I just read advertising agency JWT’s Anxiety Index Quarterly. Always interesting thoughts so browse and learn. Report includes few very good definitions that I shall definitely steal for further use. And as always, will expand that good framework slightly.

This report was about hope-fueled markets and fear-fueled markets and it really made me think some of my personal experience over the last few years. The report is about the predisposition to optimism and how people move past their anxieties in those two macro segments, hope vs. fear, and further about pessimism and optimism. Being a famous with my continuous optimism, I need to say that I do believe that’s the driving force behind so many success stories in the world. As long as you can dream, you have some chances to make it happen. When you stop dreaming, your imagination is gone and you can say goodbye to any new inventions, products, marketing, brands or retail. Simple as that, I believe.

Over the years, I have experience the lack of dreaming capacity few times by myself. You do believe on something, you are full of energy and optimism about the whole project and then something happens, with people around you, money, market, plans etc and it’s all jammed for long time. Or forever. You are disappointed and without any interest to plan the next move. That’s the point when you lost your tools of dreaming and optimism. That’s the point when nothing happens, really nothing. And that’s when you should get full tank of the hope-fuel!

“Flat is the new up”, says the report about fear-fueled markets with high level of pessimism. Tell me about it! I’m sure everyone living in the USA, UK, France, Germany, any of the Scandinavian countries - all really fear-fueled market currently - has experienced that around the stupid, never-ending news flow of the recession. “Up is the new up” for hope-fueled countries and that’s what we need to see everywhere in the world right now.

As long as we work like “Eyes on the past”, we are not going to go anywhere. It’s about “Playing not to lose”. All my friends in business life around the world; what the heck is that all about? Playing not to lose is not business life. It’s not creating anything new, not a one innovation, not one new market or customer, not one new dollar, euro or pound. But when it’s about “Eyes on the future” and “Playing to win”, you will win! Friends, please read the report.

When I read the report I was thinking all my friends in Pakistan, in business and corporate life and academic world. So many intelligent people, so many great ideas. From the western world point of view, my friends live behind a fear-fueled curtain but that’s not really the point. There is so much hope-fueled energy behind that curtain that I know those people will just step over one line and surprise rest of the world. As long as you can see your dream, you will go forward. And that will happen in Pakistan. I shall get back to the stereotype pictures and images of Pakistan in further posts. So long story.

“Why you are shocked about recession? We have had recession in Pakistan for the last 16 years!” said my friend to me in Islamabad last winter. Isn’t that exactly what the hope-fueled market is all about? If recession means that you should stop doing whatever you do, this whole globe would be so different. Uphill, downhill, stable, uphill and downhill again - that’s what economy and business life is all about. The ones with the highest level of hope-fuel will win!

Cheers for hope! Cheers for hope-fueled people! Cheers for hope-fueled countries!