Turbulent changes in the current of our life – its pace, pattern and scale – challenge our notions of what is real.
Since beginningless time people have wanted to know where life will take them.
Today you and I are in one of those periods that occur every 200 or 300 years when people don’t understand the world anymore, when the past is not sufficient to explain the future.
Turbulent changes in the current of our life – its pace, pattern and scale – challenge our notions of what is real.
How do you stimulate your own powers of foresight?
Consider the following thought provokers.
Ask yourself, in following categories
- What are the brand new trends and forces?
- Which are the ones growing in importance?
- Which current forces are loosing their steam?
- Which have peaked or are reversing themselves?
- Which are the “wildcards” about to disrupt us in the future?
TECHNICAL thought for food:
Electronics,
Materials,
Energy, Fossil, Nuclear, Alternative, Other,
Manufacturing (techniques), 
Agriculture,
Machinery and Equipment,
Distribution,
Transportation (Urban, Mass, Personal, Surface, Sea, Subsurface, Space),
Communication (Printed, Spoken, Interactive, Media),
Computers (Information, Knowledge, Storage & Retrieval, Design, Network Resources),
POLITICAL thought for food:
Post-Cold War, Third World,
Conflict (Local, Regional, Global),
Arms Limitation, Undeclared Wars, Terrorism, Nuclear Proliferation, Weapons of Mass Destruction,
Governments (More/Less Power and Larger or Smaller Scale),
Taxes, 
Isms: Nationalism, Regionalism, Protectionism, Populism,
Cartels, Multinational Corporations, Balance of Trade, Third Party Payments,
Regulations (OSHA, etc.) Environmental Impact,
U.S. Prestige Abroad.
SOCIAL Thought for food:
Labor Movements,
Employment Patterns, Work Hours / Schedules, Fringe Benefits,
Management Approaches, Accounting Policies, Productivity, Energy Costs, 
Generations: Elderly, Boomers, X, Y, Z
Urban vs. Rural Lifestyles,
Affluent vs. Poor,
Neighborhoods and Communities,
ECONOMIC Thought for food:
Unemployment / Employment Cycles,
Recession, Balance of Payments,
Inflation,
Taxes, 
Rates of Real Growth,
Distribution of Wealth,
Capital Availability and Costs,
Reliability of Forecasts,
Raw Materials, Availability and Costs,
Global versus National Economy,
Market versus Planned Economies,
Planned or Organic Growth.
Steps:
6) Anticipate changing circumstances and economic cycles.
7) Persist and pivot to navigate external threats and opportunities.
17) Sketch out your trajectory in 5-year timeframes. Will we fall into another recession? Absolutely. Will you be ready this time with future-proofed strategies?
19) Anticipate the growing shifts in life and business. Nobody wants to swim upstream if the current is moving everything in the opposite direction. Clue your fans in.