2021... are we there yet? Here's some optimistic predictions for the new year.

Remember 2019? 2019 is looked at now as if it was "the good old days," when things were normal and there was no virus. Though depending on where you live and your situation in life, 2020 was supposed to be the year when things got better.

We know how that turned out.

This does not mean we should not hope, nor give up on trying to make a positive impact in our world in 2021 because 2020 has probably been the most difficult year globally since the peak of World War II in late 1944. Quite the opposite. Now more than ever, big and innovative ideas are needed as well as action on those ideas to once again make the world a place we all want to live in, Covid or no Covid. The coronavirus will eventually be tamed everywhere, like it has been in a few places, and we'll be left with whatever world it is we've set in motion when its gone.

LinkedIn has just released Big Ideas 2021 and while some of the ideas are predicting things like act II of a global recession, naming heatwaves like major storms and difficulties getting everybody a vaccine who needs it, there is definitely room for optimism and LinkedIn's list of 15 big ideas is full of optimistic predictions for 2021. You should check it out.

As for my own big ideas and predictions for 2021, I'm going to end 2020 on a puffy cloud of optimism, and be damned my pessimistic sensibilities after writing this newsletter for the last nine months. I still believe a post-Covid future might be really weird compared to what we knew last year, but that doesn't mean there's no room for hope. This is especially true after watching the first person get vaccinated with a Pfizer jab in the UK. Vaccines seemed so far off but now they're actually here and being distributed.

So here's a few of my big ideas for 2021. What's yours? Share in the comments, or just let me know how wrong I am.

? We will significantly cut down on our social media use

How much time have you spent on any of the major social media networks this year compared to 2019? I'd venture to guess you've upped your social media engagement this year. What do we typically do when we're on social media? Many read news, of which I'm technically a part of, even more watch cat videos, some look at naughty stuff, others follow influencers, some get inspired, some go to LinkedIn to connect with other professionals or share career advice, others disappear into rabbit holes on Reddit... we all kind of take our own social media journey.

In 2021, I think many people will have simply had enough of it and will be burned out because of the excess of being online and excessively active in social media in 2020. We'll cut back to the social networks where we see actual real-world value as a return, rather than stress or instant gratification. Well, unless you're a teen and you're probably still on TikTok unless it gets banned.

Why is this an optimistic idea? Because I'm a believer that too much social media can be detrimental. It has too much power in being able to influence us in ways we have a hard time even recognizing. For example, this year I'm way more conscious of ads appearing on one of my social media accounts perfectly tailored to me based on my prior surfing habits on the web or other social media sites. It creeps me out. I don't like it, and I notice it every single time now.

I'm pretty sure my sentiment isn't an outlier here, and I think people in general are going to be seeking ways to get back to actual social interaction when they're presented with the opportunity to do it safely once again.

? We will return to the office sooner than we think

Again, I know, I know... work from home! Remote working is the future! The five day work week is dead! Numerous companies have permanently shifted many functions to WFH. I've written about it, done polls, read more articles than I can count.

The return to the office may currently be on hold in countries where there's been a devastating coronavirus resurgence, but I think what will start to happen towards the later half of 2021 is that some of those companies that have moved to permanent WFH operations might just be starting to say, "Wellllllllll, maybe ya'll should start coming back to the office again, since we've got five more years on the lease."

Why is this optimistic? Well, not everybody loves working from home. By the middle of 2021 people who have been forced to work at home in less than ideal situations will have exhausted their tolerance. Combine that with vaccines reaching more and more people and coronavirus slowly coming under control internationally, and offices will swing back into life. But they'll definitely look different from what we were used to pre-2020.

? Small businesses will make a comeback

There was a day over the summer where my wife and I went out in Singapore to try and do some exploring of restaurants and shops that were historic. Three of the four we visited had recently gone out of business. These small business closures are happening all across the world. Its depressing to think about.

But! Small businesses are started by people with an entrepreneurial spirit. These are people which when the time is right and the opportunity and the means are there, they'll come back and start again. It might not look the same, and it might take longer because of varying degrees of help from different governments, but they'll be back and they'll be supported by their communities more than before.

I do foresee more pain before it starts to get better for SMBs though, particularly in countries still struggling through major outbreaks. The tide will eventually turn and I feel as though we're going to start seeing some really innovative small business models start to appear by the end of 2021. When that happens, I'll personally be there and ready to spend my money with them when they're back. At least in the U.S., the idea of an economic boom once the vaccine spring comes is being predicted as a possibility in an UCLA economic forecast which says to get ready for another "roaring '20s".

? *We'll find a way to get along with each other again

*Asterisk* This one is admittedly more of a hope than a "I'm confident this will happen" kind of thing because I know, I know, people are so divided. We hear it and see it every single day. Some countries are more divided than others right now (hello America, my home country), and the divisions can run very deep. These divisions didn't just magically appear in 2020, but were exasperated by the pandemic and events of the year.

Here's what I choose to believe could happen in 2021: Some of the shock of this last year is going to surface and people in the millions will start the process of dealing with all of the weight of grief, loss, stress and uncertainty we've been living with. There's only so much room in our heads and hearts to hate, or to continue being pissed off at people or convincing ourselves conspiracy theories are truth. So I believe many will re-learn what it means to find a common ground with others once again, for the simple fact that it's gonna take too much energy to carry on like we have been.

? One last thing...

I'm fully aware of all the problems the world is facing. I'm confronted with many of them daily on both personal and professional levels. All of the sickness and death. The heartbreak and job loss. The crackdowns on democracy and human rights in some places. The struggles for racial and gender equality. These things aren't going to magically disappear in 2021. But by acknowledging the work we have to do, even if it starts in small spaces and and our own spheres of influence, we do have the ability to begin turning things around. At least I'd like to believe we can.

?? Share your big ideas for 2021 in the comments below, and don't forget to go and read more about what to watch for next year with LinkedIn's 15 Big Ideas for 2021. No really, go take a look. There's some excellent and really compelling predictions in there by people smarter than myself.

...Actually, one more last, last thing

THANK YOU to all the subscribers and readers of this newsletter, which has been sporadically updated lately at best. The reason I do keep coming back to it is because of the readers and those who say they get value out of it.

Know that we creators of content and writers of words sitting behind our screens really do get our motivation from all of you. So, thank you for helping to keep me going in 2020. If you don't see another edition before the holidays, stay safe, be well and see you in 2021. ??