The last two years have been unlike any other in our lifetimes. As we close out 2021 and enter 2022, it’s an excellent opportunity to reflect on the lessons we’ve learned, how life looks today, and what we want to accomplish in the next 12 months. Here are some things to consider.
Celebrate Your Successes
Give yourself time and permission to review what you have completed in 2021. When you zoom out to your 30,000-foot view, you’ve likely learned and accomplished more than you think. Compare your status on January 1, 2021 with today, and celebrate the changes you’ve made and projects you’ve finished.
Monetize These Trends
Several trends will continue from 2021 into 2022 and beyond. How can you monetize them in your business?
- The move to remote work is likely to continue in many industries, including financial services and technology, where the work is delivered digitally. Hiring virtual workers also benefits employers by giving them access to a larger talent pool and the ability to reduce overhead costs associated with a physical office.
- Expanding your online presence, including ecommerce if it’s relevant, is paramount. Most businesses allocated resources to improve the online interface between company and customers, as the shift toward online spending increased due to the pandemic. Some brick-and-mortar businesses adapted their business model to develop new digital services, enhancing their current product line.
- Climate changes affected many businesses this year in at least two different ways. Some were victims of extreme weather disasters. Some became more visibly supportive of climate initiatives, working them into their mission and offerings.
- Accelerated automation using artificial intelligence will continue to move through the technology adoption curve. If you haven’t considered adopting the technology yet, now is a good time to ask yourself: can your business benefit from AI-driven tech solutions?
- Diversity and Inclusion initiatives will continue to be a central focus in 2022 and beyond.
- Workforce demographics are finally changing. More young people are working in 2021 compared to pre-pandemic numbers, while workers over 50 are retiring at a faster-than-normal rate. Millennials are starting businesses in large numbers, and one statistic shows that 80 percent of those businesses are profitable.
- Staffing struggles are real in many industries. Many business owners who can no longer find employees have had to resort to outsourcing, contract, part-time, virtual, and many other capacity options to keep their businesses afloat.
- Social responsibility has been prioritized by the Millennial and Z generations, leading business owners to ask how they can do their part in their businesses.
- Life-goal realignment is something that has swept the world as people experience a collective wake-up call as a result of the pandemic. The search for purpose and meaning is one of many side effects of this trend. Be sure to consider how this shift in mindset is affecting your customers and employees.
Set 2022 Intentions
If a resolution feels like an empty promise to yourself, consider reframing your goals as intentions that you can always realign yourself to. The New Year is often one of the best times to reflect on how you can incorporate the trends above with the personal and business successes you’d like to complete by the end of 2022.
Make your list, then schedule milestones on your calendar so you can track your progress.
Above all, we want you to have a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year in 2022.