Vote for Yourself in the New Year Here's how you can accomplish your personal, career and business goals in 2021.
By Kanika Tolver •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Each new year brings new goals and resolutions to mind, but after spending so much of 2020 centering our emotions and thoughts around presidential candidates, what if our main goal for 2021 was to vote for ourselves? And in every area of our lives? Maybe now is the time to be laser-focused on prioritizing our careers, businesses, families, health and finances.
But the real question is: How do we put ourselves at the top of our personal ticket? Turns out it's not that different from the process of running for office.
Related: 5 Ways to Be More Strategic and Successful in 2021
Nominate Yourself
As we begin the process of voting for ourselves, we have to first shift our mindsets and vote for a better life. This requires "nominating" yourself as the leader of your own future. Despite your past failures, obstacles and setbacks, you have to believe in your goals. Even during a global pandemic and amid economic crisis, you can restore and rebuild your life by endorsing yourself and representing the party of you.
Campaign to Win
You need to build a strong infrastructure by assembling your campaign team, which in this case means your professional network and customers. You can't campaign to win alone; it's important to align your professional network with your career goals and align your business model with good customer experience and competitive prices. Just make sure your campaign team's values align with yours. You can collaborate with managers at work or leaders within your business field and ask them to endorse you by writing a recommendation on your LinkedIn profile or a five-star business review or testimonial. Leverage relationships as you campaign to win this year.
Market Yourself
As you are on the campaign trail to empower your career and business, it's OK to market yourself with what I refer to as an ADS-based strategy: Accomplish Dominating Success. When you market yourself effectively, people start to believe you deserve a new job or a promotion at work. Your business customers start to believe in your products and services. You can market your knowledge in job interviews or on LinkedIn and on other social media platforms. There are so many avenues, but you first have to vote for yourself before others will support your success.
Transition into Success
Now that you've learned how to become a winner, it's time to transition into success, the same way an elected presidential candidate transitions into the White House. You have to own your wins this year and transition into the life you deserve. The best way to maintain success is to continue to learn new skills and learn from others who have advanced knowledge. Always remain a student of your career and business, and your success will continue to happen. You have to celebrate your wins — big or small, all year long.
Related: 9 Must-Read Books to Prepare Entrepreneurs for 2021
If last year nearly broke you, try starting this year off by voting for yourself. Self-advocacy will help you remain resilient during difficult times. Remember: You govern your life, career and business. Success can happen when you campaign for a better life and do the work to win your own election.
