17 Dec 2020 · 8 min
Thomas Anglero argues that assuming 2021 will be as bad as 2020 forces you to get creative. Plan for the worst, then use that mindset to pivot your business, boost digital engagement, and outmaneuver competitors who are hoping things return to normal.
Welcome to the Soul of Innovation podcast. I am Thomas Anglero, and I want to give you a different perspective than what you probably have right now. Today is December 2020. We're at the end of this COVID year, and let me give you a different perspective on this. What if I say we're at the end of this first COVID year. Are you upset?
Shocked?
Disappointed? I'm not messing with you. I'm trying to change your perspective. I'm trying to make you have the best year possible in 2021. And this is how. Let's say right now you go into 2021 and you don't say what everybody else is saying. People saying, oh, this is the new normal. People are saying, oh, next year has to be better. Oh, I look forward to such a better year next year. Oh, I can't wait to put 2020 behind you. How about you say this? Or you accept this, 2021, Christmas 2021 is gonna be the same as this Christmas. As you first get over the emotional depression of that thought— I know it sucks— think about it. If you accept, if you visualize that Christmas next year is gonna be as bad as this one, then what are you gonna do for the next 365 days? How are you going to prep yourself? How— do you understand what an advantage you have by having that mindset? See, everybody's hoping that we return back to some semblance of where it was before, maybe 50% back to where we were before, maybe 80% back to where we were before, maybe even 99% back. Wouldn't that be great? But all those people are in a holding pattern mentally, physically, intellectually. So what I'm saying to you is this, put your mind in and saying, okay, if next, not if, next year is the same as this thing, we're not gonna make any progress around the COVID I'm gonna have a mask on. I'm not gonna have customer face-to-face meetings very, very rarely in rare situations. My team and I won't be able to meet. We're gonna be doing everything digital. If you accept that, then watch you come out with so many creative thoughts of what you can do now. And when you do that, you leave everyone else behind, all your competitors, all the people who are just sitting around really just wondering when life is gonna change. You're also gonna be the shining star amongst everyone, your customers, your friends, your family, your colleagues. I'm serious, it's a hard pill to swallow. But if you right now say 2021, Christmas 2021, it's gonna be just like it is right now. It's gonna be just this, this horrible situation that we got. Then this is what I'm going to do for 2021. Because I know no one else is doing anything and everybody else in the waiting pattern, I'm going to do. So make your list of what you're going to do. Not a list of sulking, not a list of what I miss from the old life. Because you're in this situation, what industry are you in? What can you do knowing that no one else is going to do anything because they're all waiting? There's nothing to wait for. I got this epiphany yesterday. I got really excited after a while because I realized that accepting the fact that 2021, Christmas 2021, is going to be as bad as it is now gives me such a massive advantage. And here's the beauty of it. If I'm right, that's really the worst-case scenario. Think about that. The worst-case scenario is if I'm right. 2021, Christmas 2021, it's gonna be this bad, as bad. If I'm wrong, then we all win because we go back to some semblance of the way it was before. But in the process, I've created new ideas, new initiatives. I've elevated myself and separated myself from among everyone else. There is only a win-win for you to say Christmas 2021 is going to be as bad as this. So therefore, what do I do with my colleagues? How do I manage myself? How do I manage my team? How do I take care of my customers? How do I take care of my family? Do I have to continue? See my point? Where am I right now? Where do I want to be a year from now, knowing that nothing's going to change? There won't be that many airplane flights. Bankruptcies will continue. Unemployment will continue. The news will continue to be depressing. So what you do is you flip everything around. Flights will discontinue. Hence, I will have to find another means of transportation as soon as possible. Unemployment will continue or increase. Hence, I have to find myself employment as soon as possible or increase my employment. Flip everything around. People are in a holding pattern. Flip that around. You are to do everything. You are to take chances. You are to be the most— it is in 2021 is your most innovative year. For every little bit you do, you don't understand, you elevate yourself above the clouds and there you see the light in the air and get the fresh air while everybody else is stuck down there. The biggest gift I could give you right now for Christmas 2020 is the picture that Christmas 2021 is going to be horrible. Because as soon as you accept that, you can become creative, innovative, and get excited about all the possibilities. Because if you're wrong, you're right. Get it? Go forth and spread beauty and light. Go forth and spread yourself, your beauty, your light. Be excited by where we are today. Be excited by all the opportunities you now have because you see the world in a completely different way than 99.99% of everybody you see out there. Everybody out there is with masks. Everybody's in fear. You're not. You're excited. This is totally open for you right now. There's no one's gonna get in your way because no one's doing anything. Everybody's freaked out. This is your time to kick butt. This is your time to do things. This is your time to please have a voice. This is your time to get on social media and post even more. This is your time to volunteer for things. Do you understand? This is your moment. This is your year, 2021. This is it. This is Thomas Anglero. I love you. I believe in you. I'm pumping you up because again, this is your year, 2021. This is your year. Yes. Got it? Good. Take care, go forth. And until next time.
Thank you for listening to that episode. If you want to contact me, you can contact me on my website at anglero.com, and you can also subscribe to the newsletter, or you can find me anywhere on social media with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. Thank you so much, and I hope to hear from you very soon.
