Given all that has happened in the last 18 months, what is coming next in your life?
I can’t believe there is anyone who has not paused for thought about what the future (now) holds for them. Yet relatively few seem to have done more than ruminate on it, and push it to the back of their mind, on the “too difficult” category.
And little wonder, given the enormity of what is happening right now. Does anyone have a crystal ball that tells the future?
That said, you don’t have to join the majority in this paralysis. To give you a little structure, how about these questions to start with?
- What are (or were) your long-term goals? These may be wavering now, but before you crack on with the other questions, remind yourself of what you are shooting for.
Identify which arenas you need to analyse, such as your organisation, industry, profession, community. Put another way, try to label the environment in which each of you key goals sits. Then, for each arena:
- What key things have happened in the arena over the last 18 months?
- What impact have these things had on the organisations, groups and/or people in the arena?
- What big events or tends outside of the arena have influenced what is happening within?
- How have individuals been reacting to what has happened in the last 18 months?
- What scenarios can you envisage over the next 6-12 months?
- What about the longer-term?
- What don’t you know that would be useful to know, and how can you find out?
- How do other key people in the arena envisage the future evolving?
- What impact does all this have on your goal?
Now, for each of your goals:
- Does it still make sense to pursue the goal?
- What additional risks/opportunities are associated with it?
- Is there a better/more feasible/easier goal to strive for?
- What would be the most courageous/outrageous exaggeration of this goal?
- Would that be more fun to pursue?
Thus:
- What decisions need to be made about your forward plans?
- Are you ready to commit to your revised goal?
- How can you make sure you re-energise your enthusiasm and get the hell on with it?
There is a lot here I know, and you may well be plagued by the uncertainty.
So take your time – but not too long!
When you hit uncertainty, ask a friend. Play with it creatively, and see what pops up.
Remember, that the future will be created by the certain!
Related Articles
- Giving Your Tenacity a Sanity Check
- Making Sense of Political Upheaval
- Understanding the Bigger Picture
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