Welcome to 2021. And as you can imagine, everyone is expecting a better year than in 2020. I think that the best way to prepare and excel in 2021 is about changing your mindset. You see, mindsets are very difficult to change. They are like bad habits that have been infused in us for years, often hidden beneath the layers of our daily decisions, prejudices, beliefs, and more. A mindset is an inbuilt internal perspective that always comes to the surface when you are faced with certain choices. What you really believe about something will ultimately influence your actions or reactions.
Mindsets affect every single thing that you do. It is what you believe about yourself and can be positive or negative influences on your lives. Your limitations, possibilities, and opportunities are either boosted or limited by your mindset. What you believe foundationally will influence what and who you eventually become. These are principles that I have put into practice. And for 2021, I have determined to give these mindsets, even more, priority and discipline myself into ensuring that they become part and parcel of my identity.
Some people will come into the new year with resolutions, some with a desire or hope for a better or more successful year, and others with a negative attitude and zero expectations. It is impossible to predict what 2021 will be like but what you have control over is YOU. And so, you will need to pause and remind yourself this year what your 2021 mindset is going to be. This was my secret in 2020 that helped me have one of the most successful years ever in my business. These are seemingly simple principles, but they have given me revolutionary results.
When you begin to apply these perspectives, it will inspire you to become a new person. It doesn’t mean you change your identity or temperament; it just means that the way you allow things to affect you or your emotions will change.
Here is my 2021 mindset.
- I will prioritize priorities. There will be tons of distractions this year. Stats show that there is a surge in social media activity, but not only that, there is an increasing demand for visual entertainment. The world has changed, and the challenges are different, but you must learn the mindset of: What comes first comes first. You cannot afford to allow sentiment to pull you away from leading yourself. Sometimes this means walking away from toxic relationships or people who only seek to take from you and never invest back in you. People will do their best to demand your attention; some may even see it as their God-given right. What you have to learn is the skill of putting first things first. Some might resent you for this mindset, but it is worth it in the end.
- I will educate myself. I have learned that to compete at the top levels of my industry, I have to educate myself consistently. I have to invest myself in knowledge and push my boundaries to be excellent at what I do. I recently started learning 3-D animation as a personal hobby. There are multiple dimensions and a myriad of shortcuts and functions to be able to sculpt an image. This isn’t knowledge that drops from heaven. It is the result of learning and gradually, through time and experience, achieving mastery. Self-confidence is pride when it is not backed up by knowledge. When I am not confident about something, I learn about it or find a mentor to guide me. Leaders are lifelong learners.
- I will pursue a relationship with God. Sometimes we overthink what God expects from us. We relegate our relationship with God to a Sunday-to-Sunday experience in a building. The pandemic has changed all that. Many have finally realized that their spiritual future depends on a personal investment in a personal relationship with God. I just started a new journey to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in 2021. I’m loving it! I am so excited about the fresh revelations I am receiving right now. These are the verses that I have read multiple times in my life, but I have assigned time every day to read up to eight chapters and journal. This is not a religious practice for me, but it’s my mindset that this year, I will grow spiritually by studying the word and having informal conversations with God.
- I will plan the outcomes I desire. I have decided that I will not allow life to happen to me, but I will happen to life. I will live well, love hard, forgive quickly, and take time to project and plan what I want out of every day. My time is my own, and I choose what parts of it I give to others. I have set a goal of what I intend to earn through my company by the end of the year; I am clear on my monthly goals, and I have set time every day to walk towards these goals. I also know the people and partners that I need to engage with and those I will invest in to help support their visions and dreams. My future is what I choose it to be, not where I am right now, and not what I allow others to make for me.
- I will develop a better understanding of how money works. This mindset isn’t about accumulating wealth, but it is about understanding how wealth is built. Money always takes on the mind of who holds it. And so, I want to ensure that I am building sustainable wealth, not just for me, but for those coming after me. This goes beyond merely creating a budget and managing my expenses. This is about developing a new perspective about what money is, how it works, how to get it, how to grow it, and how to give it.
- I reaffirm my commitment to my purpose and building my platform. Did you neglect your platform during the 2020 pandemic? Did you choose to wait it out? I kept working hard. In 2020, we built our online community, and this year we’re launching an app. I worked tirelessly to finish my next book titled “Your Purpose is Calling.” I’m now moving on to the next one as we prep for the book launch. It’s time for you to reinvest in your platform. There was absolutely no reason to stop in the first place.
- I will make sure my child and future children have everything they need to grow and become purposeful leaders. If you haven’t heard, I just became a dad. This puts an extraordinary sense of responsibility on you. The fact that you have been given this unique opportunity to raise and guide a little human and help them grow from a young age to the fullness of their destiny is an absolute life-changer. My mindset has completely changed because I realize that I’m no longer living for myself and my choices have consequences. I am twice committed to ensuring that my child and future children have absolutely no needs or want that I cannot make happen for them. Their growth depends on my growth.
So I hope that this helps you identify what mindsets you need to develop in 2021. I took a two-day retreat to write my “commitment to 2021” document for the year. This helped me shut out the noise and focus. I’ve shared a few in this article. Your mindset will not only propel you; it will serve as an anchor. I’ve shared a few in this article, and I hope you will take the time to write your commitments to 2021 and identify those powerful mindsets that will give you the year you truly deserve.
Rotimi Kehinde 
Essy Rodriguez