“The most valuable math you can learn is how to calculate the future cost of your current decisions.”
Read that again. This is one of those anonymous quotes that really resonates with me!
When I read this, it struck me as the kind of statistic every forward thinker should have at their fingertips. A piece of something that is an innate reminder that while strategy is often framed in charts or logic models and frameworks, it actually begins with imagination, loads of listening, and yes, with foresight.
In a world that is constantly drowning out our inner voice with the chatter and noise of doom, consumerism, and curated self-promotion, forward thinking is becoming a rarer trait to find everyday. I mean we probably would all agree that it is the dreamers who shape the world, but for some reason, in many spaces this dreaming has been outsourced to capitalists or elected officials, or organizational leaders. But we all are leaders within our space and forward thinking (dreaming if you’d like) is more necessary than ever.
As leaders in our various spaces I see many of my connections, friends and networks very busy doing the back breaking work of shaping movements, building communities, tracking growth and impact, scaling promising ideas etc.. As things get busier, we are often overwhelmed, burned out, and pulled in too many directions. But have you noticed how energizing it is when you finally get to sit down and dream wildly? To brainstorm those out-there ideas that make your heart race and your mind spiral?
I personally come alive when discussing big dreams and ideas, sometimes the conversations are so wild, and yet tangible too, even practical when the discussions get really lively! Think about it, have you been in those conversations where you could go all day — and then all night — just unwrapping ideas and possibilities?
I have discussed some pretty wild ones like building an Africa-wide data “thing” that transcends geopolitics, yet elevates the African narrative and agency. Even talked about solutions that empower women in remote communities using sustainable and accessible tech. The curiosities discussed about what happens when AI meets blockchain, and what that could mean for how work, power, and values might shift.
Those kinds of conversations can rewire your thinking and even approaches to how you do what you do in the day-to-day. Those are the kinds of conversations that help create the vital statistics and math that help you stay sharp, and I dared say to stay human also.
P.S If you started to think “let’s set a convening for this kind thing”, you’ve missed the plot, because the best “dreamer”, “ideation” “big thinking” conversations are not curated, forced or orchestrated. They happen organically through the community that you build around yourself. There needs to be trust and unspoken partnership for this to happen effectively because without these ingredients, we might hold back or shy from speaking because we may not have the resources to kick-off those ideas and we might be told to stop dreaming….
The conversations typically begin something like this; “Can you imagine if …….” or “So here’s a crazy idea ….” or even “…… you know that got me thinking”. And there’s usually food and drinks involved too! Hehehe.
This post is my invitation to you to re-energise your system if you’re feeling the rot or burnout today. Not to think about the cost of your current decisions, but to reconnect with the dreamer inside of you and walk back from there to find new purpose and meaning for what you do today, maybe even start to make the decisions that ensure your future self is happy with the today you.
Find space to dream again.
Carve out time to say your wildest ideas out loud.
Find people who don’t flinch when you speak those dreams.
That’s the kind of math we need. The one that sees future value in today’s questions so we can stay refreshed. That’s how you stay visionary.
Staying Curious. Staying Committed. #SystemsThinking #Equity #Strategy #Leadership #GlobalDevelopment #IdeasRuleTheWorld
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