🧭 Inspiration from the future
Personal Strategy #50 - Strategic thinking applied to your life.
Imagine the future you want and let it inspire your day-to-day actions.
This is a simple idea that i intend to put more into practice going forward.
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For example, in a recent flash of inspiration, i’ve written these words:
🔭 The vision of a better future in Romania that i dedicate my professional life to →
· A healthy private sector across strategic industries
· With strong companies that are relevant on the global stage
· That are led by visionary leaders
· Who work with remarkable professionals
· That connect and grow through vibrant professional communities.
Not only these phrases act as an energy boost for my professional activity, they also create coherence across the multiple areas in which i’m active.
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This vision also offers clarity on the interconnected layers of impact (vision elements) that will make it a reality.
As an example, my Solopreneur Gym initiative (helping highly experienced professionals make a good living as solopreneurs) is connected to the “remarkable professionals” and “relevant on the global stage” layers of the vision.
Another example is the Leaders in Tech community (where Tech leaders connect, learn, and grow together) that i co-founded last year, which is connected to “strategic industries”, “visionary leaders” and “vibrant communities” layers.
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Constantly working towards developing these specific elements of the desired future reminds me of catedral thinking:
In essence, it’s the mental model of artists whose dreams are bigger than their lifespan. Most major monuments Humanity has built over its history fall under cathedral thinking. The Angkor Wat in Cambodia took over 400 years to complete. The Great Wall of China was a 2,000 year construction project. The Sagrada Familia, whose construction began in 1,882, is still a work in progress. Greatness takes time and usually surpasses the original artist’s lifetime.
And of the three bricklayers story:
A simple version goes that a person walked past a building project and asked three workers the same question: “What are you doing?”
The first replied, “I’m laying bricks.”
The second replied, “I’m building a wall.”
And the third replied, “I’m creating a cathedral.”
The story highlights how we can view our work differently depending on whether we focus on the immediate task, the short-term goal, or the larger vision.
In a way, even usual activities are enriched with extra meaning when they are linked with a larger story that we’re telling ourselves.
This is how it feels to imagine a desired future and to let it inspire day-to-day actions.
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Imagine the future you want. What does it look like?
Enjoy creating the future you imagine,
Bülent
As we’re all navigating through the uncertainty of life, in the Personal Strategy series i’m exploring and playing with strategy concepts and practices applied to personal and professional contexts.
If you want to suggest specific topics or questions related to personal strategy, you can reach me on LinkedIn.
Creator of the series: Bülent Duagi, strategy adviser for CEOs in Tech.