What determines which one you experience more of? To be sure, your present positioning plays a role. But the determining factors are an undeniable, one-two combo:

1. The ability to focus on the right things.
2. The ability to decide and act with positive expectation.

Of course, those qualities are interrelated and easier for some of us than others. But the great news is they can be learned and improved, regardless of your past results or present circumstances. Cultivating the proper mindset and developing the required skillset takes self-awareness, curiosity, and the courage to try something you haven’t done before.

Even small shifts to our language or approach can deliver dramatically different realities. Remember, in chaos, little things change everything, faster than you might expect.

Today’s CHAOS

The “systems” we live and work in have never been more open—Global economies, communication, online communities and networks provide easy internet access, available nearly everywhere.

Add to this the rocket-fuel accelerant of AI innovation (already a major player and just getting started) and you have the textbook definition of ever-increasing chaos: Expanding opportunities for disruption and shrinking predictability horizons. Everything is going to be different. Exactly how is mostly unknowable.

Your Personal Polarity

The negative experience and impact of chaos can be devastating, which I break down using the following acronym for CHAOS: challenging, hectic, anxious, overwhelming stress. It’s too hard and moving too fast. You’re fearful of the future, and overwhelmed because it’s too much and seems “now or never.” So, many people are experiencing negative versions of reality. Consider:

• One out of four working Americans thinks about quitting at least once a day.
• 6% of working Americans think about suicide at least once, daily.

Granted, these statistics are cultivated from a research study in the United States, and this magazine reaches a global audience. But I can assure you, based on my work with leaders and organizations in many countries, this experience is largely universal, resulting more from human nature than culture or geography.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. I propose (and help people discover) that chaos isn’t inherently negative. It’s a force for amplifying intention. The key is to stop playing defense against the chaos coming at you (which you can’t prevent, predict, or defeat) and start playing offense by creating Positive Chaos that comes from you.

Elevate your intentions, words, and actions. Start saying and doing things differently, pursuing aim over outcome. Then watch the patterns change as your influence expands and your authority takes firm footing. You’re ok with not knowing. You’re super clear on what matters most. You are less concerned about mistakes than you are about trying and learning.

Of course, this takes the form of another, more positive acronym for CHAOS: challenging, healthy, aspiring, ongoing synergy. It’s still hard, but now it’s an intentional challenge of your acceptance or design. You’ve prioritized mental and physical well-being (yours and others’) over speed and urgency.

You’re in this for the long run. Instead of fearful anxiety, you are genuinely aspiring to something beautiful, hopeful, and inspiring. You won’t get there immediately, but it’s an ongoing journey of alignment and improvement. Along the way, you’ll adopt greater synergy, being able to see and shape the patterns as you connect what matters most.