Some times, the rain comes down so hard, it’s hard to see the road. I’ve been driving American highways for years, I’ve seen the fall rain in Pennsylvania forcing trucks off the road, spring fog in Oregon so think you can’t see the headlights from the oncoming cars, the summer winds in the Carolinas sweep a yacht onto the highway, the show is so high at Tahoe that you can’t see anything except the icy walls. Those moments when a lonely pull-over by the roadside is your best friend. You wait it out, because weather passes, we all know it. Some times, we forget when it comes to economic weather, and especially when the signals are so darn confusing.
I find the best strategy in confusing conditions is to drive towards the light, always worked for me. Rainy here, it’s sunny there, let’s go that way.
There’s good news a-plenty, let’s share that and build on that instead of dwelling on what was desired and unachieved — let other sectors celebrate unicorns and leprechauns. Here, why not dwell on a $123.7 million marine retrofitting initiative Atal Solutions, Damen Shipyards, Blue Astra Maritime Shipping and others. The debut of B30 biooil fuels in South Korea. OOCL’s order for $3B worth of methanol-fueled container ships. Or, Bangchak’s 100% SAF production facilit, now online. Just to mention news from the past 24 hours.
Yes, if you’re feeling tired right now, uncertain, even a little betrayed by how fast support for climate action and carbon integrity seems to be unraveling — you’re not alone. I see the same clouds. I’ve watched leaders hedge, funding freeze, and once-bold partners quietly step away. That hurts. You didn’t imagine the momentum. You didn’t dream the need. And the tools you’ve built — many of them still shine.
This isn’t a moment for retreat. It’s a moment to remember what the General Theory of Evolutionary Systems and Information (GTESI) teaches: persistence is the proof of design. If your work has roots, if it stores trust, if it carries meaning across the shock — then it still matters. Maybe more than ever.
I’m not selling optimism. We’re building resilient confidence. Because even now — especially now — there are sunshine corridors: zones of heat, light, and growth. You just have to pivot toward them. So, with a weather eye on the horizon, here’s our GTESI guide to navigating the storm.
1. Shift from Disposable to Durable
It’s hard when people ghost. When you’ve designed something elegant and useful, and suddenly even your loyal clients are pulling back — not because you failed, but because everyone’s recalculating their risk budget. It’s tempting to pivot again. But maybe the right move now is to stop chasing novelty and start showing that you stay.
- Services should develop retainer models, embedded contracts, or long-term utility
(e.g. monthly infrastructure audits vs. one-time consults). - Products should market repairability, longevity, off-grid resilience.
- Build around outcomes that matter in a storm, not just in the sunshine.
Durability isn’t boring. It’s brave. And it’s what trust is made of.
2. Shift from New to Repair
If you’re tired of selling the future, you’re not alone. It’s draining to constantly promise what’s next, especially when “now” feels unstable. But there’s dignity in repair — in tending what others discard. This moment needs fixers, not visionaries with slides. The good news? You might be more useful now than you’ve ever been.
- Services: Offer refactoring, not just design; maintenance, not just vision.
- Messaging: “We protect what you’ve built,” not “Let’s build something shiny.”
- Consider: What can you help preserve, not just create?
There’s value — and virtue — in being the one who helps hold things together.
3. Shift from Fame to Trust
It’s a quiet kind of heartbreak when the likes go down, the newsletter open rate dips, the buzz fades. But maybe this isn’t a retreat. Maybe it’s the noise clearing. The ones still watching? Still reading? Still replying? They’re your base layer. That’s not your fallback. That’s your foundation.
- Digital creators: Rely less on virality, more on membership, routine, embedded value.
- Positioning: “We’re still here next week,” > “Look at us now!”
- Measure not just reach, but return: who comes back? Who stays?
Fame flares. Trust warms. Keep the fire lit — even if the crowd thins.
4. Shift from Symbolic to Functional Encoding
You might feel like you’re shouting into the wind — slogans, strategies, big ideas that land flat in a tense room. People aren’t being cold. They’re being careful. What they want now is a handle, a step, a tool. Not a metaphor. A mechanism. Not just meaning, but motion.
- Move up the pyramid: build tools, frameworks, dashboards, checklists.
- Symbolic output must do something — not just “say something.”
- Trade inspiration for instrumentation.
Function is how we hold on to meaning when language alone begins to slip.
5. Shift from Luxury to Livelihood
When anxiety rises, even joy starts to feel like guilt. Should I be spending on this? Should I be enjoying this? You can’t just tell people it’s okay — you have to meet them where they are. That means reshaping your offer as something that helps them persist, care, continue. Because they still want to live — they’re just afraid of looking foolish for it.
- Frame offers around stability, security, economic dignity.
- Even leisure can be framed this way: “This isn’t indulgence — it’s how we stay human in the storm.”
- Ask: Does this help someone get through the week? Or give someone their weekend back?
Luxury may pause. Livelihood never does. Become part of what restores the rhythm.
Look for the Corridors — They’re There
Even in Seattle, people buy sunglasses.
The clouds are real. The fear is valid. But so is the path forward. We know this: systems that persist under pressure are the ones that shape the future. That’s what GTESI was built to detect — and what this field guide is here to help you follow. So pack a raincoat, sure. But don’t forget your SPF 50. There’s still light out there — and if you know where to look, it’s streaming straight toward you.
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