Daily Inspiration: “Think of the future this way: we’ve just hit a great big ‘Pause’ button. We’ll press ‘Play’ again one day!’

“Think of the future this way: we’ve just hit a great big ‘Pause’ button. We’ll press ‘Play’ again one day!’ – #Futurist Jim Carroll

Anxiety, worry, uncertainty, confusion, anger, denial – these are the emotions that likely rule your day. They’ve become the new normal.

It’s not a lot of fun not knowing what comes next….

And yet, we do know one thing – even though we are in very early days with this global ‘thing’ (as I’ve come to call it), we do know that one day will emerge into the future. We also know that it will be very different from what we had expected.

What will it look like? I’m spending a good part of my day thinking about that – I am clinging to my old life as a futurist with both hands, even though there isn’t a lot of demand for that insight right now!

One thing I have realized is this – history is being rewritten in real time – and there is so much happening from so many different directions that it is extremely difficult to predict what it might look like.

But one thing I do know is that right now, there are a lot of pretty significant trends that will shape our future.

People who have been blindly opposed to immigration are now seeing those very same individuals as the personal-care workers at nursing homes risking their lives.

Kindergarten teachers are suddenly experimenting with distance learning, forever shaping the future of education.

Truck drivers and store clerks are also becoming our new heroes as they work to keep the supply chain happening and the grocery stores full.

Medical professionals? A whole other level of courage. May we build in the future a global healthcare system that respects their beliefs.

These are significant trends, and they are happening in real time – with the result that as we come out ‘the other side,’ the world will never be quite the same.

The key point? The future is still out there – and it is being rewritten and redefined in real time!