These are disturbing and challenging times. Over the past few weeks, I have spoken with many friends and colleagues who are experiencing this moment in deeply personal and painful ways. Some are wrestling with profound uncertainty about the future, while others are grappling with the weight of injustice, feeling both exhausted and determined.
I, too, have struggled—not just with what to say, but with what to do. I have felt the pull to speak out, to act, to contribute in some meaningful way. At the same time, I have resisted saying something simply for the sake of saying it, not wanting to be trite or to let unproductive anger cloud the clarity of purpose. In this tension, I have found myself in a space I can only describe as focused disequilibrium.
Focused disequilibrium is not about seeking stability in an unstable world. It is not about pretending that things are fine or waiting for circumstances to settle before taking action. It is about learning to hold steady in the midst of uncertainty, to embrace discomfort without being consumed by it, and to move with clarity even when the ground beneath us is shifting.
Focused disequilibrium is a refusal to be paralyzed by the chaos around us, a choice to center our energy on what truly matters. This does not mean ignoring the storm, but rather standing in its center with intentionality and purpose.
Through this lens, I have come to see that navigating these times requires three key commitments: prioritizing purposeful action, strengthening relationships and community, and practicing radical self-care. Each of these actions serves as a guidepost, helping me move through instability with conviction and focus.
Purposeful action begins with the recognition that even in times of uncertainty, we are not powerless. There will always be forces beyond our control, but there will also always be choices within our grasp. The danger of instability is not just that it shakes us—it is that it tempts us to drift, to react instead of respond, to lose sight of what truly matters.
But the opportunity within instability is just as great. If we are willing to move with intention, if we are willing to decide what demands our energy and what does not, then uncertainty becomes a landscape for transformation. Purposeful action is about refusing to be distracted by noise and instead committing to work that matters. It is about choosing, every day, to move with strategy rather than fear, to build rather than to merely brace for impact.
In the midst of disequilibrium, we do not walk alone. The power to navigate instability does not come from individual resilience alone. It is found in community. Finding your tribe and village is essential. I use the term tribe to describe the small circle of people you trust. Your tribe holds you accountable, challenges you, and reminds you of who you are when the world is trying to pull you in every direction. The village is broader—it’s the network of relationships that provide access, knowledge, and shared resources. It is the ecosystem through which you pursue important matters. Your village may include organizations, institutions, and key individuals.
These circles matter because no one moves through instability without support. If focused disequilibrium is the eye of the storm, the tribe and village are the people who help you hold that center. They are the voices that remind you of what is real, the hands that steady you when the winds threaten to pull you away from your purpose.
But there is no sustaining this work, no navigating the uncertainty, without radical self-care. It is easy to dismiss self-care as a luxury in times of upheaval, but nothing could be further from the truth. When everything around us demands urgency, when exhaustion feels like the price of commitment, the most radical act is to refuse depletion.
Self-care in the context of focused disequilibrium is not about escape—it is about preservation. It is the discipline of rest, the practice of joy, the setting of boundaries that ensure we are not consumed by the very fight we are called to engage in. It is the recognition that tending to ourselves is not a retreat from responsibility, but a necessary condition for sustaining impact.
The world will not stop shifting. The forces that create instability will not suddenly resolve themselves. But we can decide how we move through it. We can stand in the center of the storm—not untouched by it, but unshaken in our commitment to what matters most. This is what it means to live in focused disequilibrium. This is what it means to refuse distraction, to choose clarity, and to move with unwavering purpose.
Let the world be unstable. We will be focused.
– Raymond A. Jetson