"In a downturn, you don’t find momentum. You make it!" - Futurist Jim Carroll
In a time of volatility, uncertainty, and a lack of clarity, the most natural reaction is often the worst one: we do nothing.
We pause. We overthink. We wait for something to settle before we make a move.
We seek clarity and wait.
We end up waiting a long time - because the irony of this is that clarity doesn’t come from waiting—it comes from moving.
That's the real secret to getting through this volatile time.
Over the past eight posts, we’ve explored what it takes to lead into the future when everything feels unstable: replacing fear with action, and nostalgia with vision. Challenging inertia through innovation, and stress through strategic resilience. Leading with agility over indecision, and thinking globally, not locally. Things like that.
But none of that matters if momentum is missing. Because without motion and moving forward, there is no forward.
That's why you need to imprint this idea in your mind. “You don’t find momentum. You make it.” The future doesn’t reward the ones who paused the longest. It rewards the ones who moved—even just a little—when no one else was.
And here's a secret you should know - progress isn’t always dramatic.
Sometimes it’s quiet, compounding, and invisible to everyone except those who kept showing up. Let me be blunt - inaction is a decision. And it’s usually the wrong one. When volatility strikes, many leaders freeze - the exact wrong thing to do. But the organizations that keep moving build momentum that outlasts the downturn.
Why do you need momentum, even if you don't know where you are going?
→ It allows for achievements – small wins fuel bigger moves
→ It shifts your mindset – which is what you need
→ It enables refinement – progress improves as you move
→ It reveals direction – showing key trends
The key isn’t to make a massive leap. It’s to take the first step—and then another. And another. Soon you are walking into tomorrow - and then running.
You are already well into the race to the future, while the rest haven't even figured out where the starting line is.
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Futurist Jim Carroll is already well into the Acceptance stage of the 7 Stages of Economic Grief because he knows that it is the only sure way to deal with the relentless uncertainty that already defines 2025.
#Momentum #Action #Volatility #Future #Progress #Strategy #Clarity #Leadership #Resilience #Adaptation
Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/04/decoding-tomorrow-your-daily-future-inspiration-in-a-downturn-you-dont-find-momentum-you-make-it/
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