Five Ways to Project Plan Your Future

"Well - tell us about yourself..." it's a standard interview question, it shouldn't throw a person off, and yet; it does beg the question making us think ahead of time, "Who am I, really?" It is astonishing how many people want to progress into their future, without a sound concept of their present.

The normal process describers usually want people to understand their past, the thinking behind such encouragement being philosophical, based in the fear that if you forget your past, you are in danger of repeating it; yet it is seldom mentioned that such fear may be without foundation, you may not be in danger of repeating your past even if you choose to decide your present is acceptable. If you do not know what that present is, if you've never examined it, how can you reasonably decide it needs no adjusting?

Some of us are blissfully unaware of "what we are..."we have the present tense conscience of apathy, we, in the U.S., live in a culture which abhors reflection and honors action. We don't find out what we are in studying what we accept and reject, instead we discover what we are in the negative of the results of actions. It is a dangerously closed loop which lacks introspective perspective which often ends in tragic results that were anticipated- ever hear anyone say "I wasn't expecting that."

"I just never thought it would be today..." and you were right, when the problem cropped up, you weren't ready for it, it made no sense, and there it was- on you. When you do-the things that must be done; has a huge impact upon how the process of your life takes place.

In the midst of activities of no consequence, such as a day at the beach, can come the moments of contemplative assessment as to when you need to do the activities of your life. Action can create counter action, if you haven't considered the time of such it can become an obstacle to your life.

"We're stuck here in this dreadful town..." and the opposite sentiment, "I wouldn't want to live anywhere else..." involve the obvious choice of where, tied into that is the larger issue of happenstance, in each of the moments that we decide to delve into, there will be a "where" to them.

"You seem so sure of yourself on this one..." James Watson, credited, along with his co-discoverer, Francis Crick, are credited with bringing DNA to the world, they unraveled the mystery of the double helix. This single discovery will have impact on the history of humankind as few others have, important to this was they "why" - or the "how" which are often interchangeable in the final of five very important W's in our lives, who, what, when, where, why/how - the W's which mean so much. When Watson and Crick faced the opposition in their discovery, from inside the process and outside the process, had they not had tremendous motivation and clear "why" they might have been put off? Ever know anyone who starts something but doesn't finish it? Ever wonder why? Perhaps they weren't clear about that very same thing?

As you delve into the following five considerations, remember that these aren't given as an end, but a beginning, not as statements, but as, questions. Be sure to note- these are BASED ON decisions - so they aren't guesses - or attempts, these processes have been tried and are BASED ON -

1) Based on Now: If you have a good idea of your present situation, what you know, what you don't know, what you have that is real, what you have that isn't real, what you want, what you need, what you would acquire if you could. Present situation honesty is hard; many high school graduates don't realize what sort of level of intelligence they required in order to make it out of that series of learned adventures. A high school graduate in 1940 had to acquire 60% less informational data than a current (in the last ten years) graduate. What this means is that the knowledge base is expanding, so you have to know more to graduate than you used to. What do you have that is real, for many homeowners is the mistaken belief that their mortgage note is resolved, it's not, so their possession isn't a possession it is a payment. It won't be a possession until all notes are paid off against the property. Knowing what you would acquire if you could is an immense indicator of where your drives are at, if you desire high dollar valuable items it is a good indicator that your value system is set at that level, plan accordingly.

2) Based on Then: Planning for the future based on the past is building on what existed in a certain time, going to that root set, looking carefully at what was there, and then formulating a plan for the future based on what that means. As an example, consider a person, perhaps yourself, who had a dynamic interaction with others in high school, or college that upon graduation has lost that social circle. In considering planning for your future, looking at that value will help you see people, social circles in your future, surprisingly this may work out well for you.

3) Based on Where: Planning a future based on a location can be a very realistic option, consider the many people who have situations such as local markets- we look into a future that is increasingly technological, and yet, the fact is, such high tech approaches to life leave open vacancies in the local service sector that can be filled with a great future.

4) Based on When: The person, who plans a future on an arrival of some aspect of their life, plans well. Consider the forthcoming graduation, it brings with it certain honorable traits, be it high school or college or business university - graduating carries certain perspectives about you into the market. Planning on that in your future is reflective but wise in that you know how to capitalize on what those traits can bring to your future.

5) Based on Guides: There are many different types of guides about what the future holds, some are popular, some are classic, one that I personally adore is the all time classic of classics, the Bible, and in the Bible, again personally, the book of Proverbs is especially effective for considering what the future might have coming your way. Other books of note are such as "Megatrends" author John Naisbitt, who works on explaining the future; in terms of the present. Naisbitt is worth the insight; he is particularly adept at explaining the present in "Megatrends 2010" which goes into what is taking place and will take place in the next ten years. Bill Gates has an excellent future based book called "Business at the Speed of Thought," anything Mr. Gates says is worth noting when planning, after all, is anyone better than Mr. Gates at planning? Microsoft is his evidence. The bottom line is finding a book you can relate to and learn from and use it.