Author: Scott McKain
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
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.
Speakers in the virtual space during this pandemic we have heard the word pivot frequently. And now it’s typical to hear phrases like “all Zoomed out”. In the world of events and training we are seeing a mixture of virtual, hybrid and face to face. No one expected this pandemic. While we continue to navigate […]
Until someone creates a way to accurately predict the future and Beyond Disruption, there is no way to prepare your business for every change that will come its way and beyond disruption. Whether it is a pandemic that changes the economic outlook, societal trends that change consumption patterns, or machinery or infrastructure that breaks down, […]
3 Ways to Tap into Emotion During a Pitch and The power of emotion is something that has a universal appeal and can breathe life into simple cold facts. Have you ever pitched something you knew was great, only to have it shot down? Of course you have. We all have. And though the rejection […]
THE STRUGGLE OF ALL SALESPEOPLE, UNDERSTANDING THE MONEY VALUE Here’s what you should know about salespeople, and really people in general. They don’t struggle with time management, they struggle with self-management. You can’t manage time, time ticks whether we want to or not. Here’s why we struggle with self-management In the absence of a clearly […]
Firstly, let’s take a quick look at the definition and statistics of Employee engagement in small businesses. Employee engagement is a property of the relationship between an organization and its employees. An “engaged employee” is one who is fully absorbed by and enthusiastic about their work and so takes positive action to further the organisation’s […]
On a recent flight, at almost every stop along the way, the airline I had chosen reminded me that I was flying with “the best” So can you over-compliment your CX. Airport signage told me…the CEO appearing on the pre-flight safety video told me…the flight attendant announcements told me…well, you get the picture. The problem […]
Before the pandemic, we saw a clear Qubit mindset trend in evolving away from binary thinking and extending our thinking to the endless possibilities between 1 and 0. Gender identity no longer has to correspond with the one ‘given’ at birth. Business profit could go hand in hand with improved human and societal justice. Embracing […]
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 […]
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
