I remember back during the financial crisis in 2008. I was trading back then, just had sinus surgery, and the world felt like it was falling apart.
I remember a series of unthinkable events taking place.
The destruction of Bear Stearns. The failure of Lehman. And all those other firms that collapsed.
Then there were all the steps the government took.
How many times I thought, they can’t do that!
Then they did.
You can’t suspend short selling. Done.
The Fed can’t buy bonds! Done.
And so on.
At the end of that period, what was clear was that there was no rule that was sacrosanct.
There were no taboos.
There is something liberating about understanding that.
It leaves you free to think clearly. It shapes realistic expectations about the world. It opens up a world that you may have considered off-limits.
You are informed through observation of action.
Being liberated from constraints of the past
Do you remember January 2020? Do you remember that world? That life?
Those days are gone.
They’ve been locked up, forced to do unthinkable things. Their businesses closed. Treated like criminals.
Some have turned into informants. Others hypochondriacs.
Thinking back to the GFC in 2008, I see the same story playing out. All kinds of rules and conventions are not sacrosanct. Things you thought were unthinkable happened every day.
Decisions so questionable, you’d have your ass kicked out of a business or public office for them in 2019.
But then they became justified.
And this is a frightening thing in some ways. But it’s also liberating.
Now you know.
Now you know that none of these things is immutable.
Now you are aware of the malleability of the situation.
Nothing is guaranteed other than maybe stupidity.
Now you can think like a strategist.
Think like a strategist
I recall a webinar where a strategist talked about what a strategist was and wasn’t. Strategy isn’t the execution of an idea. It’s a vision of the world unbound by the constraints in the conventional now.
What could this world potentially look like if I could imagine it like a strategist?
When rules, morals and conventions are proven not to be sacrosanct, you can choose to hide in fear or embrace your inner strategist.
Because everything that’s happening was always possible, it may not have been likely at different times, but it was always possible.
Don’t think your life can’t be erased? It can, in the digital sense.
Didn’t think your ability to speak freely could be threatened? Any questions?
Now you are free to see the world as it is and act accordingly.
You don’t have to accept survival
On a call in 2021, I heard someone say they were still in 2020 mode. They are still constrained by the world they remember. I have heard people use the words surviving, getting by and so on.
Lots of people feel this way. They are passive in the face of incomprehensible challenges. And it’s understandable.
But what if we looked at the world after all this is behind us?
What if we thought about that world like a strategist?
What might that look like?
How could we lift our thoughts from the chaos and stupidity of today and see the future beyond this? What does that look like?
And what if we start preparing for that world, whatever we think it could be.
What if we embrace a vision of a different time unbound by the conventions of January 2020.
Imagine what we could do?
Imagine what could be accomplished.
You’re ready. All you have to do is decide
Money comes and goes. Jobs exist, change and are replaced. Things evolve and disappear.
And now you know things can change dramatically.
This is valuable information.
You are no longer constrained by the beliefs of certain elements of stability.
They never existed. They were an illusion.
And deep down, you are capable.
Look inside. You can find it there if you want to.
Lift your chin, and start building for the time after this.
Be ready for that moment.
Tomorrow is a new day to build and grow.
To get ready.
To build the foundation for the world as it will be.
And if you’re ready, you can help shape it.
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Get in touch with me at tristram@wordsunfold.com and let’s see how we can shape the future together.