and don't worry about what you can't control. Do your best to extend help and charity to those that need it and love to those that deserve it.

Conduct your business ethically. Never stop learning. Add new clients, develop new strategic partnerships and continue to grow your business.

PR will play an important role in Colorado and nationally in 2009. PR pros will craft and communicate important messages promoting commitment, teamwork, sacrifice and tolerance to all Americans. Wartime propaganda and partisan bickering will fade away and be replaced by a new spirit of hope, innovation and confidence that will spur economic recovery and restore America's reputation in the world community.

However you celebrate the holiday season, I hope yours is safe, healthy, and peaceful. Here's to a happy and prosperous 2009.

Whenever something dramatic happens, there is usually a line from Bob Dylan that helps me put things in perspective. In this case, when I heard about the Rocky Mountain News being sold and probably going under, it "shook my windows and rattled my walls." The times certainly are a' changing. See Mike Littwin's column in today's News.

Most of all, I was sad. Sad that a lot of good journalists, many who I consider friends, will be out of work. Sad also that Colorado's oldest newspaper will likely not survive. That's a bad thing for Colorado PR firms, who rely on the media to cover stories about our clients, but it is also bad for anyone who thinks that understanding what is going on in the world around you is important.

I am one of those people who love to read the paper. I usually read 3-4 papers each day. The joy of holding the paper in my hand, checking the box scores in the morning with my coffee, or falling asleep in my chair with the paper in my lap is one of life's little pleasures that my father passed down to me, along with baseball, folk music and a sense of history.

I was also angry. Angry that corporate executives can decide to save their own jobs by throwing the people they employ out of work during the holidays. And angry that we are evolving into a society that thinks newspapers are not important.

Blogs and social media and word of mouth are important sources of information but they are no substitute for newspapers. They usually have a particular perspective and they generally do not cover stories in the same in-depth way that a reporter would. In many cases, the people who provide the news through those channels are not professional journalists. They are not Clark Kent or Lois Lane or Damon Runyon or Jimmy Breslin or Thomas Friedman. They are just people with opinions who like to express them in public forums with other people who share those same interests. There is nothing wrong with that, but to me, that is not news. Too often it is just noise.

So for David Milstead and Jamie Paton and Joyzelle Davis and Joanne Kelley and James Meadow and John Ensslin and Rob Reuteman and Roger Fillion and Mike Littwin and Tina Griego and Gargi Chakrabarty and Bill Scanlon and Laura Frank and Lynn Bartels and so many others, I hope someone steps forward to buy the News and save all your jobs. And thanks for all the stories.