As a kid there was always something to look forward to – the possibility of getting the birthday or Christmas present I had so long wished for, the next summer holiday with my family and friends and all the fun we would have, or being finally old enough to ride my first little 50cc motorbike and all the independence and freedom I would enjoy. In other words, there was always some promised future event that would spark my imagination with all the possibilities that it would open up. I was always fueled with excitement for life.
When we grow older, this excitement for life often slows down or even completely vanishes. Maybe we are just too busy with our daily lives to imagine the possibilities of the future. Or perhaps, as we get older we’re just not as excitable anymore as we collect more and more experiences and believe we already know what’s going to happen. Some of us even think back with nostalgia, presuming that the best times lie behind them.
But here’s the thing: When you take some time on a regular basis to look forward, to learn about the possibilities that lay ahead of us, you can’t help but get more excited and optimistic about the future. When you learn about the huge advances in renewable energy technologies that will enable us to live in a 95% renewable energy world within decades, with a handful of countries already living off more than 90% renewable energy, you begin to feel more optimistic about climate change. When you learn that within a few decades, you might be able to massively enhance your ability to calculate, learn, and memorise through tiny nano-size micro computers in your brain, you can’t help but get excited about the endless possibilities of super-fast, Matrix-style learning of new skills. Or even just looking a couple of years ahead, with 3D printing becoming more user-friendly, you’ll be able to create anything you can imagine, anything. Right now, you can buy a 3D printer that can print a fully functioning reflex camera from a computer model – just imagine the possibilities of what you can create with such a machine at your desk in a couple of years time. When I think of these developments I get so full of excitement about the future, imagining all the possibilities which usually leaves me filled with energy and inspiration.
Of course, these are only a few examples of things I am personally looking forward to, but there are many more out there for those who look for them. Try it out, next time you get caught up in nostalgia or just want to get some excitement fueling your day and driving the conversations you have with others, find something to look forward to and start imagining the possibilities!
Be Forward Looking
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