How To Kill It In The Year Of The Tiger

The 7 things you absolutely, positively need to do

Hi, this is Mike Lipkin and I’m thrilled to celebrate 2022 with you. According to the Chinese Zodiac, The Year of The Tiger begins on February 1. It’s exactly the right animal spirit to fuel your success this year. The tiger denotes strength, vitality, courage, speed, power and grace. It’s also a fierce and skilled hunter, renowned both for its cunning and independence. 

2022 will take all your Tiger instincts and then some. The one thing we know for certain is that catastrophe is the new reality. The next variant is just a mutation away. But one person’s catastrophe is another person’s breakthrough. Even the word catastrophe comes from the Greek word, Katastrofi, which means to overturn. The last two years have overturned our perception of everything we regarded as normal. 

The paradox is that we should expect more predictable unpredictability in 2022. And people are acclimating to this weird normal. According to a December 2021 National Post survey, 52% of Canadians feel the same way they did a year ago. 21% are happier, 6% are much happier and 20% are less happy. The mood is shifting from shock and dread to acceptance and adaptation. What are you feeling? I’ll tell you right now that I’m part of the 6%. Here’s why:

For all the pain and suffering, 2021 demonstrated the immense resilience of the North American ecosystem. The most dramatic lesson is how quickly we can rebound and recreate our capacity to thrive under any circumstances. Setbacks are miraculously short-lived. Regeneration is self-perpetuating. We’re heading into 2022 with powerful momentum. The economy is growing by almost 6%, we’re adapting robustly to a fast-changing virus, ESG investing doubled to $120 billion and, best of all, we’re becoming more compassionate and connected to each other. According to the Giving USA Foundation, charitable contributions reached its highest level ever at $474 billion. 

At the same time, I’m no Pollyanna. I know the headwinds ahead. As a professional speaker and corporate coach, I’m experiencing the impact of Omicron on public gatherings. But I know the lull will become a boom soon. In the meantime, there’s always virtual. This is just my avatar speaking. Pretty realistic, right? 

If you want to kill it this year, here are the 7 things that you absolutely, positively need to do – master them one action at a time:

1. Immerse yourself in the metaverse – this is the intersection of digital and physical worlds. Understand how you can morph into hybrid and back again. Learn how to shapeshift seamlessly from one sphere to the other. Be as good virtually as you are in person. Upgrade your technology. Fully express yourself online. Be all in and play full out. 

2. Know your game. There will be a greater need for trusted advisors than ever before. In a hyper-changing environment, people need guides through unchartered territory. Virtualization is accelerating complexity. Algorithms can only take us so far. We need real live humans to take us the rest of the way. Knowledgeable intermediaries are making a comeback in every category from travel and investing, to health and self-improvement. Promote your subject matter expertise. Give people a reason to believe in you. Then raise the bar every time. 

3. Connect with people. Be the person that is constantly reaching out to others in any way you can. Everyone needs reassurance and validation. We’re all confronting fears we don’t know how to handle. The right message at the right time can literally be a lifesaver. Make the time to call – it will be your most profitable investment. Build your social muscle. You’ll discover that you get far more than you give. Prepare to be surprised by the upside.

4. Redefine your relationship to risk. Manage it, don’t try to eliminate it. Protect yourself as solidly as you can. Then get back out there. Assume an expansionary mindset. Like the tiger, be constantly moving. Home is a safe space to come back to, not to lock yourself in. If you spend too much time by yourself, you’ll lose perspective. To quote the great Andy Dufresne, “get busy living!” whatever it takes. 

5. Find your own homeostasis. This is the state of inner equilibrium where we perform at our best while adjusting to external conditions. It’s the lifestyle and operating rhythm that maximizes our personal health and wellbeing. It’s different for every person but there are universal principles that can guide us. Live intentionally. Avoid activities that weaken you. Get feedback from people you love and respect. Constantly calibrate your course forward.

6. Invent your immediate future. There is no such thing as a post-pandemic expert. We’re all rookies in this new reality. Begin by deciding what you want to be by December 31 2022. Describe that person. Declare the three most important goals you want to achieve. Formulate your process for getting there. For example, I want to be The Potentiator – someone who creates breakthroughs with others. I want to sell 100 000 copies of this book – including one to you. I want to win 100 speaking engagements and I want to be the healthiest, fittest version of myself. Promoting this book, creating this podcast and working out 7 days a week are three of the ways I’m inventing my immediate future. What will you do? Send me your commitments and I will be your accountability partner. 

7. Keep your faith. Optimism is self-fulfilling. Whatever you look for is what you tend to find. Be willing to be disappointed but never destroyed. Disappointment is merely a test of your commitment to your dream. Don’t be naïve. Follow the evidence all the way to the opportunities others have given up on. We’re all living on the fruit of someone’s else’s refusal to quit. More than one person is counting on you to go all the way. So, what’s it going to be? That’s the question you want to be asking yourself every day. Today, I’m taking my message as far as I can.  

Hey, I hope I’ve activated your Tiger instincts. Let’s kill it together in 2022. If you like this video, make sure you order my new book and audiobook, The Potentiator, on Amazon and Audible.com. They’re packed with insights on how to create breakthroughs with others in a post-pandemic world. 

This is Mike Lipkin and until the next time, stay in the hunt for what matters most to you. Keep moving if you want to reach your goal. It’s closer than you think.