Wild Minds Weekly: How To Face The Future
Hello friends,
Everyone faces uncertainty, but the person that thrives is the person that leans in to it. The more you can embrace it, the better you will be able to adapt and thrive, no matter how the future plays out.
"The only certainty is that nothing is certain" - Pliny the Elder
History is filled with events and shifts that have made the future seem uncertain.
In the last 100 years:
-World War II and a Cold War
-Multiple recessions
-The rise of the internet
-The birth of AI
While the details may be different, one thing remains constant - change.
That's why one of the most important skills to develop is the ability to act in the face of uncertainty, and adapt quickly.
What happens if you don't?
Many people, in their effort to avoid uncertainty, accept the clear path - the one that seems more secure - because they think it will give them the certainty and sense of security they crave. But eventually, it leads them to lesser goals than they are capable of, and most of the time, a situation they don't want to be in.
It's easy to take the 'secure' job because it comes with a step-by-step progression, and bury yourself in a huge mortgage for the promise of security, but in reality you've locked yourself into a fragile life where a momentary drop in your income or failure of the system you depend on will cripple you.
Plan->Execute->Outcome is the model we're taught.
We're trained to follow the plan, climb the ladder, and eventually we'll reach a point where we won't have to worry anymore, where things are stable.
But real life is rarely so simple - as anybody who has actually had to manage even a small project knows. Everything takes longer and costs more than you initially thought.
And as a method for living your life, the old model no longer works. Things change too rapidly.
So what should you do instead?
Act->Adapt->Repeat
Action produces information, which guides your next action, which then produces feedback. Before you know it, you've taken 5 steps in the time someone else has just finished planning their first.
This is the foundation for dealing with an uncertain future.
But every action has a cost, so you can't just act randomly.
You need a sense of direction to guide you. That comes from asking the right questions.
Everyone focuses on what's going to change in the next 10 years. But the real question is, "What's not going to change in the next 10 years?".
Some examples:
1) People will want to feel healthy.
2) People will want genuine connection and experiences.
3) People want freedom, to feel like they have a choice.
If you can help people meet those desires there will always be demand for you.
Build your mission around things that are unlikely to change. Embrace the uncertainty along the way, and be willing to adapt. That's how you'll thrive in an uncertain future.
To your success,
Wild Minds Community
