By Alan Knott-Craig Jr*
This year will be filled with uncertainty and fear.
Trump and China. Climate change and penguins. ANC conferences and nuclear deals. Brexit and European far right politics.
Every headline we read will be scary. Every headline we read is already scary.
The JSE is overvalued. South Africa is on the verge of a ratings downgrade. You can’t sell property in Joburg. You can’t buy property in Cape Town.
Interest rates are going up. Interest rates are not going up enough.
The Dollar is getting stronger. So is the Rand. WTF?
This is the same story across the world.
No one understands what the hell is happening. People are scared.
Rather than making decisions, everyone is frozen.
China is frozen. Britain is frozen. Europe is frozen. Latin America is frozen.
The world is choosing to “wait and see what happens”.
Countries will store their cash in gold. Companies will store their cash in banks. Families will store their cash under beds.
Now is the chance for South Africa to stand up.
All great fortunes were made in times of uncertainty.
Fortune favours the brave.
Our fears are groundless. If Trump starts a war with China, it doesn’t matter if you’ve stockpiled your cash or invested everything in the JSE. It will all be gone.
Playing defense won’t save you.
Don’t worry about things that you can’t control.
Trump? China? Climate change? Brexit? Syria?
Can’t control it. Don’t care.
Unsubscribe from News24. Ignore the headlines.
Focus on what is within your sphere of influence.
Let 2017 be the year of boldness. Be daring.
If we’re going to fail, let’s fail forward.
Our country has problems. Some would say we’re in Hell.
As Winston Churchill once said, “When you’re in Hell, keep moving.”
My dream for South Africa in 2017 is that we have the guts to embrace our challenges, discard our fears, and keep moving.
- Alan Knott-Craig Junior started his career as a CA and later co-founded or funded 17 companies in the telecoms, tech and media sector. He was the CEO of wireless ISP iBurst and spent a year at the helm of mobile social network Mxit. He is now combining his experience in technology with his commitment to building an Africa in which his daughters can be happy, with the launch of Project Isizwe, a non-profit organisation facilitating the roll-out of free Wi-Fi networks across Africa.
