Another year is going by and a new one just ahead of us. End of year is always a great time to reflect on ourselves. Our mind needs these checkpoints and milestones where we are able to give ourselves deadlines and timelines. Therefore, we usually end up getting ourselves into to this new year resolutions and targets. Nothing wrong with that, in fact good if we are able to train ourselves to work in that manner, set some goals and take firm actions towards them.
Now while you are at it, one thing which I have learned over past few years and have helped me greatly, I will share with you today’s piece. It’s a simple advice of two words and I am certain if you are able to embed these in your years to come no matter which aspect of life you work towards, these will be your best friends.
Stay Liquid
That’s right, do not trap yourself to a strict mindset. Allow yourself to learn and grow. Adapt to the need of today. The more experienced you are in a certain field doing things over and over again, the more difficult it is to accept what you always had been going may not be applicable anymore. Imagine what happened to those salesman post covid who thought the only way to close the deals was with a handshake or to those tech managers who thought there was no way of getting people to deliver something without even being there in a single room. They are still probably waiting (if not already out of jobs) for things to be back to normal rather than accepting the new normal, adapting to it and growing.
We are all at a point in time where life will give us a huge set of opportunities but they would be of a different nature, not what we have known over our previous lifetime and in order to succeed, in order to win, we will need stay liquid. Personal growth will only come with freeing yourself from the “I have always done it this way and it has worked out for me well” thinking. Move from know-it-all to a learn-it-all mindset. Be it your personal relationships, your career, your physical and mental health.
Let’s discuss briefly on how these two words can help you be a good leader. Leaders may have reached where they are going through a variety of experiences in their past, but what they are leading is not past rather a team who is going through the new challenges of today. If they aren’t flexible enough, how will they understand those challenges and work through them. For how long will their bandages of the past work? If they aren’t liquid enough, how will they respond to the varying needs of different situations and individuals in their teams and organizations? To be an effective leader it is vital for them to stay liquid and tune to their environments.
These two words aren’t just so you can personally adapt and stay relevant but also when running a business. There are businesses who keep complaining about the adverse effects of changing environments and “lockdowns” in covid but a successful businessman stayed liquid (even literally) and was able to adapt to the changing needs. We all know how profitable that person has been even through these times.
Where to Start? Take small and simple steps. Start by letting yourself be free to all the voices and opinions out there. Listen to everyone and their ideas. Ponder over them.
Stay Liquid!