Rebuild Better: How to Find Opportunity in Chaos

“To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.” —Bruce Lee

Despite our best efforts to control our surroundings, there will be times when chaos can take over your life. When too much changes at once, you may experience a sense of uncertainty. Feelings of fear, loneliness, and worry are common, and finding comfort can be difficult. Turning everything off to avoid outside influences is a great way to cope, but you can’t always avoid your own thoughts. Your mind naturally turns to what you're concerned about, and you end up spending quite a bit of your energy obsessing over what you can’t control.

But you can put your mind to something else. You can even use that thought energy to find an opportunity.

Shifting to survive

When circumstances shift, adaptation is necessary. This is a fundamental, unchanging law of nature. Failure to adapt is also why Netflix is worth more than $465B while just one Blockbuster Video is still open, or why Berkshire Hathaway is a multinational conglomerate holding company and not a failed textile firm.

When adaptation is necessary to survive, you can find new avenues of possibility for yourself. Sometimes, this comes in the form of a business opportunity. Other times, you get a wake-up call to make personal adjustments. Regardless, you can harness the turmoil on the outside to fuel transformation on the inside.

Looking inside

No one likes disruption, and you may be uncomfortable with new and unfamiliar situations. But why do upheaval and change bother you, really? Digging deeper into these emotions can help you gain insight into what’s really going on. So ask yourself, what information can you gather from what you’re feeling? What can your emotions show you about who you are and what you want from life?

These are questions that need to be answered, but so often you might avoid opportunities to look inward. When things are good, you’re probably less inclined to examine what’s in your head and your heart. Whether you're experiencing confusion or calm, taking time to reflect can provide insights you may not have realized otherwise. Confronting difficult questions can help you figure out how to move forward during times of turbulence.

Making a professional pivot

2020 will be remembered as a chaotic period in human history. At the onset of the pandemic, many businesses found themselves with a choice: survive, pivot, or die. In some states, nonessential businesses weren’t allowed to open, which caused some companies to fail. Others survived because their product or service was made for the moment. Still others were able to find an opportunity to pivot and thrive.

Cascade, a lacrosse helmet manufacturer, had experience in protective gear, but not the medical kind. To save their business, they leveraged their existing manufacturing capabilities and expertise to make face shields. They were able to bring their 75 employees back to work while producing an essential item in the fight against the COVID-19 virus.

This is just one example of entrepreneurial resilience that resulted in a course correction. Entrepreneurs often successfully thrive in chaos by turning uncertainty into opportunity. The right pivot allows for innovation and resilience.

Time for a radical change

Have you ever considered completely altering the course of your life? Perhaps you’ve thought about moving to another country, changing jobs, going back to school, or even marrying someone you just started dating? In times of upheaval, you might be more inclined to make a big leap, even though the opportunity has always been there. Uncertainty about the future leads some to imagine their lives differently. 

Without occasionally upsetting the norm, you might continue to follow the path of the status quo, never moving outside of your comfort zone to build something new. But these times are often when some of the best transformations happen, because chaos can be a catalyst for growth.

Finding community

When you’re sad, or scared, or uncertain, you don’t want to be alone. Now could be the time for you to reach out and find a community of like-minded people. Community is where people create connections and support systems during uncertain times. You need these kinds of places and people to diffuse the turmoil and direct your attention back to what really matters to you.

Maryam Banikarim, managing director of Fortune Live Media, is a fitting example of the power of diverse relationships. In 2022, as the pandemic lockdown lifted, she started a potluck dinner for the Chelsea neighborhood of NYC where she lives. The Longest Table is intended to bring locals together, especially those who might never meet otherwise. By 2024, the event had grown to host 1,000 people. Of last year’s event, Maryam commented there’s a “hunger to be together in real life, and actually build our community from the ground up.”

Chaos, for now

You can control how you respond to the chaos around you. Even something as negative as unwanted disruptions can be an opportunity for growth and a test of your resilience. So, regardless of how you’re dealing with the current climate, with the right perspective, turbulence can be a catalyst. You can use it to fuel growth, innovation, and creativity, but only if you see chaos as an opportunity.