Image by Markus Kammermann from Pixabay
By Dave Bushy PCC
The future is unknown and by no means certain. And it will inevitably involve change. It’s no wonder that we humans have mixed feelings about it. Some even move beyond that mindset and think they can avoid the future’s attendant change.
There are others, though, who view the future differently. They “see” possibilities, understand the certainty of change and share a love of what both of those can do. They have learned, it seems, to get comfortable with future uncertainty.
I have often wondered if those people have some sort of superpower to see things others cannot. But after a long stay on the planet and more than a decade as a professional coach, I have learned that no one can see around corners or know something that has not yet occurred. But we have something even more powerful: the ability to embrace the future.
Embracing is a powerful word. When we embrace another human being, we feel a connection and a bond. When we embrace an idea, we validate its concepts and those who created it. But embracing something that has not yet happened – that’s bold.
How do we do it? By first confronting what it is that we feel the future means to us today.
Many see the future as unwanted change and hearken back to “the way things were,” that natural reaction of opposition or even fear. Metaphorical walls can come up and the energy associated with it comes across as resistance towards a future state that is different than the one we know – even though we have little idea of what that future might be. That resistance can blind us to the possibilities that the future can bring and even deny its inevitability.
Then there are those who sense change and embrace the future it might be ushering in. They don’t know the future and can’t see it, but by embracing it, they open themselves up to the what it can offer without adding resistance. Their energy moves towards excitement and possibility, not denial.
As an example, today we are seeing a tsunami of social media and news feeds about AI; some people are cautious, others lament what they believe to be the end of the human race as we know it. And a few – they lean into it, seeing possibilities and even opportunity.
I spoke with a client a few weeks ago who had an amazing insight into AI’s future. “Those who try to stop it will get run over and no doubt lose their jobs,” he said. “But those who embrace AI and use it as a tool will be the ones who succeed. I intend to be in the second group!”
My client was able to embrace change by first naming what it is about the future that might challenge him (or even instill fear) and then name its possibility. From there, he had choice.
The great hockey player, Wayne Gretzky once remarked: “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” That’s prescient advice for all of us as we lean into, and indeed, embrace the future.
Dave Bushy of Boston Executive Coaches – bostonexecutivecoaches.com – is a an ICF-certified coach who was trained at the Gestalt International Study Center (GISC). Dave is a former U.S. Army officer and senior airline executive who works with leaders throughout the world.