What do you need to do today to thrive in three years’ time? If you are where you want to be today, it’s because of what you did three years ago. If you aren’t, it’s because of what you didn’t do. We can’t change our past, but we can totally create our future. Today isn’t just one day. It’s day one.
January 1 2020 is just three short years away. One, two, three, are you getting ready? Are you positioning yourself for success? Are you developing the right skillset? Are you building the best business model? Are you surrounding yourself with future champions? Are you growing the right eco-system? Are you even thinking about these questions?
2500 years ago, Sun Tzu, the great Chinese general declared, “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war. Defeated warriors go to war first, then seek to win.” In other words, prepare to win now if you want to win in 2020. Either you take the future by the horns today, or it will impale you tomorrow.
A crisis is when the most important things collide with the most urgent things. It’s when you fight to stay in the game instead of being in it to win it. Now is the best time to plan for success because if not now, when? Precrastinate, don’t procrastinate. Do it before you need to do it. Don’t wait until your survival depends on it. We’re never at our best when our back is against the wall and everything occurs to us as a potential threat.
The opposite of mastery is being a slave to circumstances. It’s when you feel like you’re driven by desperation. Your environment becomes hostile because it demands more than you believe you have to give. You become overwhelmed and anxious instead of confident and excited.
So let me ask you again: what do you need to do today to thrive in three years time? Just asking this question will boost your ability to answer it. It will pole-vault you above your problems. It will move you towards victory because it focuses you on getting there. When you ask what it takes to win in just over 1000 days, your brain expands in direct proportion to the challenge.
Losers never ask themselves: “what do I need to do today to thrive in three years time?” because they don’t even think they’re going to win in 24 hours time. They’re already behind the eight ball in their own minds. They avoid their challenges, they don’t embrace them.
Here’s the great news: if you’ve watched this far, you’ve got the right stuff. You are the kind of person who doesn’t wait for things to happen. You make things happen. You don’t just report the news, you make the news. You see volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity as opportunities to be pursued with passion and delight, right?
On October 23, The New York Times reported that “52 percent of American adults are coping with high levels of stress brought on by the election. Therapists say that some of the issues in this election – national security, terrorism, hacking threats and sexual assault – play into some of our deepest fears and anxieties. People are wondering, how can I feel safe, who will take care of us?” The answer is that you are the one who needs to take care of yourself so you can take care of everyone else.
As a strategic coach and motivator, my job is literally to help people plan for success in three years’ time. I have discovered that when you have a plan, you have certainty. A plan transforms change into opportunity. It puts you in charge. It gives you a roadmap. It enables your brain to filter out the noise and identify the signals you should be following.
All successful businesses have a plan. They have short term, medium term and long term strategies. They live or die by their forecasts. However, very few people follow the same discipline. They hope their companies, their communities or their countries will take care of them. They hope their jobs will be secure. They hope their health will hold out. They hope it will all be okay in the end. Well, maybe it will and maybe it won’t. One thing is for certain: your most important priorities are not other people’s most important priorities. If you are not chasing your dream, you’re chasing someone else’s. If all you do is keep your nose to the grindstone, you end up with a very short nose.
So here is a simple three-step plan for developing your 2020 vision:
- Be a professor of the game. Your vision is contingent on the context in which it occurs. Understand the trends that are reshaping your business. Anticipate what your customers will want. Study the players and their value propositions. Identify the key influencers and connect with them. Ask new questions if you want new solutions. Always be learning. Curiosity is the secret sauce of success. In my world, for example, the key game-changer is the fusion of autonomy and collaboration. The winners over the next three years will have extreme courage, competence and compassion. They will be both self-directed and service-oriented. They will be exceptional individuals who are terrific team players. I’m focusing my energy on helping my clients achieve that balance of power.
- Imagine your desired outcome. Fast-forward your mind to January 1 2020. Who will you be? Where will you be? What will you be doing? What will you have achieved? What is the perception that you want others to have of you? Why will you be happy, fulfilled and fully self-expressed? Dare to dream. Don’t hold back. Produce your own Hollywood ending. Your life is bigger than any fiction. In my case, I will be acknowledged as one of the best coaches in the world to some of the best professionals in the world. My work will inspire thousands of people to inspire thousands of people. Together with preeminent partners, I will pioneer new techniques for people to empower each other through their words and actions. When people hear my name, they will smile, breathe deep and go for the gold. That’s what I’m talking about. What is the prize that you’re fighting for?
- Take the first steps. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. But the reason why people don’t take the first step is that they’re afraid of the thousand miles. What would you do today if you weren’t afraid? What would you do right now if you were absolutely certain you couldn’t fail? What must you do immediately to achieve your desired outcome in three years’ time? I’m creating this video. I’m defining my desires. I’m declaring my vision. I’m putting it out there. I’m giving it all I’ve got so you can go for all you want. This is what I do. This is how I practice being a world-class coach. I know that it only takes one influencer to champion this message in order for it to go viral. After that, my next steps will reveal themselves to me as I move forward on my path. How can you practice being what you want to be in three years’ time? Remember the Butterfly effect: small changes now will cause large consequences later. As the scientist, Edward Lorenz, demonstrated: a flap of a butterfly’s wings can ultimately cause a tornado. Every act is a cause set in motion so get moving.
That’s it. I hope that this message excites you into action. Whatever happens, I know that becoming a professor of the game, imagining your desired outcome and taking the first steps will help you thrive in three years’ time. This is Mike Lipkin and I’ll see you in your dreams.
A really inspiring video, Mike. It got me revved up at 8 am for the day, the new month and next 1000 days. Love your word “precrastinate” and the concept that with a plan comes power…. and that power comes from within me. My council of champions for the coming year includes your new Checklist book, plus programs by Brian Tracy and Jim Rohn. Thanks for your insights
Mike – I’ve followed you for years. Hope to work personally with you. Have taken my company from nothing to a 10million dollar venture. :-). Now – have to figure out next steps… Thanks for all you do!!
This is awesome Mike! Perfect timing for my upcoming discussion with my team for their 2017 goal planning.