The future is not simply heading toward us.
We must actively move toward it, step by step. The future requires confidence – and confidence is born from our imagination, transformed into decisive action.
Paralyzing fear, ignorance, and resignation must be overcome. Yet, in times of disruption, that’s no easy task. Our brains react more strongly to uncertainty than to known threats. The world today is highly unpredictable.
So how do we stay confident – and capable of action?
Hope Addiction – The Danger of Blind Optimism
A common mistake is to confuse confidence with hope. In psychology, this is known as hopemania – or "hope addiction." Phrases like “It won’t be that bad,” “It’ll pass quickly,” or “Just believe in yourself, and you’ll make it” are typical for those affected. But in the waiting room of false hopes, disappointment is inevitable.
Self-Efficacy – From Waiting to Acting
Bertolt Brecht’s parable “Mr. Keuner and the Flood” illustrates what psychologist Albert Bandura described as self-efficacy, the antidote to learned helplessness:
Mr. Keuner believes a ship will come and rescue him from the rising flood. That’s hope. Only when the water reaches his neck does he start swimming – and realizes: the rescue was within him all along.
Self-Leadership – Steering Yourself Through the Storm
As an enthusiastic deep-sea diver, I’ve learned: fighting against strong currents is futile – it only makes you run out of air faster. Instead, positioning yourself wisely within the current and using the calm behind obstacles is key.
Reinhold Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer captures it perfectly:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.”
A Buddhist version puts it even shorter:
“If you have a problem – solve it.
If you can’t solve it – don’t make it a problem.”
In Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy, the guiding question becomes:
“What is the best possible option among those that remain?”
Opportunity Intelligence – Thinking Differently About Problems
Albert Einstein once said:
“In the midst of difficulty lies opportunity.”
As a mathematician and physicist, I’ve learned: when I change my assumptions, I expand my solution space. For example, 3 minus 7 has no solution in natural numbers – but it does in whole numbers.
There’s a popular story about the bumblebee: according to classic physics, it shouldn’t be able to fly. Luckily, the bumblebee doesn’t know this – and flies anyway. But it’s not magic – it’s misunderstood science. With the right aerodynamic model, its flight becomes easy to explain.
So when someone says “That’s not possible,” reframe it as:
“It doesn’t work that way – yet.”
Or: “I haven’t found the solution – yet.”
Or: “I can’t do that – yet.”
These small shifts change your mindset and even your physical response.
“I can’t” paralyzes.
“I can’t yet” activates your inner resources.
Sense of Possibility – Creating New Realities
Robert Musil, in his novel The Man Without Qualities, writes:
“If there is a sense of reality, there must also be a sense of possibility.”
So let us say:
Let’s create possible realities.
Let’s use our real possibilities.
That way, we can shape a joyful future – grounded in confidence, driven by action, and guided by meaningful leadership from within.
