Here we are in 2022.
It’s been an interesting couple of years, to say the least. It’s delivered some challenges that I bet you never expected. I certainly didn’t.
I feel like I’ve been running the gauntlet for the last two years and am now limping into the new year.
It appears I’m not the only one. Many of the newsletters that hit my inbox towards the end of 2021 had a hint of somberness to them which was unexpected.
Of course, they are all people too. Nobody has been immune to the last two years.
It did make me start thinking about the challenges we will all face in 2022.
The thing with challenges is they don’t disappear when the calendar flips to a new year.
You wake up and they are still there staring you in the face.
Ignoring them might make you feel better but it doesn’t change the fact they are there and the first step is acknowledging them.
It led me to this article.
COVID Lives On
I thought by the fall of 2021 we would be looking in the rearview mirror at COVID and driving back to times that were more normal.
It seems rather naive now.
We are entering the third year of living with COVID. It’s like a piece of gum that you can’t get off your shoe.
I don’t know about you but I’m really tired of it.
Unfortunately, it’s not tired of us.
Another variant, Omicrom, is sweeping around the world.
It’s not clear when the pandemic we are living in will subside and when we will go back to living as we did in the era before COVID.
While some industries such as food and travel have taken big, and in some cases, fatal blows other industries haven’t been as heavily impacted. Some have actually thrived.
Regardless of your opinion on all of this, the reality is that people being sick impacts your business.
If your employees are sick and can’t work, this presents a problem. It stretches your resources or forces you to simply close down which has a big impact on your customers.
The behavior of your customers and how they choose to interact and do business with you is continuing to be influenced by COVID.
If your stakeholders such as vendors you buy from are impacted, it will impact you as well which leads us to…
Supply Chain Issues
Did you think about the supply chain much before 2020?
I’m guessing the regular consumer didn’t give it much thought at all.
You don’t often think of all the dominoes that have been set up and are an important part of you being able to purchase something.
Remove one and the dominoes can’t fall as they should anymore.
It means that it’s harder to find certain products and when you do find them they are more expensive.
It has impacted everything from smartphones to cars to lids for jars.
Supply chain issues are going to continue to be a problem for the foreseeable future and it will continue to impact your business in ways you never realized.
The Economy
The economy is always something I ponder but this COVID economy is bizarre.
The markets have become really weird. I don’t understand why somebody would buy stock in a company that has been on a downward trend for the last decade because of a meme but It’s happened over the last two years.
Inflation continues to run high and it impacts everything.
The great resignation may have led to higher wages but they have been dulled by inflation. It’s also unclear whether the forces that led to the great resignation will create systemic change and how that will impact the economy in the long term.
What I do know is labor shortages have had a large impact on the economy and will continue to do so.
They have played a role in messing up the previously mentioned supply chain and wreaked havoc on many businesses.
Cryptocurrencies have been around but they have become the rage. They may end up being a good thing but are they actual currency or an investment? It depends on who you ask. The one thing I do know is to keep an eye on what’s happening here.
I believe that eventually governments will reign them in with regulations or ban them outright as China has done.
How it plays out could have big impact on the economy around the world and the way we all do business.
Web3
I’ll be honest. I don’t really get Web3.
I know there are people who are really excited about it because I guess it decentralizes everything making it easier for you and me to compete with larger entities? Something like that or not like that at all. I don’t know.
Web3 hasn’t gained traction on a large scale yet.
There are far too many people like me who are intrigued by it but don’t really get it yet.
Whether it takes off or not and the impact it has is something to keep an eye on.
Don’t Worry About What You Can’t Control
There are many things that are going to happen this year and many of them are going to be completely out of your control.
Stop worrying about them.
I’m talking to myself as much as you because I tend to become overwhelmed by all these things that I can’t control.
And it is overwhelming if you let it be.
Like most of the things you deal with on an everyday basis, you have a choice even if it’s nothing more than how you react and deal with the situation.
So, stop worrying about all those things you can’t control.
I was talking to myself but it goes for you too.
What Is On Your Mind?
What are you thinking about in these first days of 2022?
Tell me on Twitter or LinkedIn.
*Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
- Reach vs Visibility: Which is Right for Your Marketing? - February 13, 2024
- Focus Your Marketing Efforts By Saying “No” - December 13, 2023
- Focus Your Marketing with a Strategic Plan - September 21, 2023
