Toronto, January 2, 2013
According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2013 is the Year of the Black Snake. This is the year that requires focus, discipline and fanatical attention to detail. The Snake is the sixth sign of the Chinese Zodiac. It is also the sign of the sixth sense – enigmatic, intuitive, and introspective.
Black is the color of space, night, and deep water. It is believed that the Black Snake will bring people unexpected changes and instability. That means being careful and creative, balanced and bold, responsible and risk-taking, proactive and protective in equal measure.
Success in 2013 means managing paradox. A paradox is a statement that seems self-contradictory or absurd but it expresses the truth. If 2012 was the year we narrowly avoided Armageddon, 2013 will be the year we rebuild our collective success one person, one call, one act, one day, one win at a time.
2013 will be a year of reconstruction. The winners will be those everyday heroes who champion a cause. As Bob Dylan sang, “you’re gonna have to serve somebody”. You’re going to have to choose something bigger than yourself that fires up your passion and your imagination. Then, you’re going to have to think bigger, and play bigger than you ever have before.
Like every year, there will be breakdowns and blow-ups on a global scale. There will be breathtaking magic and heartbreaking misery. We will all suffer unexpected defeats and benefit from undeserved victories. Some call it luck, or the lack of it. I call it “Earned Grace”. It’s the currency we create through the contributions we make. It’s the favours, reciprocation, goodwill, love, support, affection, connections, camaraderie, and trust we cause through our words and actions.
In the US and Canada, we will grow, albeit slowly. India and China will grow four times faster. Europe will grow four times slower. It won’t be any easier for anyone. Earned Grace is an inside job. By definition, it’s difficult. It’s the antithesis of anyone-can-do-it. It can only be achieved by stretching. It means pushing through one’s boundaries to discover what else is possible. It can be uncomfortable and awkward. It can provoke anxiety and doubt. It can risk disappointment and dismay. But those barriers are merely the price of entry. They are there to be obliterated. They will only stop you if you are stoppable.
So what’s it going to take this year for you to be unstoppable? How are you going to earn your grace? What cause are you going to champion?
No matter what your motivation, I know one thing: it’s going to take a Passion for the Grind. That means sustaining your idealism and enthusiasm for the work that needs to be done. It means summoning the energy and vitality that the work demands – day after day after day. It means doing the little things so well that they become big differentiators for you and your brand. It means immunizing yourself against frustration and cynicism that erode your willpower and mojo. It means understanding that every action can either sharpen you up or wear you down. It’s your choice, but it’s also your discipline.
So this year, I will live by the sense of The Black Snake. I will earn my grace by enabling others’ success. I will condition myself like an athlete. I will remember my gifts and relish my difficulties. I will be the person I would like others to be for me. That’s why I’m talking to you. Let’s pay it forward together.
