How good are you at predicting the future?

The one thing, I believe sets, super achievers apart from average achievers, is their ability to very accurately predict the consequences of either doing something or not doing it. The more apt you are at exploring and discovering the consequences any task or activity, will have on your life in the future, the better equipped you are to carry out the right activities necessary to invite the success you want into your experience. In other words the potential consequences of any task or action are the key determinants around how important that specific activity is to you and your company.

Identifying the significant tasksr
There have been a number of studies conducted over the past few years, highlighting the need to have a long term perspective on everything you do. Anthony Robbins said it so well when he said “We overestimate all we can achieve in a year, but hugely underestimate all we can achieve in a decade”. In other words, we tend to overload ourselves with all the goals we want to achieve in year one, so we miss our target and are left feeling overwhelmed, so we give up. If on the other hand, if you looked far enough into the future, almost anything becomes possible for you.

Take a Long Term Perspectiver
Dr. E. Banfield of Harvard University has conducted a long term study over more than 50 Years, exploring how people’s results were affected, by taking on a long term perspective, vs. thinking in the short term. His research concluded that having and holding onto a “Long Term Perspective” was the most important factor, which determines upward social mobility in people lives.

His research showed that maintaining a “Long Term Perspective” or clear long term vision of how you want things to turn out in the future, is far more important than race, intelligence, family background, education, connections or virtually any other single factor, which determines how successful you will be in the future, in both your personal life and business.

He showed that the longer your time horizon is and the greater your clarity about how your life will turn out at the end of the longer time horizon. The easier it is to make decisions and shift your behaviour. People who think in long term time horizons and view their lives and careers in the long term, are better equipped to make more sound decisions than people, who think in the short term.

You must have a Clear Long Term Future Orientation
I am sure you want to invite huge levels of success into your life, whatever that means to you and your unique circumstances. The way to succeed on a grand scale starts with you visualising 5, 10, 15 and 20 years into the future. Once you have this crystal clear perspective on exactly what you want to achieve, at those milestones, you must then carefully analyse all your current choices and behaviours, to see if they are aligned with where you want to take your life in the future. The more clarity you have about where you want your life to go in the medium to long term, the easier it is to ensure your daily activities, routines and behaviours will support you to arrive at each milestone.

What is important?
When you hold a long term perspective on how you want your future to unfold, it is far easier to determine the possible consequences of your actions or lack there-of. The more clarity you have about your future intentions, the easier it will be to decide whether any activity will deliver the desired outcome. By holding a long term perspective and continually thinking about the potential consequences of your actions in the present, you are equipped to more easily move in the direction of that crystal clear long term vision you hold for the future.