November's Emotional Whiplash - Why leaders feel "fine" and freaked out at the same time.
A new Wall Street Journal/NORC poll just revealed something fascinating:
62% of Americans say they feel financially comfortable right now. And 77% say they’re pessimistic about the future.
Both can be true. And for most leaders this year… both are true.
The poll broke people into four groups. Two of them matter most for what you and your team have been experiencing:
41%: comfortable pessimists “I’m okay today… but I don’t like where this is going.”
36%: stressed pessimists “I’m tired… and I don’t see a way out.”
Then there’s the unicorn category:
3%: stressed optimists “I’m under pressure… and I’m still moving forward.”
You already know which group creates momentum. You also know which group drives the majority of team decisions, postponements, and risk-avoidance spirals.
And here’s the uncomfortable part:
Most leadership teams in 2025 have been making decisions from the 36% and the 41%.
Not because they’re weak. Not because they’re wrong. Because their nervous systems are tapped and their clarity is thin.
I’ve watched it play out all year.
A leadership team who could have locked in a strategic advantage but delayed until the “timing felt better.”
A team that walked away from a growth path worth $9M over the next five years because maintaining the status quo felt safer.
A leader stepping out of integrity with his word due to stress.
Several companies operating at less than 70% of their actual capacity because they won’t take time from the urgent firefighting to systemize for a smoother future.
Everyone thinks they’re waiting for the right moment. The truth is they’re waiting to feel less stressed… and, guess what? That moment will never arrive on its own.
The 3% Know Something Most Leaders Don't
The 3% aren’t magically optimistic.
They have a system for stress. A structure for decisions. And a practice for not letting today’s tension hijack tomorrow’s direction.The optimism doesn’t come from the economy. It comes from capacity.
Capacity is built, not granted.
Every team that stalled out this year stalled for the same root reason: They were trying to think clearly from a dysregulated state.
No amount of vision, intelligence, or experience can override a body that’s bracing for impact.
November is a Line in the Sand
We have six weeks left in 2025.
Six weeks to decide whether 2026 begins in the 41%, the 36%, or the 3%.
This window is powerful because, with the change in the season, we can reconnect and ground with the truth.
Leaders see where they avoided decisions.
Teams feel the drag of misalignment.
Everyone knows which conversations they have delayed or flat out avoided altogether.
I’m not immune, I’ve got them on my Clarity Break list too.
At Every Moment, You Have Freedom to Choose
This is the moment to choose clarity over coping.
Some of you need EOS. Structure. Priorities. Accountability. A shared operating rhythm that pulls everyone out of emotional decision-making and into Vision-led discipline and accountable execution.
Some of you need 1:1 work. If the bottleneck is internal: reactivity, overwhelm, identity shifts, unintegrated pressure, the system won’t hold until you do.
Both paths are real. Both shift people out of the 36% and into the 3%. And both create the kind of stability where teams finally stop hesitating and start building again.
Before the Year Ends
Here’s the simplest question to sit with:
“If I keep operating at my current level of inner capacity, will 2026 look meaningfully different?”
If the answer is no, then this is your moment.
The window is open. The year is ending. And how you feel about the future is already shaping the decisions you’re making today.
Step into the 3%. Your business, your team, and your next season depend on it.
Read the original article here: Are You an Economic Optimist or a Pessimist? Take Our Poll to Find Out
Resources to Help You Operate Better
Turning the Page
For those of you who are ready to turn the page to 2026, I recommend a free resource: The Year Compass
This reflection journal and workbook is a very thorough walkthrough review of 2025, and learning lessons from that, an excellent vision resource for 2026.
Last year, I took a Clarity Break and used this resource to look back at my wins and losses from 2024, and set my course for 2025. I really found the exercise illuminating, and 100% recommend it for you.
Yoga Nidra
For those of you who read my take of the WSJ poll above and identified with feeling the stress, or the pessimism get to you, I recommend trying out Yoga Nidra, or Non-Sleep Deep Rest.
Check out Dr. Andrew Huberman's in-depth guide on the science and practice of NSDR here
Ipek Williamson is a teacher on Insight Timer I know and follow. Here is her Yoga Nidra Guided Meditation
Ellie Grace also has some great tracks for winding down at the end of the day: Evening Gratitude Practice
(You can listen to these tracks for free via these links, but I highly recommend putting a subscription to "Insight Timer" on your Holiday Wish List.)
Clarity, Direction, and an Honest Map for 2026
If you want 2026 to start from a steadier center, this is the window.
I’m holding a few year-end reset conversations for leaders who want clarity before planning season hits full speed.
I invite you to reach out if you feel that talking through where you are and where you want to get to can help reset your compass.
Best,
Steve