You are a work in progress.
As are your ideas, initiatives, future opportunities, and realities. You can't presume anything is set in stone. The only thing you know right now is that tomorrow might be entirely different from today. What's your plan to align to it if it suddenly shifts?
Throughout our lives, there are those moments when we might often find ourselves in a 'soon to be announced' status - maybe we are about to launch into a new job, or perhaps even a new career direction altogether. It might be the case that we have some sort of major new business initiative or product, or maybe some sort of announcement that we set to bring to the world. Or it might be a situation in which we are about to take on some big new goal, initiative, or activity, either personal or corporate. We've got that phrase 'soon to be announced as a part of our mindset.
Shouldn't we always be in that mindset though? The big question you should consider in this fast-changing world is this: shouldn't we always be in a 'soon to be announced' status? Shouldn't we always be ready for the 'next thing' while we are working on our 'current thing?' Shouldn't we always be thinking about what comes next before it comes about? In that context, shouldn't we be ready with a series of actions when the actions are suddenly warranted by unforeseen circumstances?
'Soon to be announced' should be a continuous state of mind rather than a few moments of momentary consciousness along the way. I think change is now coming at us so quickly from so many different directions that we have to be prepared for anything, and ready to move on that anything at any given moment in time. We won't be able to do this if we don't have a good idea as to what might come next - and what we plan to do about it. And we won't be able to do this if we don't have a good, continuously updated series of ideas as to how we are going to respond.
That's why adopting a mindset of 'continuous soon to be announced' thinking might be a valuable mindset marker:
- while spending time in your 'right now,' always be giving a bit of time to your 'what's next?'
- never presume that you've achieved your goal, but that you have merely accomplished one of many goals along the way
- you should never assume that where you are right now is where you will be the moment after
- while working on the skills you need today, keep a wary eye on the ones you will need tomorrow
- while thinking about the disruptive realities of today, always watch out for the ones that might impact you tomorrow
- challenge the assumptions that might keep you locked into the realities of today but might be a burden for your tomorrow
- eliminate the habits that might lock you into a series of actions that will make it difficult to pursue your 'soon to the announced' of tomorrow
- surround yourself with people who will encourage you to pursue your tomorrow rather than those who would condemn you to the reality of your today
- accelerate your inventory of opportunity - make sure you've got a diversity of ideas and a plethora of opportunities that you are always considering for your tomorrow!
The only thing we know about tomorrow is this - it will probably be unlike anything we know today.
You've got to be ready for that, and have a plan as to how you are going to respond to that reality.
You can best do that by having your 'soon to be announced' plan already firmly set in stone inside your mind!
According to his wife of 33 years, Jim Carroll spends too much time thinking about tomorrow and not enough time considering the reality of today. A scattershot mind, always thinking about the 'next big thing,' and an inability to focus on the small details are the hallmark of a mindset of 'continuous soon-to-be announced thinking.' It might be a powerful personal attribute, but it does nothing in terms of the ability to help out with important household chores.