Like all of us, Perry’s world hangs in the uncertainty we all face about the future.

Perry graduated from Lancaster University last year, with dreams for his life and work. He had a sense of what the dream might be, how he wanted to use his knowledge and skills, and the impact he wanted to have in the world. He didn’t have absolute clarity, but Perry was sensing it out; taking intentional steps towards shaping his goals.

On the surface the global pandemic appeared to have put barriers in the way of his progress. It shut down some of his lines of thinking. The pathways to moving forward appeared closed. People and opportunities he was following up, appeared to evaporate into thin air. Everyone was re-focussed on survival. Perry felt lost.

Bounce Forward

Searching for inspiration was how Perry has moved forward. Practical insights from thought leaders and ordinary people people sharing their experiences and wisdom for these times, have given Perry fresh focus and new perspectives. It’s kept his thinking free. He feels connected. He’s gathering momentum to bounce forward. He has hope for personal growth and making a contribution to something that matters.

Perry and some of our current students joined us recently on a speaker series we hosted in the work in Progress online channel. On a Tuesday and Thursday for four weeks we listened in on-line together to people from all over the globe talking about what it takes to be ‘Antifragile’ in this new world. After each ‘Antifragile’ session, with insights and new thinking seeded,  we explored the powerful lessons and how we might dig deeper into the themes that had touched us. We learned from the speakers and Built on their thinking together.

Three horizons

Perry has retuned his thinking and he’s looking at three time horizons. Now, near and far. He’s asking himself, ‘What can I do now, in this moment to make a difference for others?’,  ‘How can I be ready when ‘near’ arrives?’ and ‘When I scan the ‘far’ horizon, can the dream still be the same? What’s the new possible path to get there?’

Perry has inspired our team at Work in Progress. He has done amazing international work in this moment to help many, many people and businesses in Kampala, Uganda stay safe in the Covid-19 crisis. That story is coming up in our newsletter. Sign up below.

Retune your thinking