Enough About COVID-19, Let’s Talk About Your Future Instead

Ravil Sayfullin / STOCK.ADOBE.COM

Are you sick of the pandemic? I am. How many of you talked about COVID during your holidays? Probably quite a few. Maybe you did this on Zoom lamenting why we cannot be together this year. Let us face it…it stinks! I get it…you are sick of Zoom, sick of not being with family, and wondering when this will end.

So now what? We move into 2021 with something special…Hope! Why? Because there are vaccines being administered and coming onto the market. This is a game changer.

I am not trying to sugarcoat something that is deadly serious. So many lives have been impacted by this horrible virus. But it is time to pivot and shift as you look at your future. I am not talking about making New Year’s resolutions. Honestly, I think they are nonsense since many of us give up within the first month. That is why I never got worried when the gyms were packed (pre-COVID) in the month of January. Everyone wanted to lose weight. But, by February, those folks all dropped out and the gyms were back to the pre-December levels.

Answer this question: What do you dream about for yourself? Making more money? Going back to school? Buying a new car? Going on a vacation? Visiting your family? You name it…what do you want next? This is not a resolution. This is bigger as it is a strategic plan for what is next for your career or life.

When you identify your dream, you can start a blueprint of how to get there. The sky is the limit here. Dream big! You have heard over and over how writing down your goals and keeping them with you will help you achieve them. The caveat is that you must pull that blueprint out from time to time and make sure you are moving closer to your dreams. There are people in this world who complain. They feel that everything bad is being done to them. But, what about the good things? If others are responsible for your disappointments, should they then get to decide your destiny? My answer to that is a resounding…No Way! You make your own destiny. Even if things do not go your way, pick yourself up, wipe off the negative self-talk, and tackle the problem.

That sounds like a lot of work. It is. Most things in this world that matter have a lot of hard work behind them. If you are looking for the softer, easier way to get what you want…good luck. Do not be afraid of hard work. When a barrier to your success gets in the way, do not throw in the towel so quickly. Talk to people and brainstorm how you can turn things around. I am an entrepreneur with 6 products. The best advice I was given was that there are so many people out there who have great ideas. It is another thing to take an idea and turn it into an actual product, service, or achieved goal. You come up with so many turns and twists on your path to achieve your objective. It is the ones who keep working at it who eventually get there and succeed. They tend to have tremendous confidence in themselves as a result. The problem is most people give up too soon. Some make excuses about what is stopping them. But others map out their future and run headfirst into their dreams. Which are you?

Some of you will not agree with me. That is ok. If I got you to think or talk to your colleagues or family about your dreams, then this article has achieved its objective. My point in all this is…in a pandemic, the most important thing is to keep dreaming. Put work behind those dreams. Come up with a strategic plan and do not go astray. Keep your eyes on the prize. Remember that you are the one who can make your destiny happen.

Email me at diana2@discussdirectives.com share what you are dreaming about for 2021. Those who are already dreaming are further along in their journey. If you have trouble identifying a dream, ask someone else what their dreams are. That conversation may change your life.

Stay positive and test negative!