Uncertainty is the only Certainty

We have a new reality and it’s called uncertainty. Global financial collapse, relocation of industries, emerging markets, technological disruption and political unrest has forced everyone into a world of change and unpredictability. Uncertainty has risen to a scale that has never been seen before. Each era has had its issues of uncertainty, as history has taught us, but today our perceptions and feelings of uncertainty are different due to technology. The more interconnected we are, the more uncertainty.

 

The 2008 economic crisis demonstrated how events that were previously thought to be unconnected are connected. There are few indicators of what's to come with financial markets so volatile and companies cutting back to prepare themselves for the unknown. It's a stressful time, where long-term planning is becoming difficult. It's impossible to predict whether your clients will be able to afford your services in the future or whether you'll have a job next month. The career you have now might not exist in 2020. Sociologist Immanuel Wallerstein said:

 

Uncertainty is wondrous, and… certainty, were it to be real, would be moral death. If we were certain of the future, there could be no moral compulsion to do anything. We would be free to indulge every passion and pursue every egoism, since all actions fall within the certainty that has been ordained. If everything is uncertain, then the future is open to creativity, not merely human creativity but the creativity of all nature. It is open to possibility, and therefore, to a better world.

 

In the uncertain environment, it’s important to be open to new opportunities or create your own. One great strategy is to make a list of what you want to accomplish during your lifetime.  Think about your passions: what you want to do and the impact you want to have. Write down your goals and prioritize them based on the current market forces. The good news is economic downturns favor innovation because they present problems that need to be solved. We need to be open, agile, humble and curious to allow new ideas to emerge or we simply won’t adapt or progress. We need to be confident and clear about our values, disciplined, as well as have the courage to acknowledge that we don’t know everything. It is important to remember the things you take for granted today might be completely different tomorrow.

 

With lovingkindness,