Future Performance Training
In the very first Back to the Future film, the character Marty goes back in time to before he was born to ensure that his parents meet and fall in love, despite the odds against them, or he simply won’t exist in his own future. As he takes actions that move him by turning towards and then further away from his goal, you can actually see the images of Marty and his sister fading in and out of the family photograph that Marty carries with him. Marty was able to adjust his actions because he had a very clear idea of what he wanted to achieve and could clearly see how certain things were taking him off course.
Although you don’t have a crystal ball about how your life will turn out (or a Hollywood scriptwriter!) you can keep a focus on the kind of future you want to create. This focus can act like a beacon that helps you walk your chosen path. Is one of your long-term goals to create enough wealth so that you can retire early and run a small hotel on a fabulous tropical island? If so, the avoidance habit you may have in the here and now of never opening your bank statements isn’t going to help you create that future.
The action you take in the here and now creates the many possible futures that can exist for you.
Achieving what you really want depends on creating some kind of vision for yourself that you can begin to shape into tangible goals with a clear route to reaching them. At this stage, your vision for your life may be clear, but equally, it may be quite general or vague. Now that you’re truly getting in touch with knowing your values (refer to Chapter 6), you can describe many of the things that have to be present in your future life. You can also get clearer on some other details too.
The following activity helps you to get your whole-life goals clearly in sight.
Imagine that you turn on your computer one morning and pick up a series of emails from your inner coach. Remember that your inner coach exists now, in your present, and at all stages of your life in your future. Your inner coach wants to tell you all the things you’ve accomplished in your life and so has decided to write you emails from five, 10, and 20 years in the future.
Look at the following list of different areas of your life. Maybe some areas are more of a priority to you than others, so you may choose to focus on just a few for now. You may want to work through the activity for each key area in turn, or alternatively discover that looking at your life as a whole is the right way for you. Both approaches work very well. Where do you see yourself in five, 10, and 20 years' time in terms of your:
- Health. Your physical, mental, and emotional well-being and health.
- Career. Your job, work, or career, paid or unpaid.
- People. The relationships and people in your life.
- Money. Financial security and lifestyle choices.
- Growth. The way you learn and develop as a person.
In terms of people, you may see yourself as a parent in five years. In the area
of growth, your inner coach may tell you that you’ve traveled the world.
In 20 years you may be enjoying a comfortable retirement.
Happy writing and happy reading!