There are many ways to live life. One approach is to aim to surf the future rather than be submerged by the future. This involves being able to look ahead and manage events successfully.
Some people apply their strategic thinking and senses to take this approach. They anticipate the potential events, experiences and trends that happen in their personal or professional life. They then explore how they can manage or make good use of these events.
Some people find it difficult to look ahead. They can then find themselves submerged by events and feeling overwhelmed.
Surfing The Future –
Anticipating Possible Events
How to anticipate future events that may affect you? One approach is to do the following exercise.
Different people describe different things when doing these exercises. Here are some of the topics they may mention.
Personal Life – The specific events I may
encounter in the future may include the following:
The need to take care of my health as I get older … The need to set aside enough money for the future … The possible downsizing of our house … The need to take care of our respective parents as they get older.
The desire to encourage my partner to continue to have a sense of purpose … The need to keep doing things that give me positive energy … The desire to help our children to move on and live their own lives.
Professional Life – The specific events I may
encounter in the future may include the following:
The need to recognise how technology will affect things in my professional field … The need to be proactive, build on my strengths and find ways to do satisfying work in this new world.
The need to employ my strengths in a way that earns money by helping colleagues and customers to achieve success … The desire to develop more ways to pass on knowledge to other people.
Surfing The Future – Managing And Making
Good Use Of The Potential Future Events
People who anticipate future events often apply strategic thinking. Looking ahead, they may explore the following themes when looking at each potential event.
What is the potential event that could happen? What may be the potential consequences of this event – both for me and for other people? What may be the potential challenges it creates?
What may be the potential pluses that could emerge as a result of the event? What may be the potential opportunities? How can I and other people build on these pluses?
What may be the potential minuses that could emerge as a result of the event? How is it possible to prevent some of these happening? How can I and other people manage the consequences of any potential minuses?
What are the things I can control regarding the potential event? How can I build on the things I can control? How can I manage the things I can’t control?
What are the things I want to do regarding the event? What are the real results I want to achieve? What is the picture of success? What are the strategies I can follow to do my best to achieve the picture of success?
Such individuals focus on each event in turn. They then explore how to manage or make good use of the situation. Some take this step by doing the following exercise.
Let’s return to your own life and work. Looking ahead, can you think of a specific activity or situation where you may want to follow elements of the surfing the future approach? This could be in your personal or professional life.
What may be the specific activity or situation? How can you look ahead and anticipate potential events? How can you then aim to manage or make good use of each event? What may happen as a result of taking these steps?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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