Hi This is Mike Lipkin, AKA Pollyanna with a plan. I’m here to talk to you about thriving on uncertainty, fear and the inevitable swerves coming at you soon.
Let me start with a quick reality check. Here’s what’s happened in the last few weeks alone. After U.S.-Canada negotiations broke down in August, the United States slapped 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods, including plywood, liquor, electrical equipment, and hockey gear. Hockey gear! That’s not trade policy, my friends. That’s personal.
Canada’s labour market shed over 40,000 jobs in August. South of the border, the Fed just raised rates for the first time since July 2023, partly because of higher fuel costs from the Iran war and the lingering impact of tariffs. And AI is rewriting every job description in the room while we sleep.
So yes, there’s fear. There’s uncertainty. There’s noise.
And I’m here to tell you: this is the best time in a generation to lead, to sell, and to influence others.
Why? Because while everyone else is frozen, you can move. Business capital spending recently fell to a two-year low, with firms delaying major decisions amid uncertainty around U.S. trade policy. Your competitors are waiting. Your customers are confused. They’re looking for someone who can see clearly, speak confidently, and help them make a decision. That someone is you.
And the story isn’t all doom. Canada’s economy grew at a 3.3% annualized pace in the second quarter, with stronger exports, resilient consumer spending, and higher business investment. U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in August. AI investment is driving massive demand for data centres and chips. Opportunity is everywhere. It’s just wearing a disguise.
Now here’s the secret to thriving in times like these. You have to marry two people who don’t usually get along.
The first is Pollyanna. She believes. She sees the upside. She walks into the room and the temperature rises by three degrees.
The second is the tough-minded operator. He counts. He asks, what’s the number, who owns it, and by when? He doesn’t confuse hope with a forecast.
Pollyanna alone is a nice person going broke. The operator alone is a smart person nobody wants to follow. Together? They’re unstoppable. Pollyanna says, “This tariff is a gift, it’s forcing us to find new markets.” The operator says, “Great. Name three by Friday.”
So how do you stay sane while you do it? You draw two circles.
In the first circle is everything you cannot change. Tariffs. Interest rates. Oil prices. What some politician tweets at midnight. Accept it. Don’t waste one ounce of emotional energy fighting the weather.
In the second circle is everything you can change. Your next call. Your next conversation. How prepared you are. How generous you are. How quickly you bounce back. Pour everything you’ve got into that circle.
That’s where peace of mind comes from. Not from certainty. From clarity about what’s yours to own.
And you need a North Star. One sentence that tells you who you are and why you do what you do. Because there will be swerves. There will be setbacks. A deal will collapse. A client will walk. When that happens, your North Star is how you find your way back without losing yourself. The detour doesn’t change the destination.
Here’s something else I want you to remember. So many people are relying on your performance. Your team. Your clients. Your family. The people who don’t even know your name yet but will be better off because you showed up at your best.
And let me be very clear: this is not just about being altruistic. It’s about being truly profitable. When you bring real value, when you make your customers smarter, safer, and more successful, they pay you for it. They stay with you. They tell their friends. Value is the most reliable profit strategy on earth. Be a Potentiator: someone who makes everyone around them better. Then watch what happens to your numbers.
Finally, have fun! Seriously. Fear is contagious, but so is joy. In a world full of gloom, the person who brings the sunshine becomes irresistible. People buy from people who make them feel good. They follow people who make the journey worth it.
So here’s my challenge. Accept what you can’t change. Attack what you can. Keep your eye on your North Star. And bring the sunshine wherever you go.
Pollyanna with a plan. That’s you. Now go make it happen! This is Mike Lipkin and I love this message.
