As we get deeper and deeper immersed into this New Year and the month of February, let’s look at what may provide a solid ground for all the coordinates of this new reality in which we are playing in 2021.
First of all, let me encourage you to have a look at this new decade from the perspective of the Values and the Vision that you stand for, in life and in business. This is a yearly exercise that I encourage all my clients to take, as it truly helps you Own your Yes’s and No’s throughout the year. It fastens the decision-making time and lessens the un-needed stress around it. Your Values & Vision are your lighthouse, your inner compass, your anchor amidst any stormy waters and they inform your evolution. If you would like a simple, effective & energizing way to design your Values & Vision, please do not hesitate to reach out and I will send you my most engaging method.
These start-of-year reflection exercises make us more aware and give us the needed fuel to follow through our high impact journeys.
Let’s face it. 2020 pushed us all to our limits. There are some who ducked down and there are others who rose up, despite the circumstances. Others did a bit of both. No one was immune to the extreme changes that last year brought upon this planet and how it has impacted us on all levels: emotionally, physically, mentally and energetically.
We are literally standing at the dawns of a new age. How do we navigate it? How do we pursue our passions and build thriving companies while maintaining a healthy balanced life, in a world where the only big constant is unpredictable change?
To help you bring more grounded-ness in your relationship to yourself and your business, I am launching a series of 3 articles (this being the first out of the 3) that walk you through 9 life & business skills that will be essential for 2021 and the upcoming decade. These are based on the trends I have been exposed to over the past few years (but especially in 2020), as well as the communities of impact I am in touch with. I am also determined to update this list every year.
If you are more into listening to audios, then you can also find all these 9 trends I speak about in the FemmeLead, a podcast series with inspiring women and role models from various fields across the world that my friend and Nordic Women in Tech Role Model, Alexandra Ciobotaru, is running. It’s been a true joy to be interviewed twice and here is the episode from December 2020: http://bit.ly/3pPcmf6
Having spent a decade in Learning & Development and worked with various mid-sized companies up to large corporations, I am keen on understanding what makes people thrive and what makes organizations weather storms with a mentality whereby both the company and its people feel supported, seen and encouraged to evolve.
So here are the first 3 of the trends & attitudes (superpowers as I like to call them) that will build a coherent and stable container for your growth in 2021 and this new decade:
1. Collaboration / Community-based thinking.
2020 has shown us in many ways the evolution of the human spirit. And nowhere have we seen a bigger leap forward (as compared to the past, 1930s economic crisis for example) than in people coming together and supporting each other. After the initial wave of shock and grief of the pandemic, another wave followed, which was mostly online but also offline in local communities. People building platforms and products (wellness-oriented primarily) to support each other through the rough patches.
Never have we experienced such a wealth of executive coaches, life coaches, mindset and meditation experts, yoga practitioners, financial and business experts all starting to share way more often free content and trying to support as much as they could the community. Free online summits with a wide arrange of speakers multiplied. As for local communities, there are many situations across the world where people started delivering food to the elderly and the sick, helping their neighbors that were quarantined and could not provide for their basic necessities.
It’s in time of crisis that we see what the human spirit is truly made of. I have seen countless acts of generosity last year, which is incredibly encouraging. Building on this trend, the following years will see people coming together way more often online and offline in initiatives that support the greater good, wellbeing (mental, emotional, physical, emotional wellbeing), provide alternative sources of income as well as establishing a more balanced relationship with the planet.
Sustainability & Inter-disciplinary Innovations are the key words for these new types of collaboration, whereas in the past they were primarily profit-driven.
*Tip: Stay open to & actively seek collaborations in your field of work, network and build partnerships with like-minded individuals and companies that feel aligned to you and your values, sign up to online events for professionals in your industry, reach out to people with similar passions and callings.
2. Daring Greatly
In a world of uncertainty, the boldest act is actually to believe in yourself and your dreams! There isn’t anyone I know of who was never challenged on their path to success in career and life.
Building the habit and muscle of courage and daring greatly, like Brené Brown says it, will help keep you on track and placing one foot in front of the other even in difficult moments.
Here are a few tips on how you can Dare Greatly to support the build-up of your career and business:
Clarify your vision for the year. There are many coaching practices that take you through envisioning your big, bold, dream life. Check out my upcoming share on this blog on the topic or reach out to me if you would like me to facilitate my High Impact Vision workshop to a dedicated group of people in your company. What is certain is that you cannot set sails for the year and expect to float if you don’t have a clear vision and direction.
Be courageous and reach out to mentors (people from whom you feel you can learn and are maybe just a few more steps ahead of you) in your field of expertise and industry. Not only will you be able to find inspiration in reading about them or connecting to them directly. They are also living examples of what is possible for you!
Reach out to potential collaborators in your field of work, for implementing the changes and ideas you have been long postponing in your large company or business. And if that is a far stretch, at least ask for feedback on your ideas from peers you trust and potential collaborators.
Whatever you do, don’t stay hidden. Don’t play small. There has never been a better time to dream and build BIG, then now when an old world is on the brink of collapse and a new one is emerging.
Always remember, the Chinese symbol for challenge is the same as “opportunity”. What counts is your interpretation of it, your perspective. You can either let yourself overwhelmed by events, or you can ride the wave of change.
3. Resilience
What does resilience mean in the current world context? Not being deterred by momentary setbacks and challenges. Keep your long-term lenses on, as well as the focus on your inspiring vision. If your Why is strong enough, than you are less likely to be held back.
Tips for building your Resilience:
It is worth looking at what is your main Why? What first motivated you in building your business and following a certain career path and is that still valid? What motivates you now? Make sure there are both tangible benefits to your Why, as well as an inspiring momentum written down. It’s a proven fact that people perform at their best when there is also a heightened emotional driver behind their choices. Build a habit of regularly coming back to your Vision and your Why, at least once a month, to keep seeing the bigger picture and build the momentum.
Surround yourself with proofs of your past successes, for example manager and peers or clients praise, customer feedback, etc. Print them out and have them up in your office or close to your working desk at home, so that you can be constantly reminded of your greatness and that you can indeed, achieve anything you set your heart and mind to. These are great not only for momentum, but also for the days when you need a bit of a push.
I can’t wait to continue this series and send you the next 6 winning attitudes in life & business that, in my humble opinion, will be game changers for this decade.
For now, I would just like to wish you an inspiring 2021 and a decade of conscious evolution!
Here’s to all that we are building!