The future is uncertain - thank goodness

Nobody knows what the future holds.

We can gather evidence 'about the future' and make better sense of what may be possible, plausible and preferable futures with a tool like scenario planning, but there are no facts of the future.

Far from this being a concern though, it's the very thing that makes the future so damn useful.

If the future were predetermined and no matter how we acted today the scripted future just played out regardless of our effort - then what motivation would there be to do anything in life?

Obviously none.

The fact that the future is the field of open possibility, is not determined and can be moulded and shaped by our actions today, is exactly what makes life so interesting and exciting.

It's also what makes futures thinking and strategy so valuable.

There are many people who have a fear of the future; a fear of the uncertainty that it holds, a fear of the change that it enables.

But avoidance (or denial) of the future because of this - and efforts to somehow prevent its unfolding - doesn't make it any 'safer'. The future is coming whether you want it or not.

The fact is the future is uncertain. Hallelujah!

And precisely because of that, it belongs to those who psychologically embrace and relish this realisation.

To use the future wisely you need to get comfortable with its murkiness and develop the skills to create it effectively.

Hire a good futures facilitator, get some training, set up a few exploratory workshops and get excited about opportunity to properly discover a place that so many seem to dread.

Having a well-developed futures mindset in a world afflicted by future shock is a major advantage. Take it.