There are whole organizations dedicated to looking at the future. In fact, rummaging around The Futurist or Trend Hunter is a great way to get ideas and find inspiration. Why are corporations willing to invest thousands of dollars in future research? Because it’s a wonderful day to get a clear picture of how to act in the present.
What about your future? How much time have you spent researching your own life? As an old career planning book said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re liable to end up somewhere else.” If any future will do, stop reading now. If , instead, you have some ideas about your destination, take a few minutes to create three simple scenarios:
In six months, I will be:
In one year, I will be:
In five years, I will be:
How easy was that? Now you have the start of a roadmap. Look backwards from the 5-year vantage point. What does it feel like to be there? What did you have to do to get there?
Go back another step. Look at where you are a year from now. Again, generate some action steps.
Finally, look at your 6 month vision. Ask one final question:
What can I do, starting today, to get there?