My Future Self: Four Attitudes To What’s To Come

There are different ways of living life and, therefore, we can have many different attitudes towards the future. Since the future is the one that is yet to come, which has not happened yet, we cannot know exactly what will happen to our future self. Guessing the future, therefore, is impossible, and if we keep trying it can generate many negative emotional states in everyday life.

Usually, what happens when we try to do this is fear, anxiety and uncertainty. The future, this great unknown, produces these sensations in us when we try to predict what will happen. But the horizon is not entirely obscure, there are things we can do to chase away the clouds that are far away. If we cannot predict what is to come, there is at least the possibility that we will show a determined attitude that will help us prepare to face tomorrow.

Four attitudes that can be adopted by our future self

Among the attitudes towards tomorrow, we have four that stand out the most. Generally, these attitudes encompass the whole range of behaviors that we can have in a very simple and representative way. While these figures are mainly used to determine the attitude of leaders in companies, they are also applicable to us and our daily lives. Are the following:

• Ostrich attitude (passivity).
• Firefighter Attitude (Reactivity).
• Insurance broker’s attitude (pre-activity).
• Attitude of the conspirator (proactive).

The ostrich and passivity

Ostriches, despite popular belief, do not hide their heads underground when they feel threatened. The name for this type of attitude, however, comes from this false belief. This attitude is based on passivity, on doing nothing. The attitude of an ostrich is to give up seeing the world as it is, until something happens, even if it doesn’t make the situation any better.

This attitude is considered negative as it implies not being prepared for what may be around the corner. It’s not, however, bad 100% of the time. Doing nothing can be a valid strategy on some occasions, even being effective. Even so, this choice is not without its risks. If the future requires some change from us, it may be that by imitating an ostrich we end up missing out on many opportunities.

The firefighter and reactivity

Firefighters generally act when there is a fire. When it’s too late to try to prevent. This attitude towards the future is less passive than that of the ostrich, because it consists in waiting for the fire to appear so that it can then be fought. Wait for problems to happen before they are resolved. It is a very risky attitude because, in some cases, it may be too late for any action.

Reactive people tend to act on stimuli without thinking, with the action triggering the reaction. Although in some cases strategies like this are efficient, especially if there is little time to act, hasty actions usually lead to mistakes that cannot be fixed afterwards.

The insurance broker and pre-activity

Insurance brokers sell insurance that puts a price on everything we have so that, in case something happens, we can recover the economic value of the thing. This attitude towards the future is a step before the fireman’s attitude. It prevents something from happening, and makes sure that if it happens anyway, at least the loss won’t be total.

The attitude of preventing is considered a pre-activity. Anticipate what might happen before it actually happens. Despite the fact that it is better to be prepared for what is to come, this attitude also has a downside: fear can lead us to be too cautious. It can make us want to insure ourselves at all times, at a high cost to our mental balance, against every possibility of something negative happening. And the possibilities are not few in the world in which we live.

The conspirator and the proactivity

Conspirators are always on the alert. Any sign leads them to distrust and elaborate complicated theories that are far more complex than would be purely the facts of reality. The attitude towards the conspirator’s future can be called proactiveness. Proactivity is generally seen as a positive trait, because it is based on taking action even before something happens.

If we compare this attitude with the previous ones, it has an additional attitude. Compared to prevention, which consisted of making sure nothing bad happened in the future and at least having the assurance that we weren’t going to lose everything, the proactive attitude goes a step further by trying to change the future before it even happens.. The person tries to intervene so that reality fits into what he wants and thinks. If it is a specific future that is being pursued, the proactive attitude is to do everything possible to make it happen.

After seeing all these possible attitudes towards the future, it is normal to think that the last two are the most desirable. The surveillance of the insurance broker’s prevention and the conspirator’s proactive action, together, involve having a directed attitude to anticipate future threats and opportunities that loom on the horizon. In this way, it is possible to correct our course, without abandoning the course if something goes wrong, and give the best chances of happiness to our future self.