Five Ways to Find Your Future
The past is the future for most of us.
We cling to misguided notions that persistence, endurance, and more of the same will result in a new future. It won’t.
99% of the conversations I have about the future are actually about the past. People try to create a future by cling to or modifying the past.
Frequently, the future is turning back to distant “glory days.” It’s futile.
Memories without dreams are anchors.
The future is made by those who face forward, not backward. Stand on your glory days, don’t repeat them.
Finding your future:
- Stop defining yourself by past methods, accomplishments, and behaviors. In a turbulent world, methods that are moral imperatives destroy the future.
- Your future is about people not projects or accomplishments. Current relationships tend to maintain stability; new relationships disrupt. Treasure both.
- Get into social media; meet people succeeding where you want to succeed. (Becky Robinson thinks it can be done 12 minutes at a time)
- Face timidity with small steps. 70% certainty is enough.
- Systematically build your new future alongside your old present. Once your future is strong enough, fully embrace it.
Point of stability:
Focus on your values. Creating a new future is disruptive and disorienting. Determine three or four guiding ideals. Without them, you’re adrift.
Values guide-as-you-go without determining destinations.
Questions:
- Who do you want to be?
- What is your current legacy? What do you wish it was?
- How can you step toward your preferred future, today?
- How are you most useful to others?
- What will you let go?
- How must you develop?
Challenge:
Your future begins when you own it. While creating your new future you’ll be tempted to blame others for your disappointing present. That thinking destroys your future. Stop blaming others for the choices you’ve made.
With 2012 peeking at us, how can leaders take steps to create the future?
One of the best ways that I am using to create a better future is right here. Anyone that reads blogs and tries to take away some information and apply it to our day lives is bettering themselves and in turn others for the future.
One good thing about the past is that a leader will learn from mistakes made. When we make a mistake and learn from it by seeking answers that is a greater path to success. When we quit seeking the answers to questions that is when our future begins to look less bright. That is why I like a good blog that asks the questions that make you think.
Thanks for keeping the good questions rolling Dan.
Hi Garrison,
I agree, there are great online resources that encourage and enlighten. We sure don’t lack for information or opportunity to learn.
Learning from the past is powerful, especially if we learn quickly. I find it I’m quite slow at learning from the past.
Perhaps frequent reflection with our dreams in mind will help.
Happy New Year,
Dan
I don’t usually read posts twice, but this one, I did! Really great advice on moving forward, rather than staying stuck in the present, or worse yet, the past. I really love your challenge to stop blaming others, because when we do that, it forces us to look where we need to be looking~ at ourselves. Thanks so much Dan, this truly inspired and motivated me this morning 🙂
Hi Linda,
Thanks for your encouragement!
I haven’t learned to take responsibility. But, I am learning. It’s funny how those sentences about ownership keep meaning more and more to me.
Best in the New Year,
Dan
Thought provoking post as we peer into 2012. I love the 6 questions – think they may provide the foundation for a 2012 New Year post on my blog, so thanks for that!
Hi Paula,
I’m thinking alot about who I want to be… both for myself and for others. That question challenges me.
Thank you for enhancing the LF conversation.
I look forward to learning from you in 2012.
Cheers,
Dan
What timely and thought provoking post. Thanks Dan
I love giving people something to think about.
So many people create a limiting story about themselves based on their past. Its easy to see why you would default to the past. People fulfill their need to feel important by wallowing in self pity. Usually the people who had a “good” past are looking to the future. They have no regrets.
Even if your past sucked, drop it off and start creating your new life. Its a lot harder said than done, but we would all be better off for it.
Great post!
“Stop blaming others for the choices you’ve made.”
The best point of the entire blog!
http://topratedjuicers.net/
such a wonderful future for all hoping for better new
coming year .2012
Thank you Dan! Advice I know, but hard to follow consistently. Thank you for the pep talk coach!
I love this — specifically this reminder: “Stop defining yourself by past methods, accomplishments, and behaviors.”
My blog is called “Me 2.0” for that very reason: to embrace my next iteration, acknowledging that who I was in the past is not the “me” of the next generation. Just because I was one way for many years, doesn’t mean I have to be the same in the future.
For me, my blindsiding divorce was the inspiration for the recognition of my 2.0, or next best self. But I’ll admit it is hard to start a new chapter and realize the steps you took in the past — may not be the best steps for your future.
Difficult to accomplish … but easy to embrace. Thank you for the reminder! 🙂
I often think of future-finding as giving hospice care to the past while midwifing the future.
One’s past defines what he is in the now. He is a work in progress. BUT, if one doesn’t learn from his past, then he doesn’t evolve, and if he doesn’t evolve, his future IS his past. He lives each day exactly how he lived it years ago.
I think moving ahead can only be done if one touches base with one’s desires and then steps back to evaluate if he’s achieved them. When he comes to terms with the fact that his life is going nowhere, and becomes desperate enough to find out why, then and only then, will he seek to find out about what he must do in order to accomplish his dreams and goals.
Nice post. Well written.
Val
http://valentinedefrancis.wordpress.com
very special and meaningful
A very uplifting post. Totally my kind of thing. You might enjoy my blog as well.
Really enjoyed your post. Great ideas; hope it helps many people this new year.
Your advice can apply to anyone, not just those looking to build leadership skills. But then again, we are all trying to be great leaders in what we do.
I especially appreciate how you advise that we own our future while at the same time you suggest that we ask ourselves how useful we are towards others.
I like to dream big and strive to achieve it. Social media is a god example; I however take inspiration through old world wisdom or new world leaders, both equally relevant for me in building my force to march ahead. Interesting aspect you present. I’ll be reading your thoughts too.
This one is really a great post. A thought provoking one. 🙂
As a college student I think I am too often concerned with my accomplishments and awards. It IS about the people I meet and already know along my wonderful journey known as life. Very thought provoking stuff Sir.
Really liked this post and it does make you think seriously. My problem is not living in the past but living in dreams, I have a tendency to dream my life away instead of really going for what I truly want. Fear is a big part of not going for what I want because the fear of failure can be a powerful thing. I am working on this in 2012 to go forward and put some of my dreams into actions, such trying to meet new people and joining groups to do this. Thanks again for the post.
I can see just why this was Freshly Pressed! Great work.
I have to disagree with your third point: “Get into social media; meet people succeeding where you want to succeed.” Following right after the point of people not projects, I would have to say it would be absurd to think you’re actually building a relationship with a tangible person through social media. Yes, having media tools, like Garrison Reeker suggested, is beneficial on certain levels. People have a tendency to believe that social media initiates and promotes relationships when really, I’d have to say, social media sites like Facebook only continue a relationship. Too often, it seems, that people interchange this notion of up-keeping a relationship with the relationship itself.
So I think it’s self-incriminating to say people, not projects, then continue to say you can “meet people succeeding where you want to succeed” virtually. Yes, you can start a correspondence online, but that’s not the type of relationship you seem to be suggesting to Find Your Future. If anything, a relationship started online (if it can be called that) is just as misleading as being focused on the past or future more than the present. If you’re not mindful of the now, you cannot make decisions reflecting your past that will effect your future.
Hi Jack,
Love your comment. Disagree completely but love it none the less.
I can’t count the number of people that I’ve never met who are enriching my life.
Check out this one post. It’s written by a friend I’ve haven’t met. For real! http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2011/12/22/post-2000–friendship-and-technology.aspx
Cheers,
Dan
I have to agree with you on this one Dan – the very fact we are seeking out people to exchange ideas & know them better is improving ourselves & pushing us towards the future instead of miring us down in the past with the same old friends, their attitudes & opinions.
I hear you…”what we are doing NOW to cultivate a purposeful, meaningful future?” More people need to hear and consider this message – too many people are slaves to fear and complacency. I think it starts in the dysfunction of our education system – the traditional, co-dependent teacher-student dynamic.
For example, too many people identify who they are with what other people want/expect or what others are doing (hence, the mega-focus on celebrity). …It’s like giving your life away to someone else. Isn’t this the concept of “slavery?” Anyway, keep spreadin’ the word – great work! Here’s a related read:
http://beyondthefaceoffacebook.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/when-im-64/
Dan,
just discovered your blog.
I like your statement of stability “Focus on your values”. This is extremely important as it defines largely who you are. In many discussion I find that actions or reactions by others are completely different to my own to the same situations because our core values are not the same.
By focusing on your values when you embark on a new story of your life’s journey ensures your stepping stones are less slippery.
Have a great 2012.
Frank
PS. You may find some posts of my blog interesting.
Great post with some imporfant points. We are all creating all of the time, we just dont realise we are. There is more about on purposeful creation on my blog http://www.peoplediscovery.co.uk/2011/12/22/purposeful-creation/
I like your point about meeting people who are succeeding where we want to succeed. It’s like the saying “if you want to be rich, mix with rich people” Its so much easier now with social media. Association is extremely powerful.
I especially like your last comment on this thread, showing your post from your “social media friend” It confirms to me the caring and unified side of human nature. The power of the internet! Hope you are feeling better.
This is exactly what I needed to read!! Thank you very much for such useful tips.
great post to start my morning. thanks ~
I think I must reread this post when I am not sleepy from too much lunch, good company and vanilla vodka… This Christmas thing wore me out. But I have a feeling this I am going to be rolling this post around in my head for days….
Good words regardless of a person’s age in life. After all, we ain’t over until we are over. Better to live while you can. I’ll be reading more of this… and your blog.
Since the past won’t change should we aim to change the future instead? Either barring or enveloping predetermination I think there is a movie in this somewhere. Quite a thought provoker. Nicely done. Loved the post. Loved the past.
A great positive look to stimulate reflection. My fav is Stop defining yourself by past methods, accomplishments, and behaviors. Thanks for the thoughts.
I disagree that one’s future connections should be focused on meeting and knowing more deeply people who are succeeding in areas where I would want to be.
It becomes abit self-serving just to only connect with people who are “successful” in areas that one desires. We have loved ones, who aren’t always in the same “successful” spots in their lives and they too, deserve our attention and ears (unless they physically abused us.).
“Leadership” in life, is about living deeply one’s values and one’s best natural skills. From that, others may “follow” or join
Look ahead.
Or “Don’t look back in anger” as Oasis put it. Once you learn to spot anger management issues it’s incredible to see how many people have them, and they are usually linked to current and past frustrations in the persons life that have no bearing on the thing they are getting angry at. Let go people, let go and be free!! 🙂
thanks for the pointers
Nice article about finding your future.
Great questions to ask oneself. Too often, many are fearful of moving from the past while embracing the future.
I’m currently a high school sophomore. Your post really helps me question myself about the future. thank you. what i do now determines the rest of my life. . . . . .wish me luck 😉 But at least I’ll have your guidelines! thanks again
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed. Been following you since your appearance on Dave Ramsey Entreleadership Podcast.
I really enjoyed this read. Very informative! I was just reading a book that discussed the notion that the past does not determine your future. Only what you do in the present will determine your future. The problem for many, as I think you allude to, is the past defines who they are today.
This post inspire me. Great job Dan.
“Memories without dreams are anchors” no truer words spoken! We often allow our previous accomplishments to become a place of arrival – not as a springboard for advancement that requires innovative thinking.
Good advice. I find myself shaping my future from my past; glad you pointed this out.
I really liked number five about building your future alongside your past. Good insight.
Hi Dan,
Thanks for the encouraging and thought provoking words. I will read this post each day until my plan for 2012 is clear. Some high performance gurus say that a person should be able to create and replay their own internal movie of future success. I’ll let you know when the first draft of my script is done.
Great post here…I totally agree with your feelings toward your past. It seems like most people let their past define them and it should not be this way.
Nice but life as a curmudgeon seems to be a little more like my cup of tea considering the state of things.
Perhaps you can sway me. I will sleep on your ideas in my lumpy bed with my snoring wife to the through the sounds of my inconsiderate neighbors.
I think that being around people who have succeeded in a similar field that I desire succeeding in is the best advice for fulfilling my dreams. Being around motivated and creative individuals encourages me to put more effort into accomplishing my goals and keeps me on task for creating a successful future. Great post and congrats on being freshly pressed!
Great quote, “Memories without dreams are anchors.” Tell me more!
Really got a lot out of this. Thank you!
Dear Dan,
Some of the takeaways from the post are: Values guides even without direction, don’t blame others for your disappointing past and memories without dreams are anchors. I would also say that memories without direction is complacency.
I believe that leaders can take steps to create the future by ” Committed efforts”. Efforts connect with purpose. It is not necessary that from starting people create goals but when people are engaged and make effort, goals are created in the process. There might be people who have clear goals but lack effort, so goal without effort is worthless. And effort without goal is better because it has potential to connect you with your purpose.
I also strongly believe that leaders should sacrifice short term opportunity to reach destination. But that is a challenge. People do not let want to go short term opportunity. They want to get both and in the process they miss the direction. So, leaders should be clear what is let go where to achieve.
Comparison with other sucks energy and deviates from the goal most of the time. But comparison with self is just opposite. It energizes, aligns and create more passion to achieve goals. Values are more powerful than materialistic achievements. values provides meaning to life. So, leaders should build, teach and show to make strong values.
Interesting ideas — I do think #3 should be expanded to include networking of all kinds. Social media is great — but in some ways it is extremely impersonal. I think people still need to that face-to-face contact to build their networks which help them succeed in all areas of their lives.
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed – nicely done.
Hey Dan,
This is an amazing, thought provoking post as we enter 2012 in a few days. I just love the six questions.
Thank you for such an amazing post that made my morning.
Hi Dan,
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed. I have to admit I have recently become bogged down with perfectionism. This has been quite a challenge for me, as I find myself getting locked into old accomplishments and wishing I could “do all that” again. Or having hyper-inflated expectations, devour every thought.
Your post is a reminder of what is important. Moving forward, growing, learning, and changing is healthy. I need to learn that when I feel disoriented or disrupted, that’s a good thing…I am creating my future. Perfectionists need to hold onto that and embrace it – not feel shame over thinking that being disoriented or disrupted is failure. Thank you.
Wow, excellent post… Great points presented so clearly and simply. thank you for sharing your insight.
love it
Good one! Thanks and best of luck in 2012
I love this post simply because I am at a point in my life where I am deciding on taking a stand on my own or continue living a life my parents wanted for me. Finding my future is definitely my slogan for now, if you could call it that.
Awesome points you made here.
And I am timid as timid can get. So I shall take small steps.
Congratulations on being freshly pressed! 🙂
Your post reminds me of my own things to do for 2012 especially this “Your future is about people not projects or accomplishments. Current relationships tend to maintain stability; new relationships disrupt. Treasure both..” Thanks.
All the people want to great future
Succinct….Simply Succinct!
Sometimes it also helps to radically break with the past, give up a job, move to another country, force yourself to start again.
I did this after working as a lawyer for 7 years – http://andreasmoser.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/sabbatical/ – and I feel free and happy (and young) again.
Wow! This is such an awesome post! I love it!
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
If your dream or future, you are living another day…
We should focus on the present!
Anyways, great post! Totally love it!
Success is just around the corner for those who read, listen and live this golden advices….Thanks. We live in a time where our future seems uncertain. we do need all the positive words of wisdom. 2011 has been tough for me but I realized that happiness is not about having much but having somebody there for you when hardships strikes. family and friends…that includes our blogger friends makes a huge difference….they are a source of inspiration.
Love the six questions.
What a great line: Memories without dreams are anchors.
enjoyed this thought-provoking post very much
I hate to admit this, but I am often one who looks back at the past too much instead of concentrating on the future. I think I know what I want to be and do, it’s getting over the obstacles you spoke of in the past. If I can push my past, even deeper into the past, I think I have a bright future.
Great work!
Hi Dan,
What to do if you really have no answers to the 6 questions even after you have think about it?
Wen Hwee
Spend some time in self-reflection? Talk them over with friends? Give it some time? Get a coach?
Just some thoughts.
Hi Dan,
Thanks! I will try! Have been trying! 🙂
Wen Hwee
Its great blogpost, I’m seldom to read post like this but this time I read it..
Relevant, no-nonsense and spot-on. You style speaks directly to the reader as if we were sitting one on one. I’ll definitely be back for more. Thanks for being here!
So thankful to have stumbled across your site. This is a very inspiring and thought provoking post that provides excellent guidance for taking ownership of our lives. As long as we are looking outward for things to become as we wish them to be, we will indeed remain ‘stuck.’
Beautifully shared…..thank you and much love to you. xoxo
Hey, do you think I should take chances?
I am choosing my major for university…and engineering is something that can provide me a safe job. On the other hand, I want to learn physics and go for a phd ….but the job field is very unpredictable…
I don’t want to be unemployed but I don’t want to take chance either
I hate myself asking you this stupid question!!!!!!
FML
Does your situation have to be either/or? Can it be both/and? Just wondering
either/or…..I tried to make it both but than it seems that I can’t focus on either of them so it is better to stick to either one
You can do both, it’s called: engineering sciences. Program specialty is at: University of Toronto. I’m sure MIT has a program too.
My brother-in-law teaches for this faculty at U. of T. He’s also a researcher and associate chair.
Dear Snowflake…. I happened to notice your comment, and I wanted to share what I’ve learned through the years…
After Latin and Greek at high school, I was fed up with the fact nobody ever thinks profoundly to make this world a better place. I started philosophy… As a Master in Philosophy with a thesis about durability and organic architecture, I did a lot of dishes, worked for WWF, and a lot of low paid jobs…The job world didn’t need any philosophers and profound thinking! It needed scientists… So I became a Bachelor in BioEngineering… After the hard sciences and many interesting courses, I realized this was not the way to help nature… Bio-engineers manipulate genes, make industrial food, big machines who damage the earth and the dirty chemicals that go with monocultures…
I’m researching permaculture right now… It inspires me enormously, I think it can help lead agriculture away from monoculture, and society away from monotony… Now I’m developing my talents as gardner/painter/photographer/herbalist… I’m developing myself and my talents, enjoy life, and this is the only way I think I can help the world and build a nice future…
What I actually wanted to say is: there is no wrong path… Every path brings you lessons and brings you closer to yourself… Just follow your heart… Make your preferred future… 😉 xx
This came along at the perfect time – Thanks! Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
interesting. quite a unique opinion.
This was actually A timely read for me as o struggle with taking my work to the next level! Nice! Happy holidays. http://www.foundobjectbeachart.wordpress.com
Wow…am I glad I found you today! This post is so timely for me and ties is perfectly with my own post from earlier this morning. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you. Reading this post was like finding a safe spot, away from all the confusion and negative influences life bombards me with.
Wow! Great post! I attended the Willow Creek Association’s Global Leadership Summit this past summer and realized that I have great leadership potential. The obstacle is that I have noticed fear has been holding me back, and my fears come from dwelling on my past. Now I want to learn from my mistakes but I don’t want to be fearful any longer. It’s time to pull up my big girl panties and get on with my life. I am going to step up to your challenge beginning today (I’m not waiting for 2012) and use your other points plus some great tools I have recently uncovered to do so. Yes, it’s a scary thing but exhilirating as well! I have a bright and shiny future ahead of me!
Great post and writting, I will definately subscribe! Congrats on Pressly Pressed.
nice writeup and interesting. Some extent you can predict the future based on the past.
Great Post! Very inspiring and peaceful. Its not easy to find a good read these days. Thank you for the much needed post. Ive just hired a new employee and he is very nervous about his new job. He will be reading your blog today. You have found the words that I was searching for.
Rich Meyers
CEO – Web Video Depot.Com
Wonderful post!
Very good, practical advice on moving forward. Thank you.
As a senior in high school ready to “start my life”, this really helped me clear my head about some things!
thank you for sharing ,it’s very useful to me !!! i will try to do it from today !
Truly awesome and great advice.
Reblogged this on TheSaltyDawg.
Well said, bravo(a)
i sharing this with my friends 😀
Great post. Hope it’ll really work to find my future.
BBA STUDY
Cool Stuff, This is the actual formal Blog I’ve read, being that I just mostly like seeing pictures. LOL
It’s too bad I can’t make a resume according to my future. We have to dwell on the past for those. I really enjoyed this post, thanks! I’ve just discovered your blog and I’ll have to nose around some more!
Most definitely I agree that many people try to define the future by leaning too heavily on their past….I use to do that and to some extent I still do I’m sure. Old habits etc….anyhow until I read this blog I didn’t think about it. It’s a good nudge out of old patterns and into creating new ones.
This post just says it all. Nice one.
Early next year I will be approaching my seventh birthday. A famous writer once was quoted in saying that, “Men cannot live life, without living life with regrets.” I as many, have such regrets in choices I have made.
It was not until my mid-fourties that I realized that as a human in charge of my own life, I was a total failure. At that point, I let go of my life and put Christ in charge of my life.
From that point forward, every dream I ever had, starting with my current wife of many years, has been fulfilled in my life. The only road in life in find true happiness of any kind is “Letting Go, and Let God be in charge.”
Some interesting ideas. I have something to add to the mix: whilst moving from the past to the future it is important we learn what our own strengths and abilities are; things that come naturally and for which we are admired. With that knowledge we can build a future for ourselves in a natural, easy way. It is too easy to dismiss everything that has gone before by saying the past is gone, only look to the future.
Great article. So true, one needs to take responsibility for the past in order to move on. The ‘poor me’ or ‘victim of circumstance’ attitude tends to lead one to live in the past, recreating the same thing over and over. Karma will always be repeated if the lesson is not learned or faced. I hope your practical steps encourage people to step of the treadmill of karma and create a wonderful new life in 2012!
Motivating post, thx.
Congrats on being FP!
Wonderful post, and it couldn’t come at a more appropriate time for me personally. I currently am struggling to define my future without drawing comparisons to my past, which I never realized I was doing until just now.
Thanks for your thoughts and wisdom!
This is a wonderful post. I plan to use your advice and six questions to propel myself forward in 2012. Thanks for sharing, and congratulations on Freshly Pressed! Here’s to an epic year!
Our brains and our conditioning are a combination of DNA from our ancestors and our own leaning and experiences. In some cases this is of benefit, but we also know that we hinder ourselves with current thinking.
We often forget that the ‘truth’ is only the ‘truth’ as we perceive it. We need to remind ourselves that what we ‘see’ is only a version of the ‘truth’.
Let’s all take advantage of our future – and realise that nobody can hold us back, apart from our own (mis)conceptions of the ‘current reality’.
In Mark Twain’s words:
“Twenty years from now, you will be more
disappointed by the things that you didn’t do
than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Wishing you all a fantastic 2012!
Rollo,
Thanks for adding to the conversation. You both challenge and encourage. Nice.
Best,
Dan
Your post is a blessing! Thank you for sharing your wisdom. I am struggling with a new definition, purpose, dream – and it can get discouraging. Connecting through social media (a new adventure for me) is definitely proving helpful. I also try to remind myself to become the person I want to be! I’m on my way.
Hi thank you for posting! Such an insightful and to-the-point post!
Your words of wisdom will help many looking for change and direction in the new year, which definitely includes me as 2012 will be a BIG BIG new chapter in my life.
This post is a must re-read for sure. Thank you once again:)
I guess the ‘what could have’s’, ‘what should have’s’ and ‘why didn’t I’s’ hold me in the past! It is easier to live in the past sometimes – rather than embrace an uncertain future. The trouble is, probably for the same reasons I didn’t succeed in the past, I will fail in the future. I have found that in ‘Life Coaching’ others I am actually Life Coaching myself to embrace the great NOW and the terrific future.
I guess in this respect, I am teaching best what I most need to learn…!
Insightful and candid…thanks
We have to realise that we shape our future with our thoughts. If we think we will fail – we sure will. On the other hand, thinking positively and daring to think outside perceived parameters will help us to succeed and ‘take advantage of our future’.
I liked answering the questions you suggested we think about. I am currently at University and everyone always is saying ‘where do you want to be or what do you want to be doing in three years time when you graduate?’ It really helped!
Interesting. 🙂 1coffeehouse.wordpress.com
I like the idea surrounding building a positive future based on your relationships. It’s important to be caring and loving to those you encounter, but sometimes society makes us feel as if it’s expected that we make time for EVERY person we come into contact with on a daily basis, whether its for work, at home, etc. I think it’s valuable to remember that we have to be conservative with our time and energy and try to reserve it for the most positive people in our lives (and of course, from time to time, even that grumpy great uncle we love so much)
Insightful post.
http://www.saracardoza.wordpress.com
Thank you for the advice. As a recent college graduate trying to find or make a place for myself in the world, I’ll take all the advice I can get.
Sir, I have always said that’s it OK to ” throw a new pebble.” Doing so causes a new ripple affect. Many of the young people that I work with through my mentoring program seem to think there wrong doings define them as a person. I say they do not. Making poor choices is part of growing up. I love your blog and will be visiting often.
Rich Meyers
Web Video Depot.Com
Great post!
Great post! I am just starting up my business in a new city, and although I have been doing some networking, I still finding it hard to take that final leap into the unknown. Thanks for the extra push towards the edge! Cheers, Gwen
interesting. very thought provoking. you bring up some tough questions, ones i’ve been trying to answer for years.
Great, brief post!
I like the reminder in #4 that 70% certainty is enough – many times we want 99%, but that really doesn’t exist.
.And I will work on number 5.”Systematically build your new future alongside your old present. Once your future is strong enough, fully embrace it,” for myself. Owning and running a small business is tough in this economy, and yet it is the best thing in the world to do! So, I will post #5 on my wall and work on it, and then . . . One day soon, when you write about social media, or a web presence for small business, you’ll be citing me!
Wow… this is just what I need. Thank you so much.
Good point on not defining oneself by past methods — whether those were successful or not successful. I’ve heard the phrase in the past, “develop a nostalgia for the future.”
Preach it!
What a great post – with 2012 just around the corner I couldn’t have read a better blog to kick start the food for thought menu. Thank you for sharing. Happy New Year’s!
I find your blog interesting. I will come back to check for more.
Thank you for sharing inspiring blog like this keep up the great work…..
Chanced upon this excellent blog. It truly resonated for me.Specially when you say, ” Systematically build your new future alongside your old present. Once your future is strong enough, fully embrace it.”
The other way I find powerful is by envisioning. The stronger the vision you create, the more purposeful your actions become.
I plan to follow your blog.
Shakti Ghosal
Excellent Post! I often hold the same thought in my head but at times you need to settle with the past before you can embrace the future. Being able to accomplish certain targets set earlier on can give you a confidence like no other. Keep writing…!
Pressing on toward the future! Thanks for the insight!
wow thats an amazing wealth of ideas for new year 🙂
You write it, so it is so easy to understand your words. I am sharing this with my LinkedIn network.
I hope it’ll help me. And I think it will. Thank you for the guides
Actually, I don’t see anything wrong with defining yourself by past accomplishments, as long as they give you the confidence to move forward. Great blog.
The future for anyone can be luminous which oftentimes comes from taking a regressive look at the learning points of the past. Like you, I do not advocate dwelling on the past nor living uninformed for the future but the perspective I have found to be life-altering is to blend your future dreams with present passions into a list or visual capture of what you want to find and live your future.
Excellent, thought rendering blog. Thank you.
Stop clinging to the past.
I think that’s a very common issue with most people. You’ve hit the right spot for sure.
Great post! 🙂
hmm regular issue but useful work
great suggestions! i really relate to people being your future. i think the relationships i’ve built and the connections i’ve made have served me more over the years than anything else. thanks for sharing!
http://www.icouldntmakethisshitup.wordpress.com
Great advice.
Great article. Makes me think. You’re 100% correct. Interesting how all of our minds work in the same ways.
“The future is made by those who face forward, not backward. Stand on your glory days, don’t repeat them.” Brilliant.
I like how you say “We cling to misguided notions that persistence, endurance, and more of the same will result in a new future.”
For one, as I always say, if you are running in the wrong direction, the fact that you run faster makes you “more wrong”.
Second, we change, people change, and this world changes. What seemed to have worked (which may be a misconception in itself) does not necessarily work now or into the future.
I agree with you on focusing on values and not get fixed on destination. Values are determining factors in what we find meaningful and how long we’d stick to one thing. They the guide to our destination, which we (most likely) may not be fully aware of at the moment.
My motto for this past year and for this coming year is “Be Me”. I actually like me, and I like who I have evolved to be and all the people who influenced me to be who I am, even the negative ones. Being Me keeps me focused in the now, this moment, the only one I have control over and even then it’s not much control in the big picture.
Very interesting!
That was great! One of the best posts I’ve ever read. I’m forwarding this to a lot of people right now because a lot of people (myself included) need this exact advice!
Great post. The value questions were particularly useful. I’m setting my goals for 2012 and just copied and pasted those questions for further probing. Thanks for sharing.
Luv the thought-provoking stuff. Really makes you think. Luv it!!
Nice article. Keep posting
i gonna use the timidity one
nice…!!!
Your submission was well thought-of and well thought-out.As an addendum,just allow me to chip in my own tips,in summary:-(i)Pinpoint your targets/goals in life;(ii)Use online resources to streamline your goals and objectives;-(continuing)
Very interesting post. Nice Job
I will be telling people to come and read this post everytime they start losing track of what is important and how to get ahead!!!!Good stuff.
Wow. So glad I didn’t miss reading this. The photo caught my eye. I’m really looking forward to sharing this with my husband (a college enrollment VP) and son (a hard working 19 year old).
Keep up the good work!
(nice layout too…easy to read)
Excellent Blog. I can honestly say that I agree with just about all of the points. ( A little nervous about the Social Media.) I definitely will be a “frequent flyer” to your site.
Bob Jackson
Okay. I’m throwing away the crystal ball … it has never worked for me anyway.
Wow, I don’t think I’d ever pass here if I wasn’t thinking about my future just 15 minutes ago and saw your blog on the wp dashboard. It felt so good reading what you wrote: to read that I’m not the only one thinking that way, that it really is the only way to reach a future in which you’ll be happy.
In 10 days I’m doing an entrance exam for music education in Denmark, while I’m already studying vocal jazz in Belgium at a good school, but it’s just not exactly what i’m looking for. I can count the people who understand that I take the risk and spend a lot of money on going to Denmark for a small chance to get in on 1 hand, and the others are just impossible to count, they are so many. “You might get disappointed”. And then I would be in exactly the same place as I am now, so what’s the big danger? What is everybody warning me about? I’ll never regret trying.
Thank you for your great post, I’m sure going to be reading it again the coming days. And from now on I’ll be following your blog for sure.
Like the Nike motto….”Just do it”….no questions asked, or hesitation! Life is to short to be timid! 90% of the things you fear most will never happen…and the funny thing is that life rewards those who are busy creating their own luck! Nice post!
Dan,
I am a college senior looking for my next step and found this post extremely helpful. Thank you for providing a brief, yet instructive exercise to help me think about where I want to go and how I’m going to get there!
-J
I like this ethos a lot, you don’t get anywhere fast by looking backwards!
Rachel
Good stuff
Thank you.
.,your post is great and worth reading..awesome list!..i think i’m gonna read it again..happy new year to you
do things you love to do.
check out my blog cuz the content is basically what i live for
Thank you!
…nice post!
Congratulations on being freshly pressed. I love what you have to say about leadership here. Yes, the future is surely about people and not projects, yet, that’s a difficult balance. When our values are solid, it only makes sense that our goals move in that same direction…toward helping others succeed! Thanks for the insights! Blessings from Bangkok!
hey nice post, wish you a very happy new year
Lovely! Thank You!
Thanks for this post. I’ve copied the questions over to my journal, and will be using them as I set my plans and goals in order for the next days, weeks, months and years. 🙂
Very inspiring! Thanks for the post.
Love this post, especially the “stand on your glory days, don’t repeat them”. Thanks for the thoughts to launch me into the future – 2012!
Great post! As an entrepreneur I’m making strides this year to build my company, brand and client base. Here’s to a great 2012!
Wow thanks a lot sir!
Good thoughts, thank you. Congrats on FP! The most important thing that I can take out of this post is “Your future begins when you own it.” That challenge is definitely my hardest part. It is a lesson to live by; stop blaming others and own your mistakes. Thank you for all that.
Thank you for blowing my mind a little bit. I am subscribing – and recommending this blog to others, for sure! Can’t tell you how much I needed to hear these points right now.
http://songsungpink.wordpress.com
Great! thanks for sharing!
nothing beat you it is the some thing.
thanks for sharing
Great post and wonderful thoughts. I find that your advise doesn’t only apply to those honing leadership skills, but also to people like me, a young adult still trying to decide which path to go in life.
Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks ! good one think good way!
Outside of Christ, man’s future is dim, but the future is bright for all Who trust Him. Connie
http://7thandvine.wordpress.com/
Saying that future is about people and not projects or accomplishments strikes me as one dimensional. People find fulfillment in so many different ways and it seems like seeking happiness through emotional dependence on others can lead to instability in the long run. If building, creating, or just doing anything that you are passionate about makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, who is to say you shouldn’t just go ahead and be warm and fuzzy. Relationships and circumstances change. Other people can’t be responsible for your happiness, it’s unfair to them. This all being said, thanks for the inspiring words. Its good to always push yourself forward.
Everybody’s got a past and it takes a lot of effort to make it work for your benefit rather than discourage you.
I find your post quite short, but clear on the other hand. However I don’t quite get this ’12 min devoted to social media’. Other advices are pretty general so this one sounds like taken from another list.
Wish you all the sweetness in the New Year
http://no-sugar.me
Dan,
I like your post and the powerful and important questions you suggest to help us disconnect from a past definition of self in order to create a future reality. In my experience, it’s hard work to do alone. An attentive, skillful thought partner can really be helpful.
Gay
Thank you for this post!
I have just started a new series of artwork: http://j.mp/tlM2ei
As you can see, this issue is also currently in my head and I’ll consider your suggestion.
I enjoyed your comments and questions that you posed!
Thank you for this inspiring post. I read it twice because of important of this information and thought. I do agree to your idea that we need to learn from the past and build the future through the available media and information nowadays. Thanks for the inspiration.
Very thought provoking! I am always telling people that “their past is in their future” and it’s hard to explain. I will start forwarding this article to them. We tend to recreate what we know and when we expect those things then they become a self fulfilling prophecy.
“While creating your new future you’ll be tempted to blame others for your disappointing present” – yes, right you are. Though I have stopped blaming others way back, I feel I get low at times, and then continue going that way until a day comes and I realize!!
Well, I give more than 12 min to social activity, and which is really stimulating for the day further…. but later on I feel guilty for it. Anyways, now I think I’ll never feel so!!LOL
A great read and loads of creative advices. Thanks for reminding….
Happy writing!!
I have been called to queen of change and for me, the future is a broad vista. But number 3 never occurred to me before. That is it. My New Year’s resolution is to meet people who are succeeding at what I want to succeed at.
Thanks!
Thank you.
Lean Forward.
Thank you….
These are some inspiring words!!
They warm my heart at a moment I truly decide to be free and make my own future… Many greetings…
Resolutions seem to be about fixing something in the past, at least the way I’ve done them. This year I’m envisioning what I want to create. The 6 questions are good ones!
Thank You for Following me My Friend. Have a Happy New Year.
Rich Meyers
Web Video Depot
The learing is a everyday and every minute process and we learn out the mistake and will not repeat the same. This shows how much maturity he has got. it is a nice blog.
i loved this. thought provoking and hits home.
…as a 24 year old college graduate i constantly look into the past to my “glory days” (how could i not, i have so many stories)
but now that im getting “older” i look forward towards more important things like getting married, having kids, PAYING OFF MY LOANS, becoming a millionaire?….who knows..
thanks for writing this.
-tom
Got a really nice blog. It will make you realize simple stuffs that you rarely appreciate..Two thumbs up!
Hej from Sweden !
Great post. Thank you for your inspiring words.
Happy New Year / Gott Nytt År
Great post! I agree one hundred percent with you. I’ve read the 7 habits of highly effective people, think and grow rich, magic of thinking big, what to say when you talk to yourself, and god knows how many more.
I think for me personally I was scared to become the person i always dreamed of when falling asleep. I think sometimes friends and family mean well but they can certainly get in the way of what your trying to achieve and accomplish.
My dad wants me to become an accountant, even though he knows I that’s not what I want. But here I am doing it. I’ve also learned to compromise with life because everything in my opinion is negotiable. I know that I can get whatever I want in life because I sincerely believe that everything is up for grabs for the industrious individual.
Great Post, can’t wait for the next one!
-Harp Kang
I really loved reading this. Short but so sweet and informative and very helpful!
Thank you for the words of wisdom.
Best!
Some good “quotable” gem, perfect for starting a new year. Thanks!
You are so right. Thanks for sharing this insightful post for 2012
Reblogged this on benleney and commented:
I like a lot of the ideas here; haven’t checked out other posts but I feel in tune with this thinking.
Very insightful advice! Building a future is so much harder than people think, and to be honest until I had read this post I didn’t even connect with the fact that we use our past to create a future. Well done and thank you x
I am an artist so practical ideas don’t often touch my heart or emotions but I can honestly say THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. Many of the ideas you touched on are critical for anyone who wishes to maximize their creativity, and let others be touched by it as well.
Oh and the 300 words or less?? BRILLIANT. a work of art.
Very, very nice!! One of the biggest mistakes I continue to make is looking at why my present conflicts with my expectations forged in my past – ignoring the fact that my present has not really been a part of the process all along… thank you for this post.
“99% of the conversations I have about the future are actually about the past. People try to create a future by cling to or modifying the past.”–This part really opened up my eyes. I love your posts! They are always thought provoking.
This was a great read. I think I have let my past define me, and it actually doesn’t allow you to look ahead into your future. I think I have had to learn relationship building is key. I took a few of your points and wrote them down to remember, as I charge towards my future.
Thanks to the author for sugested ideas.
Nicely written. A constant urge to learn/improve self and constant communication should do a good go!!
Having goals, the right attitude, practising self redevelopment and a passion for people, is a good place to start your journey on the path of success.
“Goals give you more than a reason to get up in the morning; they are an incentive to keep you going all day. Goals tend to tap the deeper resources and draw the best out of life.” – Harvey Mackay
Very inspirational I will take up the challenge…
You inspired me. I’m sure this will help many people, thanks for sharing this with us.