Today is August 1 and the Navigate the Chaos question to consider is “How often do you make a decision that will foreclose future thinking?”
In a New York Times editorial David Brooks wrote "The fact is, we are all terrible at imagining how we will feel in the future. We exaggerate how much the future will be like the present. We underestimate the power of temperament to gradually pull us up from the lowest lows. And if our capacities for imagining the future are bad in normal times, they are horrible in moments of stress and suffering. Given these weaknesses, it seems wrong to make a decision that will foreclose future thinking. It seems wrong to imagine that you have mastery over everything you will feel and believe. It's better to respect the future, to remain humbly open to your own unfolding."
People that successfully navigate the chaos understand that they need to respect the future and remain humbly open to their unfolding.
Making a decision that forecloses future thinking limits the options for personal growth and professional development. It’s okay to recognize that you do not have mastery over everything you will feel and believe. If you can respect the future, and maintain an open mind, you have a better chance at navigating the chaos.
How often do you make a decision that will foreclose future thinking?”