Author: Peter van Kets
Something about being Attracted to the PAST seems much more romantic than the future so Are you more attracted to the PAST or the FUTURE?. Maybe it’s because the past is a time we can look back on with nostalgia, or perhaps it’s because the future is an unknown quantity. Whatever the reason, it seems […]
Something about being Attracted to the PAST seems much more romantic than the future so Are you more attracted to the PAST or the FUTURE?. Maybe it’s because the past is a time we can look back on with nostalgia, or perhaps it’s because the future is an unknown quantity. Whatever the reason, it seems like many people are more interested in living in the past than they are in living in the future.
In an article for the New York Times, editorial assistant Cornelia Channing writes, “Recently, I was at dinner with some friends and the conversation turned to time travel. It was pretty standard fare: If you could transport yourself to any period in history — past or future — where and when would you go? The answers included Paris in the 1920s, Ancient Egypt, Mozart’s Vienna, Mesopotamia.”
However, Channing continues, she observed something remarkable. “None of us, I noticed, wanted to visit the future. This is an admittedly pessimistic view — typical, perhaps, of my generation — but not an unreasonable one. We’re living at an extraordinarily precarious moment in human history, one that will be defined by how we respond — or fail to respond — to some rather urgent existential threats.”
But what if we could time travel? Would you still be more attracted to the past, or would you be more interested in living in the future?
Think about it this way: if you could time travel in your own life, would you rather go back and experience wonderful moments again — perhaps altering some of the choices you’ve made?
Or would you instead go forward and see the outcomes of actions you have yet to undertake?
Under the direction of my friend Dr. Nido Qubein, President of High Point University, I participated in a “time travel” experience this past weekend. He implored each member of our group to seriously consider our current positioning in the marketplace. Next, he vividly focused on what our desired positioning would be in the future. He directed us to “time travel,” if you will, into a time where we were observing the results of actions not yet taken.
I worry a bit about the “self-fulfilling prophecy” aspect that goes unmentioned in Ms. Channing’s article. If we are projecting a future that is “doomed,” so to speak, do we then go about creating it to adhere to our expectations because we see no other way? Could the same be true of your life and career?
Instead, I’d suggest we should all do a little time traveling. As trivial as it might sound, we should schedule some time travel with ourselves to precisely envision how our best future would look. We should write down the positioning we desire to achieve. Then we must analyze what action steps we must take to reach that destination.
Who do you know needing assistance in designing that distinctive future for their organization or career? We all know businesses that are so similar to their competition that they’re trapped in low margins and high turnover of employees and customers. This means that they have little chance for extraordinary success unless they chart a different path. We specialize in helping organizations and professionals create distinction. (In fact, I wrote the book on it!) Contact me here for more information. Let’s get started designing YOUR distinctive future!
ARTICLE WRITTEN BY SCOTT MCKAIN (originally published on LinkedIn):
Expert/Researcher on creating organizational distinction and the Ultimate Customer Experience.
Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter
Video
The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
In life, we get so much input. It is hard to keep up. One piece of advice that I got was to Focus on your skills and on my strengths. We are not meant to be great at everything, but we all have talent. At times we try to improve skills we don’t have a […]
When I first began studying nutrition in 2009 there was pretty much no mention of make your gut healthy. I TOOK THE DEEP DIVE INTO NUTRITION TO TRY AND HELP MY OWN HEALTH AND IN PARTICULAR MY MENTAL HEALTH. Since then a lot has changed and most of us now know that to maintain good […]
I realised everything you do is marketing after I recently stayed at a five-star hotel and found a major marketing problem lurking in the wardrobe in my room. Upon check-in I was welcomed enthusiastically, and my membership status recognised with a room upgrade. I was even presented with a welcome gift to thank me […]
Is it that, “They dont want to work!” – or – they dont want to work for YOU? Here’s a problematic question for entrepreneurs and managers: is it that people dont want to work nowadays? Or is it that they dont want to work for YOU? Twenty years ago, I wrote that you must provide […]
I’ve recorded a short video about the value of taking time ‘in’ to help with solve problems, creating, sorting & strategising. I like to call it ‘time-in’ because these insights don’t come from our busy external world, nor from our noisy internal chatter. They come from a place within us that very few of us […]
As businesses around the world adjust to the realities of Your Guide to Remote Selling in an Online World, sales and marketing, however, still need to bring in the leads, nurture the client’s relationships and close the deals. The workplace will never look the same again, and as businesses establish Remote Selling working practices, we […]
Few months ago, I was supposed to go somewhere with someone and realized What Drives You. We’d agreed to meet at a particular spot but I was trying to renegotiate our meeting place so I can avoid having to take multiple local taxies. And so this person exclaim in total shock…and said, “Nicky, you mean […]
While The Future of Optimization has permeated our culture at large, it is Gen Z that has grown up in era when technology has enabled them to optimize everything from their sleep and their workouts to their study habits and even their intellect. Last year, I interviewed executives who work in the vitamin division of […]
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
