Perspectives That Serve # 10 - Future Orientation

A future focus or orientation is critical. You are going to spend your whole life there. My Dad has this in spades. He has always had a bent this way, but it is even more impressive at age 74 (when I’m writing this) during a phase of life where the tendency is to slough off and reminisce about the past. For Dad, life is still all about the future.

One of my favorite Bible verses is Philippians 3: 13-14. It starts out like this,
“ Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race…” Of course we can all learn and grow from each of our past life experiences. Productive reflection is critical if we want to optimize our future. They key is to squeeze all the learning out of an experience and then move on to the future.

Many people live a “whatever” life. There is no direction, destination, or preferred future that they care about. This certainly isn’t they way life is meant to be lived. To live fully we must have a series of “I can hardly wait” activities, events, goals, and plans lined up in front of us. These “I can hardly wait” things can be simple daily routines that get us out of bed in the morning as well as once in a lifetime peak experiences. In fact, I believe we all need a good healthy mix of both.

I have an extensive life list of big and small adventures that I am incorporating in my life...my own "Bucket List". I have bungee jumped, gone around a NASCAR Track at 165 MPH, gone hang gliding, bicycled to Death Valley, completed triathlons, biathlons, 1/2 marathons, and more. This coming weekend (as I write this) I am flying to Denver to go indoor sky diving with some friends. But I also look forward to reading the daily news paper, exercise, a trip to Starbucks, my breakfast fruit medley, my protein shake, writing, training, coaching, volunteering at church, a movie, a massage, an occasional TV show, and walking my dog. I most look forward to any activity with Susy... walks, meals, a movie, watching an episode of American Idol, working on a church project, just hanging out, a drive to the beach, dancing, sharing ideas about books we're reading... it's all wonderful.

I intentionally intersperse my days, weeks, months, and years with a whole potpourri of “I can hardly wait” activities. Your peak experiences, life list, and perfect day may look totally different than mine. But you can begin to shape and mold a life you can’t wait for.

This applies to your sales career at least three ways. First, there should be aspects and activities in your work that are intrinsically rewarding. There should be big chunks of work that you look forward to just because it is enjoyable. Second, there should be career goals and milestones you are reaching for. You should have something meaningful to accomplish. Hopefully this accomplishment ties into some mission that makes the world a little bit better. And thirdly, the income should provide opportunities to reach a preferred future in others areas of life as well. A good income can help you reach other faith, family, finance, and fitness futures that are important to you.