Yes, I have been accused of being an optimist. Sometimes I have even been called a “Rose-Colored Glasses” optimist, which to my pessimistic accountant and banker friends is just about the cruelest insult they think they can launch at me. But then I just laugh them off and put my Rose-Colored Glasses back on.

Okay 2020 has been a horrible year, in many ways an optimist’s worst nightmare, but hey to me that proverbial glass will always be not only half full but filling up rapidly.

Look, admit it, was a bad year, one of the worst of our lives. I could join all of the other “year in review”  scripters and list all of the reasons why this was in many ways a horrible, terrible, really bad year. Let them write about that. Let’s be clear I know how bad it has been. I get it, I am not naïve, believe me. But I do believe that your outlook on life is a choice. As my mother has always taught me, “when you get up in the morning it’s your choice whether it is going to be a good day or not, so you might as well make the choice that it is going to be a good day.”

So being the silver lining type of person that I am, here are some things to be optimistic about going into 2021.

1. 1. We have the vaccine, or actually three of them, as of this writing. Developed in an amazingly short amount of time and proven to be twenty points more effective than normal vaccines.
   2. Our medical people and caretakers have proven themselves to be the most dedicated and committed of all of us. Working tirelessly to take care of the sick throughout this challenging year.
   3. We are on the verge of one of the most innovative times in our history. With challenges like pandemics come times of great creativity and innovation. We are already seeing a slew of new products being developed with more to come throughout the next few years. For our industry this means stay tuned and be ready to work on some of the most exciting and innovative products the world has ever seen. From sanitizing and purification devices, to new less expensive and easier to produce ventilators and respirators, to automatic no touch devices and much more. I just took part in a demo for a new software called Back2work which actually helps your associates choose their safe workspace as well as tracks who is wearing a mask and who is not. Amazing stuff that.
   4. All environments from stores to restaurants, to gyms, to factories, to our homes and places of worship will all be more sanitized, cleaner, and safer after this pandemic is finally over. We have all learned to be more careful about passing germs.
   5. We have found ways to work remotely, realizing that many positions can be done much more effectively away from the office or factory. I read recently that a full forty percent of the people who started working from their homes this past year will continue to do so. Think of the savings in money and time and energy this will result in.

 

• There will be less business travel as people realize how much more they can do virtually. We have come to realize that although face-to- face meetings are good, many of them can be avoided with a simple virtual meeting, saving hours and even days of time wasted in airports, not to mention the money saved.

 

1. And speaking of saving money, with travel funds not being used, there is more money for the marketing and publicity and social marketing investments that people have started making this year. We can expect to see much more of this kind of selling in the future.
2. Even qualification audits have been performed virtually this year. We can expect more of that in the future. 
3. During this pandemic people found time to reflect and work on things they had not had the time for in the past. People are reading more books, watching more intelligent television. I know a number of businesspeople who have taken advantage of the time at home to work on themselves. They have taken the time to read and study and watch seminars on how they can become better at what they do. I have even had a number of people reach out to me asking me to recommend some good business books that can help them to be better salespeople. We can expect all of us to be a little better going forward.
4. And yes there has been  more time for each other. For our families and friends. More quality time together. More time for meals with those we are locked down with. More time to visit with friends through Zoom calls and more time to reflect on what are in the end really the most important things in our lives

And finally, there is hope. The end is actually in sight. With a little bit of luck, we can look forward to next year at this time when we will be able to meet and celebrate the holiday season in the more traditional way, safely and in person with those we love and cherish.

I wish you all a safe and happy New Year

2021: “Let’s Hope It’s a Good One, Without Any Fear

It’s only common sense