Stay Ready so you Never have to get Ready!

This is the final in my New Year refresh series and as I continue, I’m at the point where after all the decluttering, I’m now ready for the ‘fix up’ after the ‘clean up’. It’s February so there’s still time to make those moves and get your 2021 plans underway.

Just think, in this very moment you are sitting on a goldmine, even as all seems desperate and scarcity appears all that is in our future (probably a bit overly dramatic after the year we’ve had).

The gold is in everything that you know, everything that you have ever experienced and everything that you take for granted about yourself. All of this knowledge and perspective is a gift that should be shared with the world.

And now with the way the world is set up it is a bit easier for us to share that knowledge, with the pent up need so many people have to learn new things and the ease of access created by communications technology.

But if you’re wondering about the how, I have a few insights. You have most if not all the resources you need to be able to make a significant change.

Start with what you know

You know something that is very valuable to someone else and you may not even know it. Whether it is something that you spent years of your life studying in school, a hobby or simply something that you have always been deeply interested in stop taking it for granted. You never know what it is that other people don’t know and there is so much.  One of the good things the pandemic has done is opened the appetites of all of us to learn something new.

Your knowledge and insight into a particular area may be just what someone else desires to learn about right now and all that’s missing is your willingness to connect and share. Maybe it’s your interest in cooking or marketing or even crafting. Believe that there are people who want to learn what you know and will be willing to engage.

Never stop learning

After assessing what you actually know, is there anything else that you could brush up on? Learning never ends so there’s nothing to lose in either learning new skills or refreshing those that you already know. Internet connectivity has democratized learning for many of us, who can now simply enroll into free courses online.

It’s now easier than ever to acquire news skills and apply them to your life immediately, even if you already believe you are an expert in a particular area. I’ve been fortunate to access a number of marketing and communications related courses over the past year that have proven to be career enhancing. They both reinforced stuff I already knew, while teaching new concepts that are benefitting me now.

Whatever your interest, it is almost certain that there is a resource that exists to help you refine and increase our knowledge such as Coursera and Udemy.

Find your Tribe

Yes, there are communities of people who share your interests and now with this invention called the internet, it is easier than ever to connect with these like minds. Regardless of your interests, you can find thriving even niche, online communities that can help to nurture and help you to engage with persons from across the globe. It can be as simple as searching through hashtags on Twitter to find your tribe or discovering the perfect groups on Facebook or LinkedIn. Either way, adding your voice to ongoing conversations will not only help you to share your perspective, but learn from others.

via GIPHY

If the online space is not your ideal landing strip to discover your tribe, then maybe a service club or even a professional organisation such as Toastmasters would be ideal options. If all else fails then begin the process of building your own community, create meaning and purpose around what you are interested in. An immediate inspiration is my friend who decided to start a book club with other friends who wanted to work on their reading habit, a few years down the road and it is now a thriving community of earnest readers.

Get you some headshots

Now for the pièce de résistance, the look and feel that will add the perfect finishing touch. Get you some headshots! If you have never had any taken, now is the perfect time to have some taken, because opportunities may be coming your way and you will need to be ready.

Over the past year, I have either organised or been part of several forums where a headshot is absolutely necessary and having one is the best way to be ready. Why you may ask?

Well, the growing need for persons, like you, to share their expertise and knowledge in multiple virtual spaces, means that pretty soon you may be asked to share your headshot for one of those forums.

You should never be asked for a headshot and all you have to share is a selfie from either the passenger or driver seat (no shade).

You can follow this video for some tips on taking headshots on your own using a good cell phone but if you want, there are photographers available who will be more than happy to take them for you at a cost. They will act as a snapshot of your personality even before people are introduced to you and they can saw so much about your brand values and the overall energy that you are sending out into the world.

Be Prepared

The successes we will experience this year will be based on the preparations we make beginning today. Arthur Ashe  said “One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” Get ready to benefit from the opportunities that will come your way this year, just because of who you are and what you already know.

Be inspired, Be informed, Be Glorious!

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