HOW TO PREVENT YOUR FUTURE FROM BEING STOLEN
I take it as a good place
to start this piece with this assertion by Robert Kiyosaki, author of the Rich
Dad Poor Dad series, “There is no longer such a thing as a safe and secure
job…the only way for you to have a genuinely secure future is for you to take control of that future.”
We’re in very dynamic
times. Innovation and disruptive technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence,
Internet of Things, Advanced Robotics and so on, are combining to turn the
future into a very unpredictable one. Changes are taking place so fast that
even big entrepreneurs may not be 100 percent sure what will happen next.
The story of wild
transformations and alterations is the same in many fields of human endeavour.
In the light of this, is it possible for one to take charge of the future?
Whether as individuals or
businesses, those that aren’t willing and prepared to take charge of their
future may lose it. Eastman Kodak, lost its future with the advent of digital
photography. Blockbuster, that was a video rental giant, lost its future because
Netflix, its competitor, not only relied exclusively on mailing DVDs to
customers at cheaper price, but also because of its streaming video service.
How then can
individuals and businesses take charge
of their future or prevent it from being stolen? These suggestions would be
useful.
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Have a future-oriented vision: Put down the future you want on paper. It
could be as clear statements, or even as drawings, paintings, and so on. Images
touch the deep levels of your emotions and can inspire you into action.
Jeff Bezos of Amazon focused
his vision on the things that won't change such as obsession with
the value of the customer. This is because in the future fads may change, but
the customers will still want faster deliveries and more affordable products.
So the way Amazon has taken charge of its future is to respond to fundamental human needs that
neither changed in the last hundreds years nor are likely to change in the next
hundreds to come.
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Don’t run away from making
sacrifices to achieve your goals: In order to take charge of your future, you
should be ready to make some sacrifices now.
The study by Stanford professor, Walter Mischel, on delayed gratification many
years ago verifies that making sacrifices pays off in the future in several
ways. He put some hundreds of children, ages 4 and 5, in a room. He placed a
marshmallow (soft spongy candy) on a table. He told them that he would leave
the room and that any child who didn’t eat it would be rewarded with two on his
return. A few of the children could make the sacrifice of delayed gratification
and waited for about 15 to 20 minutes when he returned to the room, and were
accordingly rewarded.
About 40 years later after the children had grown up; a
follow-up research was done on them. It was discovered that children who had
delayed gratification had higher SAT scores, better responses to stress, better
social skills, lower likelihood of obesity, and were far better in several
other capacities they were measured. This means that making some sacrifices
such as delayed gratification could help us take charge of our future and
enhance our success.
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Focus on opportunities, not
obstacles: The
journey into the future is dotted with many opportunities that may actually come as
challenges. So preparing, expecting, identifying, seizing and utilizing the
opportunities will certainly empower you to move into the future with
certainty.
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Be a consistent learner: In this change-soaked
world, you can be sure that you won’t ever meet a static future. It will keep
changing, new approaches, new problems, new needs, etc. One of the best ways to
keep track of the future is to learn, gather and analyze data on what the
trends are likely to be tomorrow.
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Solve problems: When you put customers
first, you’ll certainly discover what their needs really are. The most successful persons and
businesses are those that continue to find ways to best fulfill core human
needs. It’s the surest way to capture and keep
your future.
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Have courage: It is the courageous people that always believe in their
ability and launch into the future. Eleanor Roosevelt said that “The future
belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” So develop the
courage to face the future and make the best out of it. Don’t allow anybody or
any situation to steal your future because it’s great and colourful.
Why you’ve got to attach a lot of importance to your future
is because that’s where you’re going to live the rest of your life, and that’s where
you’re going to do the rest of your business or pursue your career.
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