prediction

noun [ C or U ]

a statement about what you think will happen in the future

Cambridge Dictionary

Yesterday we read an interesting article – one of several – about how accurate/inaccurate predictions for 2022 turned out to be. It was not great. Many predictions were so way off they provided a much needed laugh while a few were semi-accurate and a few were commendable in their prophecies.

The reality is that predictions are mostly educated guesswork. Some get it right and most get it wrong. Yes, some may be a result of skillful insight and data analysis, but most of it is simply guessing and gut instinct.

While it is easy to get sucked into the daily drumbeat of opinions and predictions, it may be better to simply acknowledge that we live in uncertain, unpredictable times, in which surprises lurk around every corner, and that the only thing we can REALLY work on and possibly control is our ability to adjust to these shifts and changes and navigate new challenges and surprises quickly and effectively. Unpredictability may be the new normal, although we suspect unpredictability has been around throughout the ages.

Just like there is no miracle cure for anxiety, it’s our ability to live with and manage anxious times that makes living with uncertainty much more bearable. It is our responses – or our choice not to react – that we can control….and acting is almost always better than reacting!