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The year 2020 was certainly difficult, but the lessons it left must be reflected upon and put to good use. Patrick Donohoe shares his New Year thoughts focused on the toughest moments of last year that challenged the competency of leaders, the changes in the environment, the worth of success, and our ability to deal with the most depressing times. Patrick also underlines the importance of starting new and positive habits this 2021 to gain a fresh outlook in life, especially in morning routines.
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New Year Thoughts, Realizations, And Reflections
Thank you for tuning in the first episode for the year 2021. I took a bit of time off and I’m excited to share some thoughts I’ve had as this interesting year kicks off, especially in light of what’s occurred. I look at 2020 and I look at what’s to come in 2021. I realized that the world never changes, but everything about the environment within the world is always ever-changing. The reason why I say the world isn’t changing because there’s rules and principles associated with the world and with life, whether it’s physical principles like gravity, math, psychology, business, health, relationships, even money, but the environment is always changing.
The world never changes, but everything about the environment within the world is always ever-changing. Share on XSometimes there are extremes, hence 2020 and some of the chaos that we’ve experienced in the early part of 2021, but it’s always changing regardless of the degree. We can’t change much about the environment. The only thing we can do is educate ourselves on what the principles are, what the rules of life or of the world are so that when we show up to life, when we experience the environment, we can align with that age old saying that life and our meaning is 10% what happens and 90% how we respond to it. I believe in that simple process is where true wealth is.
New Year Thoughts: People can’t change much about the environment. The only thing everyone can do is educate themselves on what the principles are and what the rules of life or the world are.
We have some challenges in the environment in which we are showing up every single day. Many of you, I include myself in this, had some good experiences in 2020, but also some negative experiences. As I looked at the statistics, I had to stop. It’s frightening, the number of suicides that have gone up, the domestic violence cases, weight gain, pornography consumption, derailed education, depression, substance abuse and the list goes on. 2020 was a year that’s challenged much of the world and it’s still challenging. It’s clear based on these statistics that most people were in reactionary mode and weren’t prepared. They didn’t understand principles, rules and laws. I include myself in some of the experiences I had, but I believe that if we look back at 2020 and we say, “I’m glad that’s done.” In a negative perspective, I think we missed a huge opportunity. I look at 2020 and it was one of the most pivotal years for me.
It was one of those times when you do a hard workout, you reflect back on sports that you participated in. It was one of those challenging times where you were pushed to your limits. In those experiences lies some incredible realizations about yourself, what you’re made of and the degree of fortitude that’s within you. 2020 was an amazing year. Now, we have 2021. I don’t think much of what happened in 2020 is done. It’s going to continue in 2021. What options do we have? What options do you have?
The world needs leaders and those who understand the principles of life, business, charity, gratitude, and leadership. Share on XYou can sit back and hope that the environment conforms to what you want or you can sit back and let things happen or you can take the bull by the horns. You can understand the principles of relationship, the rules of money, the principles of business and the fundamentals of leadership. Those aren’t going to change, the environment is in order to capitalize on the tremendous opportunity that exists, because most people are not responding, they are reacting.
Tao Te Ching
The world needs leaders and those that understand the principles of life, business, charity, gratitude and leadership. I hope that for those, especially who have read the blog are in a position to step up. 2020 was challenging for me in many ways. I’m assuming most of you can empathize with this, my family’s social, educational, religious and the normalcy was completely disrupted. I include myself in that. I count these moments when I had to dig deep, coming to an empty office where my entire team went home.
I was used to coming to a vibrant, positive energy that motivated me. I came to essentially nothingness. I had moments of breakdown. I checked out there were days that I didn’t want to work, to leave my family and to lead a company but then I was able to have those moments where I was tested. I faced that adversity and I used it as fuel to get to different heights. I don’t think life is about figuring out how to show up 100% of the time. I don’t know if that’s possible. That’s not the point of what I’m saying. The point is, it’s to think about life as a challenge, a test happening for you, not to you, being aware of that, then taking responsibility, getting back up and then moving your feet.
I want you to consider something. I want you to consider that wealth, success and achievement isn’t about making some wildly successful investment. It’s not about praying the gold goes to $10,000 an ounce or Bitcoin goes to $100,000 a coin or getting into the next Tesla or Amazon. I don’t know if you’re like me, but in my experience, realizing successful opportunities in investment, business and life on a consistent basis has to do with you. It’s developed by the more insignificant things that you do.
If we look at the nature of the unconscious world and how we operate as human beings, we're doing 95% of the same things we've been doing. Share on XIn 2020, I spoke a lot about asymmetry. I talked about asymmetric investments, asymmetric risk reward, meaning little risks, but massive upside. There’s also asymmetric allocation of time and energy. This 2021, we were gifted more time, more energy, but the majority of us and I include myself in this, we had moments where we didn’t use that time and energy for productive purposes. The reason why? It’s our habits. I talked about habits, but the quote that continues to repeat through my mind is by Lao Tzu. He’s the Chinese Philosopher. He was the author of the Tao Te Ching. He said, “Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” We are what we repeatedly do.
If we look at the nature of the unconscious world and how we operate as human beings, we’re doing 95% of the same things we’ve been doing. When those things are no longer available, for example, 2020, we don’t know what to do because we’re used habitually used to doing things a certain way. As you create your goals for 2021, you set your targets, your aim and you define what you want, consider adopting the habits. The simple things that you consistently do, adopting some new ones.
New Year Thoughts: As you create your goals for 2021, set your targets, and you define what you want, consider adopting consistent and even new habits.
One of the things I failed to do because of the disruption of 2020, was my morning routine. Consistently working out, meditating, gratitude statements and my priming exercise, I stopped. When I stopped that, my days were derailed. As you set your sales for 2021, be prepared for some storms, wind and curve balls, but let’s figure out how to welcome those. Let’s establish our habits so that as we face those during the day, we use them as fuel to live an amazing life.
I’m excited to interview some guests this 2021 that inspire me. Talk about some things financially that will be huge opportunities for entrepreneurs, for business owners and for professionals. Things are going to change. There is always opportunity. Thank you for the support in 2020. I’m excited for this new year, for you and for those leaders who have the opportunity to step up and to dig within themselves what creates a meaningful life. It’s in all of us. Sometimes we get to dig deeper to find it. I know it’s in you. I hope you step up this 2021. We got a good guest coming, Mr. Jim Rickards. He is an amazing man. He has a new book that is out. You’re going to enjoy it. It has to do with a lot of the things I’m talking about because of the pandemic of COVID-19 in 2020. There’s a lot coming down the line. If you’re prepared, there are tremendous opportunities. If not, it’s going to be painful. Are you ready to do this? Let’s go.
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