Hi there
Compliments of the season. I trust you are enjoying the holidays with the abundant food and gifts in circulation. Date check: it is the 30th day in the month of December and this 365 out of 366 days in this year. Wow!!! I guess if 2020 was an event, you would want to say, “Argh finally”!!! You may also want to think that there will be this magical transition from 2020 to 2021 considering all that has happened this year. Well, reality check: January 1st 2021 would simply involve waking up to a new day; the streets won’t be covered in gold nor the environment become squeaky clean, so snap, 2021 is just another year but we are grateful for life and the opportunities we believe are packed in the new year.
A lot of persons believe that 2020 has been a really challenging year and 2021 would be better. As much as I want to agree with that, I also believe great things still happened in this year, in different spheres even in our individual lives. If not anything at all, the lock down period helped us discover some things about ourselves; we became extra conscious of our hygiene and diet; so, don’t write off 2020 just like that yet. Check your camera lenses. You just might have been focused on the wrong things for too long.
Humans generally consider and amplify things that have gone wrong even if the things that have gone right or are going right outnumber the wrong ones. Look at 2020 with some positivity: 2020 could have been the year that stretched and pushed you beyond your known limits. What if 2020 was the year that drew you closer to your loved ones because you had more time to spend with them? What if 2020 opened your understanding to the place of prudence in your finances and planning? 2020 is not all so bad if you ask but since we are closing the year and in high spirits expecting the new year, how then do we maximize the year 2021 and make the most of it and have better productivity in our current work or other work-related plans that we have outlined for 2021.
Albert Einstein once opined, “it is insanity to do things the same way and expect a different result”. Consider the following as a guide to make the most of 2021.
- Write Out Your Goals: Writing down goals cannot be overemphasized. Penning down what you want to engage in has a way of spurring you to action. Now, I don’t mean ambiguous wishes or fantasies but realistic and achievable dreams. As it is always said, your goals should be SMART: S-Specific M-Measurable A-Achievable R-Realistic T- Timely or time bound. Write these goals and further break them down into smaller tasks that you will engage in daily or weekly because it’s our daily little wins that culminate into the large success that we see.
- Learn from Your Errors: I am sure some things didn’t go as planned and you were hurt but holding onto the pain won’t hinder a repeat if you don’t pick up the lessons. If you lost a job for example, let go off the pain that came with not having a source of income and grow through your pain. The oyster makes pearls after a painful situation; do the same. Take courses and build yourself; research about an area of interest or a passion and build your own business. Rise from the ashes like the phoenix.
- Increase Competence or Commitment to What Worked: As it is insanity to do a thing the same way and expect results, so also it is with changing a working or beneficial model. Find ways to improve this model that gave you results. Commit to excellence as excellence is not a destination but an attitude; have it as a trademark in all you do.
- Build a Strong Network in the Space you are: In case you have forgotten; your network is your net worth. I recently read a tweet where someone asked, “which would you rather have $30,000,000 or 30 million loyal friends?” Someone responded with the most “unexpected” and epic response. The writer said, “I will rather have 30 million loyal friends and ask each of them to donate $1 and since they are loyal, they will. I will contest for election and win because I already have 30 million assured voters and then I will set up a chocolate factory and ask them to patronize everyday and my profit in one day will be in millions, who then will Jeff Bezos be?” Well, for me this totally buttresses the point about having a strong network.
- Invest in Yourself: Self-development is the way to go if you want a different experience in the year 2021. Nobody can take what you have on your inside. This will open doors for you and also build your network as you get to meet new people and even have mentors and accountability partners to help you make the most of the year. Take courses online or physically, take up new challenges at work or volunteer somewhere; this will hone your skills, connect you to new possibilities and generally help you grow; buy books and read them; attend seminars and other events that will grow you.
2021 will only be a different year if you intentionally take steps and actions to make it a different year. You can have similar experiences but draw different lessons from both. Change your focus on all that went wrong this year and make decision to make 2021 a different year in a remarkable way.
At 21Search, we have lined up courses and events to help grow you professionally and personally. Stay glued to our website and social media handles so as not to miss out on the upcoming courses and events. I look forward to seeing you in 2021. Do have a prosperous year ahead. Until I come your way again, work smart and not just hard and stay safe.
Lizzy.
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January 16, 2021[…] stated in our last article for the year 2020: ‘2021: Transitioning into New Realities’, 2021 will only be the same for you if you don’t take necessary and intentional steps to make […]