The Future Is Not What It Used to Be

Charles Kettering, former head of General Motors, once said, “My interest lies in the future, because I am going to spend the rest of my life there.” That’s where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives as well. We are living in times of tremendous change. We must look forward and imagine a successful future for ourselves.

“But,” you say, “I don’t know where to begin. It doesn’t matter where you begin, as long as you begin. Someone once asked Mother Teresa why she started with only thirty-five cents and she replied, “Because it was all I had.” It doesn’t matter how much or how little you have, you have to begin somewhere. What matters is where you are going, what purpose you have for living your life, what you are willing to do to make your goals a reality, what you are willing to give up, and what responsibilities you will accept. You must also ascertain who will help you, what decisions you will have to make, whether or not you are prepared to make them, and if you have the discipline to follow through.

Don’t look with envy at people who appear to have created more success and/or more happiness in their lives than you. You have the same opportunities and abilities as they do. Look at your own life and see how you can rearrange your behavioral patterns to produce the results you want.

In an article entitled, “Creating the Creative Environment” in the Management Review of February 1986, Rosebeth Moss Kanter is quoted as saying, “The overall key to creativity is what I call ‘kaleidoscope thinking.’ The kaleidoscope is a wonderful metaphor for the creative process because the gadget allows us to twist reality into new patterns. In a kaleidoscope, a set of fragments form a pattern, but aren’t locked into place. All you have to do is shake it, twist it, change angle, or change perspective and the exact same fragments form an entirely new pattern.”

If we want to form a successful future, then sometimes we have to shake it up a bit, look at things from new angles, and change perspective. In order to do this, we need to make a conscious effort to be aware of what we do and of our environment as well.

Develop the habit of observing what is going on around you. For example, when you see a couple not talking to each other while having dinner in a restaurant, make a mental note of what you see. Observe their body language, how much eye contact they have and what they are eating? Are they happy in each other’s company or are they bored?

Take a look at nature. When you see a cloud, notice what kind of cloud it is? How is it shaped? What image does it form? What shade of white is it?

When you are listening to music, try to hear each individual instrument. Imagine various people you know playing those instruments or dancing to that music.

Become interested in what’s going on around you. Develop your curiosity. It is a key component of kaleidoscope thinking, unlocking your creativity, and forming new patterns in your life. The future is not what it used to be and we must be prepared!

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