It might not be political correct to state that 2020 is the most exciting year of my entire life. I am not talking about the pandemic and its individual tragic and the political decisions that turned the world into two “political camps” (worriers vs deniers). This is another important conversation, let’s keep it separate.

The reason why 2020 is one of the most exciting years of my life (and I guess for a lot of yours, as well) is because a window has opened. And we know that it will not be open for a very long time. You might also call it the biggest reset button in history. 2020 is a window of experiment. And we are half way through. 58% percent on Jul 31st, to be exact.

I want to encourage you to embrace this concept, because we are not in a crisis, we are in the beginning of hyper-acceleration. Or, in case you are familiar with exponential functions: in the knee of the curve.

Exponential functions are tricky for us human. We cannot wrap our mind around the concept of a doubling function (just to take an “easy” exponential function). The curve looks like a line for a very long time. Centuries into the function, we start recognising change as something real. But it still feels natural for us. Here is a quick list of things, we did not have, 25 years ago:

Wifi • Smartphones • Online banking • Online search, such as Google • Online shopping, such as Amazon • Stem cell technology • GPS • Flat-screen TVs • Contactless payment • Tablets • YouTube • 3D printers • Netflix • Data encryption • Skype • Modern electric cars • Kindle • Bluetooth • Facebook • Wireless headphones • Ancestry DNA kits • Sony games consoles (PlayStation line) • Amazon Echo • Spotify • Fitbit • UBER • AirBnB • Apple Watch • zoom • Smart Home • AppStore/PlayStore • 1TB external Hard-drives • Flashcards/Memory-Sticks • Camera-Phones …

Computing power initiated this new era, that is responsible for the latest massive growth. Gordon Moore predicted in 1965 that every 18months, we will see a doubling in computing performance and bisection in pricing. Until today, we call it Moores Law. With a doubling of computing power and the mindset of a information-driven company (~datacompany), combined with a costumer obsessed culture, we have arrived in a world, divided in companies who operate five years ahead of technology and companies who are trying to beat their competitor at [ ] (fill the blank).

We are entering a stage of exponential growth that is fair to call “chaos”. And chaos can be a good thing, because if you look at it in your favour, you can see what chaos allows:

• Experiments. You will not go anywhere if you follow your competitors achievements, striving to be better at them. But you can experiment. And it will be ok. The immune system of established organizations to fight change is weakened. People are doubting that past processes and “truths” still work in the future. Most of them just do not have an answer what is “true” instead. So experiment. Not as a project, but as a new routine in your life/company. Start with an experiment, next monday. Give it two weeks. Evaluate what works, what does not work. Start with the next experiment, the following monday. From then on, you will run two experiments, simultaneously, every week. Evaluate what works. No one will learn as much as you, right now.

• DWYL. Never been more true, accurate and possible: Do what you love. What are you actually really good at? What is your strength? What do you enjoy doing, most? It is time not to waste lifetime on anything else. Eventually you might become really good at it and it will bring more money into your pockets, than ever before.

• Think in Impact, not in Revenue. When you follow the concept of Experiment, you will have “ideation” as part of your process. Don’t measure/judge the idea by the factor of potential profit. Measure your idea by factors like Impact (how many people will have a better life with what can come out of this idea?), Confidence (are you confident that you can run and finish this experiment in two weeks?) and Ease (how easy will it be to execute this idea into a prototype within two weeks?). Et voila you have a score. Scores are always better than bias. “I like it” or “I do not like it” is a result of a chemical process in your brain — and who of you has not been in a situation in life, where you regretted a decision, you have just made last week…? A great routine to learn to think in impact is making a list, once a week (maybe today?) of thinks that happened throughout the week that you actually no not want to accept anymore. Do this each week, after three weeks, you will have a business-idea.

A friend of mine taught me that we have to go from “to me” (victims-mindset) to “by me” (you have your life under control) to finally understand and embrace “through me” (go with laws and principles). To me would call this year: “Because of covid, I could not…”, By me would call this year: “Despite of covid, I could…”, but through me would say: “Because of covid, I could…” I would like to invite you to make a list of 5 things that you could ONLY do, because of covid, this year. And let this list grow. Because 2020 is an amazingly exciting year. And the window might not be open, too long… Have big fun out there Niki