How is it that in the midst of what feels like a recession (and is, according to second quarter numbers) that the market is going in the exact opposite direction than what we would expect?
And how is it that we are seeing the housing market with amazingly low interest rates and all of the inventory being bought up the day it hits the market, with record unemployment and even city-wide vacancy? It seems to me that we are collectively building a “change proof” economy by becoming smarter in business and investments. And we are witness to this digital revolution acting as the missing piece, the thing we all needed to pivot into a more resilient, productive collective, to experience a new normal we actually want to experience.
Digitization of Life
Remember when the entire internet was like the wild west? Or how about that time Google actually had to purchase the Gmail domain from Garfield the cartoon cat, because, at the time, Garfield offered a free email service? (it’s true!) We’ve come a very long way since the original Gmail was Garfield mail from a lasagna loving cat. In fact, the pandemic has brought us even further into our own processes of digitalization – a world where our entire lives rely on the digital platforms that allow us to work and play, invest and find success, often without ever leaving our homes.
A recent conversation I had with Naresh Vissa, the Founder and CEO of Krish Media and Marketing, points to the U.S. investing in its own economy and future as the path forward, the way we’re experiencing these changes without absolute chaos, and I think there’s a lesson in this we all might need to hear right now.
One Simple Truth
In the United States, there’s been over $10 trillion that’s been injected into the U.S. markets, and while, politically, our opinions might be all over the board, the thing that isn’t is this: it’s working.
The US is investing in itself, upwards of trillions of dollars. I’m no financial guru, but I have learned one very important lesson in life, over and over again, and it’s this: when we invest in the things that matter, those things stick around. When we apply that to life in general, we might see that the more we invest in our health, the longer we get to live a healthy life. Or the more we invest in our own skills, the more we get to experience long-term success.
The Benefits of a Pandemic: Resiliency & Deurbanization
Speaking of U.S. markets, our housing and real estate market is experiencing a massive boom… unless you’re a high-rise in the middle of NYC. Home is the center of our lives now. Where we wake up, work, play, eat, and sleep. This has spelled trouble for those vacant high-rises, as corporations realize they don’t need the glass walled skyscrapers to be financially fortified. This change-up is bringing deurbanization front and center because people are realizing they can pay less, to have more space, and less stress. Has this affected you? Have you considered landing somewhere you always wanted to, because work can go with you anywhere now?
Do it For YOU!
The second thing is working hard at improving yourself. Skills are today’s currency. Skills are important. I recommend that people not focus on one skill but try to master multiple skills. Try to find things that you’re good at and pursue them further. If you don’t know what you’re good at, we have this great thing called the internet and Google. A lot of things are available for free online. That’s how you can perfect skills – through free newsletters, blogs, podcasts (like mine), books, courses. There’s so much available that you can utilize free of charge.
Naresh has his own approach to investing in himself, “Physically, I try to exercise every day. I try to play tennis twice a week. On the days that I don’t play tennis, I run around the block and get some fresh sunlight and do some cardio. That’s the physical side. Mentally, I play chess, I try to work on being sharp.”
Uncertainty Gets A Bad Rep
What I want to leave you with today is a reframe of uncertainty. The beautiful part about life is that even the good is uncertain. The good is not necessarily predictable, so we shouldn’t connect uncertainty to negativity. How many times in your life has something happened and you exclaimed, “What a nice surprise!”? That’s what I found in my life, through many different pivots professionally and even personally. When we challenge our addiction to certainty, our addiction to having to know things before we can take action or sleep well at night, what has opened up are opportunities. And these opportunities are things I couldn’t have predicted, great results that I didn’t necessarily set out to see happen, as well as several things that I did intend to see. Uncertainty is what we make it.
Let’s Take Action
What do you want to speak into existence when you start your day? That’s my question to all of you. For me, the four words that I use are, “I love my life.” These days and almost all the time, I say, “No matter what,” whether it’s the best of times or the worst of times, this too shall pass. What’s a constant is whether you show up for that day prepared to love your life. My question to all of you is, what do you want to speak into existence tomorrow when you wake up? You decide. You could borrow those four little words or you could create your own. You have that freedom to speak into existence everything that you want in your life.
One Final Truth Bomb
The way to deal with uncertainty – and benefit from it – is to invest in yourself. Whether that means going for a walk, meditating, playing some board games with your closest friends or your partner, snuggling up with your dog, doing some yoga in the park, getting to bed an hour earlier than usual, improving your skills, reading more books, advancing your degree… There are so many things we can do for ourselves to use uncertainty for good. Just like the U.S. economy right now, the more you invest in yourself, the more change proof you’ll become in the future.
If you love this pivot – listen to the full conversation here. And don’t forget to let me know how you’re building your own Change Proof future in the comments below.
