You can do it yourself. Here is a simple exercise
You strand in the middle of your crises. All is about damage control. I know it is not easy, but if you don’t believe in an after this you are doomed even before. So, take a deep breath. Create at least a mental safe space where you are allowed to think and feel about your future. If you can involve some friends in this.
- Mentally image yourself in an arena. It is the future. It is 6 months ahead. Life is a bit more normal but it is also radically changed. New actors play. New connections come forward. Old ones have disappeared. Your recourses are different. Your needs have changed. Others needs have changed. Customer, friends, public institutions suppliers, the physical flows all have changed. Some a little some drastically. Let your fantasy paint a picture of how the arena you are acting on is in that future moment
Draw it physically! Manifest it, sing it, make a poem. Let it take its form. This is because then it will make a much firmer imprint on your mind. And it is so much easier to change and in the future find the real form of the arena once you are there in six months? time.
It is called Scenario planning and is really simple if you let go and play with it. And just for the record. You will be wrong. Not in all but in several places. But it doesn’t matter. It is far better to change a picture you have drawn than to start from a blank sheet, exhausted and bleeding from six months of battle during that period. You will be far ahead of almost everyone around you. You will have an idea to work from not a brain-shut-down
- See yourself in that arena. Stand there in the middle. Look at it. Now is it time to ask what do I want? What future do I want to have for me, my loved ones, for the society and all other major stakeholder of interest to me. The same thing. Let the phantasy carry you forward. Dare to dream. Don’t be afraid. It might be too ?dreamy? but you can always correct it later. Again, you are far ahead of all that does not make any effort to seek their direction and their intentions.
Draw it. For the same reason as above. Yes, I am serious. Draw it and do that together with your friends and your loved ones. You will be surprised on how most people will jump to the occasion to do something and to create hope for a future.
- Thirdly Now is the time to see how to get there. From now to then. How to bridge. You might only have glimpse of the road, but do your best to create a game plan for the journey. Not in detail but are there some major steps. Some important stepping stones, some bold actions to take. List them. Even if they don?t add up perfectly. It is the best map you have for the future journey into the uncertainty. And I tell you very few have even something slightly like yours. You are far ahead of the rest.
What do you have in your hand now? You have a Reference point for how to priorities in your damage control. Some things are inevitable but some are not. You will seek solutions that lead ahead to your future. You will have anticipated some of the elements of the forces that work on the future arena. Whenever you can you choose in the direction of your future. That is worth a lot.
Best regards and good luck
Ulric
