I have something to share with you. You might want to brace yourself…this is big. Are you ready for it?
Here it goes:
2020 is almost over.
Yes, I’m serious. We’ve actually made it through more than three-quarters of the craziest, challenging, and most unexpected year in recent history. A metaphor for all the sports enthusiasts out there…we’ve rounded third and are heading for home!
Take a second and let that sink in.
This year has been challenging for all of us in some way or another. Some have obviously experienced these challenges more acutely than others…but there isn’t a single person on the planet whose life was left unaffected or unchanged over the course of the last seven months.
After a year like this, it begs the question, “What now?”
You might be tempted to chalk 2020 up as a loss and wait impatiently for 2021 to arrive.
While I am certainly looking forward to (and hoping for) better things in 2021, I must encourage you not to wish away these last few months in hopes for something better. It is important to make the most of our current situation while planning and preparing for the future.
Although this year has been unconventional, there are still lessons that can be learned and growth that can be achieved. As we head into the last couple of months of the year, I encourage you to take time to reflect on these things:
- What lessons have I learned throughout the last year?
- What new skills, systems or routines have I implemented in response to changing circumstances? How have these benefitted me or my organization?
- What were my personal “wins” this year? What about organizational “wins?”
- If I could go back, what would I do differently?
In addition to reflecting on and learning from this past year, this is an important time to begin preparing yourself and your organization for the upcoming year. You shouldn’t wait until January 1st to start 2021 off on the “right foot.”
The work of laying a positive foundation for the year ahead begins today.
Here’s the reality…your circumstances may look very similar in January as they do today. The world isn’t suddenly going to “return to normal” simply because the calendar has rolled over. The transition, when it happens, will be slow and gradual.
SO…what does this mean for you? Does this mean the next year is doomed before it begins?
Of course not!
It does mean, however, that you have the responsibility to take charge of your mindset and reframe the way you view your circumstances. Here’s what I’d like you to consider:
- What challenges am I currently facing or anticipating in the coming months?
- How can these challenges become opportunities for growth? What can I learn?
- What am I doing now that I will stop doing?
- What goals do I have for the upcoming year and how am I going to achieve them?
And the big question –
- Am I willing to do what it takes to create that future, including being uncomfortable in transition?
So much of our overall success can be traced back to an initial mindset choice. The work you do today to reframe your mindset and choose to see possibility and potential will pay dividends as you finish this year and begin the next.
Do you have a favorite way of reframing challenges into opportunities? How do you shift your mindset?
Article was contributed by: Maria Lees, Team Writer with Sarah Boxx
