2020 is a year that will be written in history differently. For some, it will be a year of reset and enlightenment. For others’ it’s going to be a year of destruction and personal loss. How are you going to write your history of 2020?
We are completing half of the year today, and 2020 has already shown us it’s character. It started with a pandemic, to an earthquake, to India-China war, to locust attack, to loss of many people’s lives and many others. The more we dive into 2020, the more people want to delete it from their lives. Most people want this year to pass by in a jiffy! They are wishing if only they had a time machine, they would have fast-forwarded 2020 to 1st Jan 2021.
Well, 2020 took me by surprise as well, I wasn’t spared either. In January 2020, I learnt that I had an unusual growth in my uterus and due to which I was suffering from severe stomach and back pain sporadically. After suffering through the whole of January, I was operated on towards the end of the month.
A part of February went in recovering and coming back to full strength. By the time I managed to get back up completely, the news of COVID 19 started spreading like wildfire. Even before I could take measures, the country-wide lockdown was imposed. All my speaking engagements and travel plans were cancelled. Maids and cooks stopped coming forcing all of us to do difficult house chores and making sure to bring back the lost respect for the house helps. Remember, I had just recuperated from surgery!
But all was not lost. After the severe jolts, when I brought myself to the setback leadership mindset, I realized this situation is a vast stage set for an opportunity of a lifetime! I know you will be surprised hearing this, but that’s exactly how I saw things and quickly changed my focus.
Whether it is in the professional, personal, relationship or spiritual front, my life is seeing a considerable change. Life, in general, has become slower – no need to wake up early to run to the office or school, there is no noise of vehicles or rush of house help.
At the same time, my life has become busier than ever. All the speaking gigs got postponed or cancelled, within the blink of an eye. But it also freed up time to do things that mattered even more. Here are some ways I am making full use of this undivided, unadulterated, and unhurried time to grow my professional brand.
- Focusing on creating online content: I have focused on creating evergreen online courses of my programs and speeches. A bunch of professional speakers from India together formed a group, and we allowed ourselves focused action towards creating the courses. The result of this effort is seen on the Speaking Niche Mastery, which I launched on the 18th May 2020.
- Becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable: I had been struggling to do video content for a long time now, thanks to inhibitions and self-doubt. 2020 helped me to let go of all my excuses. I made all my video content myself. Would you believe I have done 100+ videos, shooting them on my humble OnePlus T3 phone, from the comfort of home? Check out some of the videos here on my YouTube Channel.
- Participating in virtual or digital summits and podcasts: I have never shied away from any form of speaking, be it online and offline. Now is the ideal time to focus on online speaking; appearing in virtual summits or podcasts or even getting featured in video live interviews online. I have spoken 12 times in the last six months, on various platforms, including the Professional Speakers Summit, US Consulate of Chennai, Rotary and others.
- Tightening the loose ends: Yes, we all have loose ends that need tightening, I have them too. For example, my website needed a revamp. There were a few things that weren’t working well, which brought down the brand value. I used this time to fix those issues so that when the business is up again, I am ready to be discovered. Concentrating on sharpening my axe has undoubtedly helped. Interestingly, I am seeing people reaching out to me through my website. Did you see my new website? What else do you think needs a change?
- Bringing back relevant content for my audience: Fortunately, my core speaking topic is Setback Leadership, and now it has become ever so important to learn the techniques of turning challenging situations into opportunities of a lifetime. Being the advocate of this concept, it’s evident that I am bringing out content that suits this situation, helps people sail through this challenging time smoothly and allows people to find opportunities amidst the chaos. You will see a few exciting contents being shared in the coming days.
- Learning new skills and building worldwide trusted connections: I am also investing my time heavily in learning new skills, whether to get better at making videos or how to sell right. Apart from that, I am building trustworthy professional friendships with other speakers, meeting planners, speaker bureaus and speaker agents around the globe. I genuinely believe that to be truly successful, you need a tribe that will vouch for you. And, I am consciously expanding my tribe.
From a personal point of view, here are some of the changes I have made.
- Being physically and mentally fit: It’s been more than 100 days that I have been sunbathing and exercising every morning for 30 mins. I meditate while I am sunbathing that helps me ground myself and set the mood for the rest of the day.
- Divided time for household chores and work: Yes, I do practice what I preach. If you check my calendar right now, you will see a separate time blocked for all household chores. This helps me plan my day. Involving the entire family is sharing the duties helps in better time management and family bonding.
- Spending quality time with the kid and family: While my 11 years old daughter is getting bugged with this lockdown, we make sure to spend quality time with her. As a family, we are catching up on movies together on Netflix and Prime. We also organized a virtual birthday party for our daughter. We have also bought her a few interesting books and games that we can all read and play together.
I know for sure, by the time 2020 ends, I will be a much stronger personal brand, and I will have worked on products and services that will help me for the long term. I am writing a historic 2020 that I will help me be content and delighted with myself.
How about you? What kind of history are you writing for yourself? Feel free to comment below.
