Please don’t fall into the trap of assuming everything will go back to normal again as it used to be before the pandemic. It won’t.

Everything is changing drastically, and the world you knew will totally be different in the next several years. You better stop resisting and adapt to the irresistible winds of change unless you want to be an all-time winner in a post-pandemic world.

A simple piece of advice first.

If you are unsure about the magnitude of the change and what the future may look like, I advise you to read the following stories.

• 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations for 2030
• Wild Predictions from Rabo Bank for the world in 2021
• Mind-blowing 2030 prophecies from the mastermind of the favorite Davos Summit
• The New Green Deal every American must know
• 55 Trends that will change the world forever
• 15 Mega-trends that are shaping the future
• 15 Dark trends that may destroy the world
• How to win money from Digitalization Trends

These should give you a taste of what is coming.

Once you have a clear understanding of what the future may look like, then you must design your future state and clarify your targets. Only then will the tactics below will maximize your returns.

Below are the 7 tactics I do strongly recommend you apply every day.

1. Learn from others

Everyone has a skill, talent, or knowledge we can learn from. Even an animal or an insect or a mountain can tell you something if you know how to see with your heart. Stop your inner judge and just be a silent witness to hear what the universe is whispering to your deaf ears. Your inner critic relies on your mental programming, so change your point of view to be open to learning.

2. Surround yourself with people better than you

Your future state is dominated by the 5 people in your inner circle. These five people you interact with most of the time (be it your wife, boss, best friends, or guru) determine your personal growth and success.

If you prefer to stay in a toxic environment full of negative people, imagine what your future will look like. Your inner circle is a mirror of your future and will wire your neuroplastic brain accordingly — garbage in garbage out, beauty in beauty out.

3. Read every day

You cannot be successful unless you learn. Books are one of the most valuable resources. Don’t read the summaries but read the book. Diving into a book will open up a new world and give you new ideas.

4. Find a mentor and also hire a coach

A good mentor and a coach are game-changers. A coach knows how to ask powerful open-ended questions and will be a mirror to help you find your own answers, while a mentor will guide you. Even Alexander the Great, one of the most successful kings in the written history, had a mentor — Aristotle.

You cannot know everything. Everyone has their pros and cons, opportunities and threats within. You, like everyone else, have shadows and blank areas. Only a living mirror will help you awaken from your ignorance, obsessions, unconsciousness and show you the way.

5. Meet new people

One of the world’s biggest treasures is to be surrounded by genuine friends who are there for you both in good and bad times. You would not have developed this network unless you met these people before. So go out, socialize, network, and make new friends. Life is better when we share.
When it comes to learning, being surrounded by people who think differently is another treasure as that diversity will help you learn things you would not be able to learn alone. So make sure you ate surrounded by a diverse group of people who are not afraid to share what they know and speak up for themselves.

6. Travel, see new places, enjoy different cultures

Most people stick to what they know and avoid traveling. That is a big mistake. The world is bigger than you know and even if you live in the best part of the world with access to everything, you still know little.

There is no learning without leaving your comfort zones. Travel is, therefore, a great way to stretch yourself. Not only will you meet new people and visit different places, but you will also be exposed to different ideas, thoughts, values, cultures that will teach you beyond your expectation.

7. Listen and ask more. Speak less.

None of the 6 tactics above will yield any results unless you know how to listen actively and let others, especially those who are different from you, be themselves.

Active listening will bring you to a learning mindset through observation, but it will not be enough. Unless you ask the right, powerful open-ended questions with care and compassion, people will not open up their minds and hearts to you.

The world is changing, and our children of generation Y and Z have a lot to teach us. Our communities are becoming more diverse with people from other cultures. Technology is changing so fast that you will most likely not be able to catch up alone.

That is, we need each other to survive and to win together. There is no winning alone. So, I strongly advise you to adhere to the tactics above and guarantee that you will see its results and become a success magnet.