What To Do This Week To Avoid Crippling Anxiety Around The Election and Build Your Business Despite Overwhelming Uncertainty
To prepare for a crazy US election week, I'd love to check in with you and see how you're doing. Email/text me anytime, to say hi or especially if things get rough.
How are you doing?
If you’re having a tough time right now, or you need someone to talk to, reply via email or text me at 561-886-8012 anytime in coming weeks. You are not alone.
I know 2020 has been general anxiety-inducing for many reasons, including the pandemic and the United States presidential election concluding tomorrow, Nov 3.
After successfully navigating all the uncertainty this year has provided, we are now facing a third spike in cases (close to 100k new cases per day last week, which will only get worse as we trail Europe in our trends, and they have now entered national lockdowns again in the UK, France, and elsewhere).
If the United States were to lock down again federally and/or state-by-state in late November or December (or perhaps as late as January 2021 if Biden is elected and places the county under lockdown in his first few weeks in office), that would also be crippling for many businesses, and the election itself brings threats of social unrest regardless of who ultimately wins.
Personally, I think we (my core team at Meeting of the Minds, as well as my household) handled ourselves well in the last 7 months.
Naturally, I’d like to do even better, and so here’s some things we’re thinking about in order to navigate these next few days of turmoil and the coming months which may potentially include local or federal lockdowns, an out-of-control pandemic, and the potential for tomfoolery post-election from radicals who don’t like the outcome.
Plan For Unfavorable Outcomes.
Related to the health risks of an uptick in daily cases, my fiancee and I are stocking up on crucial supplies now. We’re also putting ourselves on much more restricted house rules when it comes to how often we’d like to dine out or leave home for anything other than walks in the park or work, and we are communicating with family members about our expectations that everyone get tested ahead of Thanksgiving if we wish to spend time together.
I personally spent most of October traveling, and while I’m grateful to have seen family, friends, and clients in-person, with more public pandemic fatigue, all-time high cases, and the politicization of this pandemic, we are not waiting for action from the mayor of Atlanta, governor of Georgia, or President of the United States for leadership when it comes to our household and our families.
When it comes to business or investments, it’s worth spending a few hours to develop plans for emergency situations. What if the stock market tanks again like it did in March, or you can’t generate any revenue for weeks/months because of fear, panic, and pain among your clients?
If you live in a major city and you’re concerned about riots, protests, or other acts of violence, pack a “go bag” and consider when you might retreat to a different part of town or city if things got bad where you live, avoid downtown areas for the next week or so, and have your wits about you if you leave home to shop for groceries or head to work.
For me personally, I saw some of my investments drop almost 50% in a single day in March 2020, and we went somewhere between 30-45 days in Q1 2020 without generating any new revenue, but thankfully we had recurring revenue streams, low overhead, and quickly developed a ramp-up plan to get back to our normal revenue levels. For my investments, I reminded myself that daily, weekly, and even monthly price action did not impact long-term goals and plans, and I rode the pain rollercoaster to see those investments recover and actually accelerate in value because of the pandemic.
TL;DR - Stick to your guns, but plan for unfavorable outcomes.
Take Care Of Yourself.
This is a reminder for both you and me!
In 2020, I’ve twice hit 20+ pounds lost since August 2017, when I first started taking diet and exercise seriously again after a lifetime of struggle to lose weight and keep the pounds off.
However, while I’ve hit my “best” health metrics during the pandemic a couple of times, I’ve also veered dangerously in the other direction, coming within 6 or 7 pounds of my all-time chubbiness a handful of times as well.
Mentally, I’ve had some days and weeks that were more challenging than others, and when you’re managing your team, household, and network or community, it’s imperative that you limit your “pity parties” and focus instead on what action you can take, what plan(s) you can make, and how you can lead throughout these continued months of uncertainty.
For me, I’ll be locking in on sleep, meditation, running, stretching, eating healthy, making gratitude lists, and otherwise taking care of my health in the upcoming months so that I can take on any new challenges the remainder of 2020 will bring.
Don’t wait for New Year’s Resolutions. We need you at your best RIGHT NOW.
TL;DR - The best way to handle stress, the possibility of infection due to COVID-19, and the responsibilities of leadership is to take care of yourself first.
Limit Your News Intake.
Prior to 2020, I was of the mindset that watching TV, reading the newspaper, and scrolling my News Feed would only lead to negative emotions, “noise”, and a less-than-stellar attitude.
I’ve evolved to allow some intake of news, such as a few minutes of reading the New York Times in the morning, scanning a handful of email newsletters for which I’m a paying subscriber, and watching occasional YouTube videos from CNBC and other politically neutral media outlets focused on business and finance.
With the election concluding tomorrow, I could easily see myself plopping down on the couch and watching the news 24/7 until we learn of the election’s outcome (as well as to keep tabs on any post-election shenanigans).
But, for my sanity and to reserve my time for some of the other actions suggested in this email, I’m going to stick to a strict news diet and encourage my family to do the same.
TL;DR - After 10 or 15 minutes of scanning the newspaper in the morning, getting your favorite newsletters via email, and watching curated clips from media outlets you trust, you’ll have all the knowledge of the day’s news that you’ll need to stay informed.
For emergencies, others will tell you via social media, so focus your efforts on other positive actions instead of “doomscrolling” or watching too much TV in the next few weeks.
Give Back and Check-In On Others.
You are likely faring OK (if not surprisingly well) this year in regards to your personal finances, your business growth, your health and wellness, and other aspects of your life.
If that’s the case, and/or you want to quickly turn around your fortunes, then give back because your charity, generosity, and patriotism will leave you feeling empowered, grateful, and reminded of your “why”.
Tomorrow, for example, I’ll be working one of the poll sites in Atlanta, GA because there’s a shortage of poll workers due to the pandemic.
In addition to voting early, raising thousands of dollars for causes and organizations I believe in, and hosting webinars where members of my network learned about different ways to have their voice heard and make a positive impact during this election cycle, I feel pretty good about my contributions to society.
I’ll have a clear conscious regardless of the outcome of the election, and when I resume work on Wednesday, I’ll continue searching for ways to benefit my clients, family, and those who are less fortunate through my work. Helping others is one of easiest ways to give yourself a mental and emotional boost, too.
As a company, one of the best things we’ve done at Meeting of the Minds this year is raise lots of money for a wide variety of causes that aren’t necessarily political, whose organizations may have been overlooked this year with other pressing issues receiving more national attention, and so despite our most challenging year in business yet, we can hold our heads high as a team knowing we’ve leveraged our connections and “platform” in a meaningful fashion.
TL;DR - Donate your time, money, and expertise to others in order to feel better about your own prospects and contribute positively to society at-large.
Work On Projects Your Future Self Will Thank You For.
If all else fails, I highly recommend removing yourself from 2020 altogether and pouring your time, passion, and talent into projects that will have meaningful ROI in 2021 or beyond.
There are likely aspects of your business that were overlooked because of this year’s turbulence, and/or new projects you’ve decided to prioritize because life is short and the pandemic has led you to reconsider what types of client you’d like to work with or products/services you’d like to offer in the future.
Not only that, but maybe you’ve decided to finally write that book, chase after that TED talk, launch that new company, buy bitcoin, relocate your company or family, or invest in new aspects of your business that may not come to fruition for months or years.
Earlier in 2020, we revamped our website, launched a new monthly virtual event series, and began a premium newsletter service in addition to these free weekly emails.
And now, I’m starting to outline my next book (which will be published in 2022 or 2023), plan our Q1 2021 Meeting of the Minds which will take place safely IN-PERSON in Bermuda, and work on a “stealth” real estate project that will take a year or longer to actualize.
Working on these future-facing projects helps me focus on a brighter future and create opportunity, which is especially important in those moments where I’d rather curl up in a fetal position and cry in response to the sh*tstorm that has been 2020.
TL;DR - While others are focused on an increasingly-uncertain short term outlook for the next few days of the election as well as the remainder of this wild year, take some time to work on projects that will benefit you and your business in the long run.
I know this year has been tough, but let’s not allow these next couple months to be “wasted” when we can take care of ourselves and our families, plan for the future, and help others in need.
We will eventually overcome this pandemic, the nation will heal from the political and social unrest caused by the 2020 election and the underlying systemic issues that’s caused our societal division, and our businesses will survive and thrive or evolve into new companies that solve tomorrow’s problems for our Ideal Clients.
As your friend, I remain a resource to you if you want to vent, need some help to stabilize and grow your business despite the current business climate, and/or want to capitalize on exciting new opportunities and plan for an even better 2021 if you’ve been lucky enough to prosper this year despite obstacles and negative circumstances.
Shoot me an email anytime at jaredkleinert@gmail.com or text me at 561-886-8012.
And let me know if this list was inspiring or helpful!
-Jared
P.S. - Join us in Bermuda for our next IN-PERSON summit from February 26-28, 2021. Learn more at motm.co and head to our Upcoming Summits tab for more info.
Also, would you like to work with me 1-on-1 for an *all-day strategy session* on marketing & biz dev to plan for a successful 2021? I have ONLY 4 DAYS LEFT on my calendar for new clients. Check out motm.co/vip to learn more.
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Jared Kleinert is the founder of Meeting of the Minds (motm.co), as well as a TED speaker, 2x award-winning author, and USA Today's "Most Connected Millennial".
Meeting of the Minds curates "super-connectors" and subject matter experts as invite-only attendees to 3 day summits in places like Napa Valley, Bermuda, and elsewhere, as well as “deep dives” such as this Marketing and Biz Dev strategy & implementation workshop. Members of the MOTM network include CEOs of 7, 8, and 9-figure businesses, creators of globally-recognized brands and social movements, New York Times bestselling authors, founders of pre-IPO tech unicorns, c-suite execs from Fortune 500 companies, and others.
Jared's career began at 15 years old when he started his first company, and took off at 16 while working as the first intern, and then one of the first 10 employees, for an enterprise SaaS company called 15Five, which today has raised over $40M and has almost 2000 forward-thinking companies as monthly recurring clients.
Later, Jared would become a delegate to President Obama's 2013 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Malaysia, write multiple books including the "#1 Entrepreneurship Book of 2015", and speak at TED@IBM the day before he turned 20.
As a highly-sought after keynote speaker and consultant, Jared’s clients range from organizations like Facebook, Samsung, Bacardi, Estee Lauder, IBM, Cornell, Berkeley, AdAge, and the National Speakers Association. His insights on entrepreneurship, networking, marketing, and business development have been featured in Forbes, TIME, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, NPR, Entrepreneur, Mashable, Fox Business and more.
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