Let us assume for the moment that I am on to something with this dichotomy I have identified with normal times and chaotic times. This is not a forgone conclusion, but I will come back to that later.
How do you behave differently to be successful in chaotic times? As it turns out, the answer is quite simple, at least superficially. In normal times, you set goals, make plans, and pursue your goals. In chaotic times you cannot set goals and make plans because things are in a state of flux. This, after all, is what got me to thinking about this initially. Instead of setting goals, you have to look for opportunities. You may not know what is going to happen. But, when suitable opportunities arise, you must be prepared to take advantage of them.
How do you prepare yourself to take advantage of opportunities in chaotic times? This is a little trickier but still not that difficult.
Figure out, in general, what you are good at.
Figure out what kinds of opportunities might arise that would need the things you are good at.
Shore up your strengths so you are ready to take advantage of opportunities. This simply means that you should work on getting better at the things you are good at.
Make sure your are psychologically ready to look for opportunities.You need to be open to new things or things that do not look exactly like what you were expecting. You don't want to pass up a good opportunity just because you did not recognize it.
Make sure you position yourself to know about the right kinds of opportunities as they arise. This involves networking and keeping up with sources that are likely to provide information that you need.
Finally, you need to be flexible. If you make mistakes, learn from them. If you got something wrong be prepared to make adjustments to get it right. Don't be afraid to take chances or experiment.
Does this mean you should quit your job and wait for opportunities? No, you need to sustain yourself until something good comes along. However, you have time to invest in sustaining yourself and time to invest in your future. The time you invest in your future should be directed at preparing yourself to take advantage of opportunities.
Showing posts with label chaotic times. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chaotic times. Show all posts
Friday, November 21, 2014
Friday, November 14, 2014
Clue Four: Steppenwolf
These clues are coming from all over the place. But when patterns come together, it is because the pieces of the puzzle resonate with things that you might not even notice otherwise. That is what makes them clues. And I would also emphasize that they are clues because they are useful patterns for organizing your thinking about nagging hunches and intuitions. They are not messages from beyond in some weird mystical way. Well, let me take that back. I suppose they are messages from beyond in some weird mystical way. Just not the weird mystical way that most people might think of them.
In this case, however, there was a connection. The Mad Men epiphany got me to thinking about the turbulence of the 1960's which brought to mind a novel by Herman Hesse which was very popular at the time. The novel was entitled Steppenwolf and the name was popularized by a rock band who adopted the name. The novel was actually published in 1927 and republished in the 1960's due to its popularity at the time. And, surprisingly, it was republished again just a few years ago.
The main character in Steppenwolf was an individual caught between cultures who did not belong to either. He came to represent people caught between two cultures in the case of cultural change. Any culture, according to Hesse, has good things and bad things about it. But, on the balance, the good things out weight the bad. So, for anyone living in a given culture, life is generally tolerable. However, for people caught between cultures, life can be brutal. Consider, for example, a modern person transported back to Medieval Europe. Life would be horrible. However, if you took someone from Medieval Europe and transported them to the modern age, life would be equally as horrible.
People in the 1920's were undergoing substantial cultural change in a Post WWI environment, with prohibition, bath tub gin, flappers and a run away stock market. They were caught between the dying world order of the previous century and the nascent new order which would take a while to form. In the 1960's the Baby Boomers saw massive cultural change as well, which is why the book became so popular again. It is interesting to note that if you add 40 years to 1927 you get 1967. And if you add another 40 years you get 2007. All at the brink of impending massive social change. I don't want to make too much of this. But, it is an interesting pattern.
Nonetheless, this notion of transition between cultural norms gave further credibility to the idea that was brewing in the back of my mind. It suggested that we might be in chaotic times because we were at the brink of another wave of massive social change which has yet to take form. And we might be able to get some insights by looking back to the 1920's and 1960's.
In this case, however, there was a connection. The Mad Men epiphany got me to thinking about the turbulence of the 1960's which brought to mind a novel by Herman Hesse which was very popular at the time. The novel was entitled Steppenwolf and the name was popularized by a rock band who adopted the name. The novel was actually published in 1927 and republished in the 1960's due to its popularity at the time. And, surprisingly, it was republished again just a few years ago.
The main character in Steppenwolf was an individual caught between cultures who did not belong to either. He came to represent people caught between two cultures in the case of cultural change. Any culture, according to Hesse, has good things and bad things about it. But, on the balance, the good things out weight the bad. So, for anyone living in a given culture, life is generally tolerable. However, for people caught between cultures, life can be brutal. Consider, for example, a modern person transported back to Medieval Europe. Life would be horrible. However, if you took someone from Medieval Europe and transported them to the modern age, life would be equally as horrible.
People in the 1920's were undergoing substantial cultural change in a Post WWI environment, with prohibition, bath tub gin, flappers and a run away stock market. They were caught between the dying world order of the previous century and the nascent new order which would take a while to form. In the 1960's the Baby Boomers saw massive cultural change as well, which is why the book became so popular again. It is interesting to note that if you add 40 years to 1927 you get 1967. And if you add another 40 years you get 2007. All at the brink of impending massive social change. I don't want to make too much of this. But, it is an interesting pattern.
Nonetheless, this notion of transition between cultural norms gave further credibility to the idea that was brewing in the back of my mind. It suggested that we might be in chaotic times because we were at the brink of another wave of massive social change which has yet to take form. And we might be able to get some insights by looking back to the 1920's and 1960's.
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