“A thermostat dictates the temperature of the environment, while a thermometer reacts to the temperature of the environment.”
Have you ever thought about the future and wondered if designing your future was achievable with 100% certainty? Well, I listened to a Ted talk recently, where the process of trend forecasting was explained, and I realized something interesting: Trend forecasters are more or less trend creators than predictors.
In fact, the speaker compared our role in designing the future to that of a thermostat and a thermometer. A thermostat dictates the temperature of the environment, while a thermometer reacts to the temperature of the environment.
Similarly, we possess the power to create our own future, rather than just reacting to the world around us.
Now, I understand some people believe the future is entirely predictable, but I’m not convinced. Even when scientists make predictions, they usually base them on probability.
Frankly, humans are the furthest thing from predictable. Aside from humans, other factors of life, be it company growth, business cycles and so on can be notoriously difficult to predict with absolute certainty.
But here’s the thing: if we could predict the future with complete accuracy, then what would be the point of life? The beauty of life lies in the fact that we have free will, which means we can control our own lives and shape our own futures.
Of course, designing our future is no easy task. We can’t control the lives of others, but we can control our own lives. And that’s where our power lies.
So, how do we go about designing our own futures? It starts with taking small steps and making mistakes along the way. A good design is not rushed, but rather carefully considered and corrected. We plan out our future minute by minute and day by day, always keeping our destination in mind.
We’re all capable of making mistakes, but the key is to learn from them. This is why we must constantly check ourselves and our progress. And remember, everyone’s future is unique by design. We can’t imitate the work of others; we have to build our own futures.
So, what are you waiting for? Start designing your future today. You’ve already taken the first step by reading this blog. Thank you for joining me on this journey.
