4 Habits for Being Boss in 2021

Navigating 2021 presents its own set of challenges as we pick back up our lives and work, with the baggage that 2020 has left us in tow. In this episode, I'm sharing why the transition into this new year isn't like any old New Year's flip, and sharing my top 4 habits for bringing yourself out of what has been so you're fully prepared to embrace all that 2021 has to offer.

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Transcript

Okay, let's just cut right to the chase, shall we? 2020 has been a beast of a year, quite a humdinger, I'll call it and I'm very ready for it to be over. However, it's not quite, and because 2020 has been so intense, we'll call it, we are actually presented with a very unique set of challenges moving into 2021.

[00:00:23] This is not your regular New Year's situation. This is not your regular transition into a new year. This transition presents a set of challenges unlike anything we have experienced before. 2020 has crumbled our foundations. Right? All of the habits, all of the routines, all of the boundaries that we have set up over the past couple of years, 2020 has just chipped away at them.

[00:00:49] And if there's any left, they're not really that usable. So, 2021 is not a year that we can just march into, like we would any old year. It's not going to work quite like that. You can't just do your regular resolutions, set regular kinds of goals. In a lot of ways, in 2021, we have to go back to the basics.

[00:01:11] And that's what I'm here to share with you today in this video, it's also a podcast, I'm excited about this because this really does give us the opportunity to dive into those foundations of what makes us boss and make sure that they are firmly set so that the opportunities that do come in 2021 are built on that firm foundation.

[00:01:37] So let's dive in.

[00:01:39] 

[00:01:42]Hello? I'm Emily. I have dedicated the past decade to helping creatives do business. I'm host of the Being Boss podcast, a podcast for creative business owners and co-author of the book Being Boss: Take Control of Your Work and Live Life on Your Own Terms.

[00:01:58] And today I'm here to share with you three or four habits; we're going to see how many I can do in 10 minutes. Fingers crossed I can make this do. Three or four habits that you need to adopt going into 2021 to be as boss as you can be. So let's dive right in.

[00:02:17] My first habit is basic and I am sorry, not sorry about it. I mentioned a moment ago that 2021 brings an opportunity for us to get back the foundation of who we are, who we want to be, what we need to cultivate to go for our goals and dreams. And so the basic one is to start back up, to finally adopt, a gratitude practice.

[00:02:45] Here's the thing gratitude practices are everywhere right now. They are super trendy. Totally, maybe even a little over done because they're relevant. 2020 has presented us with 1,000,001 things to complain about, which means there's 1,000,001 reasons for us to practice some gratitude. So if you have fallen out of your gratitude practice, or if you've never bothered picking one up, I do think 2021 is the year for you to make it do.

[00:03:16]I'm going to love having this mug. Oh my God. It's like an exclamation point on the things that I say. I did not anticipate this being such a great prop, but I'm very excited about it. Okay.

[00:03:29]Here's the thing 2020 has dwindled our ability to be happy. Did I put that? Is that true? I feel like that might be true. It has definitely. Eaten away at our resolve. It has presented us with challenge after challenge, after challenge that has worn each and every one of us down, which means it is now our job to rebuild ourselves back up.

[00:03:52] And the best way for us to do that is to practice gratitude. It's to take little moments out of our day to look around and be mindful of the things that we do have to be happy about, that we can be grateful for. And adopting a gratitude practice, turning this into a habit, actually means taking a specific bit of time out of your day, every single day to practice gratitude.

[00:04:22] You can do this when you wake up in the morning, you can do this when you're going to bed at night; it doesn't matter when you're doing it, just take a pause at least once a day and be very mindful of the things that you have in your life that you have to be grateful for.

[00:04:36]One of my favorite ways to do this is to simply sit down once a day and write in your calendar, in your planner, in a notebook, three things that you are grateful for, big or small, doesn't matter what they are. Literally no judgment. If I can give you a little sneak behind the scenes, one of the things that I always put on my gratitude list is cilantro, plain and simple.

[00:05:00] I love cilantro. It's one of my favorite things; it adds so much flavor. And I know there's like a love it or hate it scenario, I'm not here for those sorts of comments, but for me, I love it and I put it on my list and they always feel kind of silly when I put it on my list because cilantro, really? And yes, really. I am grateful that I have access to cilantro and that it exists in the world. Simple as that.

[00:05:25]Okay, I do have a little bit of homework to help you get started with your gratitude practice. I would love for you to head down into the comments and share just one thing that you're grateful for. I tell you, there is a magic that happens in your brain when you take the time to think of something you're grateful for to actually write it or type it out in this scenario and especially if you're going to share it with someone. So head down to the comments and let me know one thing you're grateful for.

[00:05:50]So adopt a gratitude practice for yourself and get yourself back in the habit of being grateful, of being positive. Rebuild that muscle of finding the happy in everything, and you will undo a lot of what 2020 has done to us moving forward into 2021. 

[00:06:11] My second to habit for you to adopt in 2021, if you have fallen out of this habit, or if you have never adopted it, is to plan your week. Take some time out of your weekend or early week, every single week, and sit down and make a plan for everything you want to accomplish.

[00:06:30] 2021 is a year where we have to get back going, right? 2020 has been a nice... chill... and there's such a huge asterisk around the word "nice" on either side and underneath it. It has been a nice and chill year for us to not need to plan our week every week. We've sort of just like laid down and taken it. That's awful. Did I say that? But kind of. What else were we supposed to do? And it's time for us to take back our lives and our work. So, plan your week. Plan your week, every single week.

[00:07:10] If you want to know what this looks like for me, I highly recommend you go down into the description or in the show notes and find the link to my Time Management Training. I did a whole training on how I time block my week, every single week, starting with a to do list. I put it all on my calendar and guys, I get so much done, so much done. So check out the Time Management Training. It will give you a look into one of endless options you have for how it is that you plan out and tackle your week,  because I'm here to show 2021 who's boss. How about you? Let's do it.

[00:07:50] Okay. Let's get onto habit number three. I'm really hoping for a time for habit number four. But number three is to get outside. 

[00:07:57]What making a habit of being outside is going to do for you is it's going to shake up your routine a little bit. I recommend getting out at least once a week. Once a day for a good walk around the block, whatever that looks like for you. And then once a week going into nature, in some capacity, and getting yourself some turpines.

[00:08:20]There is this thing, you can Google it. There's this stuff called turpines. It's like tree breath, if I had to put it in like the most layman terms possible, totally makes me sound a little nuts. It's good for you. Whenever we're hiking, I'm always yelling at everyone around me, "Breathe in the turpines!" Drives my family insane, but it's good for you.

[00:08:44]And aside from the turpines, being in nature can help you think more clearly, and it will reduce anxiety.  And a three-day nature immersion, if you really want to make it do, can increase creativity and problem solving. Who would like some more creativity? Who would really love to have their problem solving skills back?

[00:09:08]Right? Nature, guys. Get outside and enjoy some nature. Make it a habit in 2021 and I think in nature will assist in all of us healing ourselves, because 2020 did a number on mind, body and spirit. Am I right? I think nature can help.

[00:09:27]Okay. I don't know how we're doing on time, but I'm throwing in a fourth one here. It's 2021, I'm ready to be a rebel. So my fourth habit for being boss in 2021 is to make yourself uncomfortable. And I know that after a year like 2020 all any of us wants is just a moment of comfort, but I'm here to ride the wave of discomfort and do it on my own terms. 

[00:09:57] 2020 gave us a little favor, perhaps, of getting us maybe used to the feeling of what it feels like to be uncomfortable. If you're an entrepreneur, you know that uncomfortable is just our modus operandi. Did I say that right? I wonder. It's our MO.

[00:10:12] However, if you are just starting your entrepreneurial journey, or if you are thinking about getting started, then make it a habit: make yourself uncomfortable. And I am very much so looking forward to 2021 being a year in which I can be uncomfortable on my own terms. I can take the risks that I want to take. I can define what discomfort looks like for me. 

[00:10:35] So for me, I'm going to continue the 2020 wave of discomfort, tweak it a bit into 2021, and keep on going because it is in discomfort to where growth happens for better or worse. But I went 2021 to be for better. We'll see, I have high hopes.

[00:10:56]And with that, those are my four habits for you to take with you into 2021 to be boss. Thank you so much for coming and hanging out with me for these few moments. 

[00:11:08] ,For me being uncomfortable is being here on the YouTubes. And I will probably literally call it the YouTubes forever. I am so sorry, not sorry about it.

[00:11:18]Thank you for coming to hang out with me. If you are listening to this on the podcast, be sure to check out the video version on the YouTubes. And if you are here and you want more of this, know that we've got more coming for you in 2021 and I'm very excited about it. But we also have a lot of content that's being dropped all the time at Being Boss and tons of free resources and lots of events.

[00:11:44] We are basically the best online party. If you would like in on that party, or the club as we call it, you could go down into the description and join our mailing list at beingboss.club/subscribe. I hope to see you there. You're going to get so much good stuff and I will be seeing you here again very soon.

[00:12:07] Until next time: do the work, be boss .