4 Different Attitudes To Thinking About The Future

There are different ways of thinking about life. Therefore, we may have different attitudes to think about the future. Given that the future is what is to come and what has not happened yet, we can never know what will happen with total certainty. Guessing the future is impossible, and this fact can cause us to experience negative emotional states.

Normally  , it generates unknown fear, anxiety and insecurity. The future, the great stranger, produces these feelings when we think of it. However, it is not so gloomy. We can do things to improve it. Even if we can not predict it, we always have the opportunity to show a certain attitude that will help us feel prepared when we face it.

To a large extent, we can adopt four attitudes to the future. Although they have been mostly used to determine the attitude of leaders, they apply to any context:

• The attitude of an ostrich (passivity)
• The attitude of a firefighter (reactivity)
• The attitude of an insurance company (pre-activity)
• The attitude of a conspirator (proactivity)

Attitudes to think about the future

Ostrich and passivity

Despite popular belief, ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand when they feel they are in danger. However , this attitude takes its name from this false belief. The attitude of an ostrich is based on passivity, to do nothing. The attitude of an ostrich is to refrain from seeing the world as it is before the changes are imposed.

This attitude is seen as negative because it means that one does not prepare in relation to what can happen. However, it is not always bad. Doing nothing is a valid strategy that can be very effective at times. However, this attitude is also very risky. If the future requires us to change, we can miss out on many opportunities if we imitate an ostrich.

The firefighter and the reactivity

In general, firefighters only act when there is a fire. In other words, when it is too late to be able to prevent the fire. This attitude towards the future is less passive than the first one we mentioned. It consists of waiting for the fire to start before extinguishing it. Waiting for problems to occur before solving them is a very risky attitude because in some cases it may be too late.

Reactive people tend to act on stimuli without thinking (action-reaction). Although these strategies are effective in some cases, especially when there is little time, performing urgent reactions will usually cause us to make more mistakes.

The insurance company and the pre-activity

Insurance companies sell insurance, which puts a price on the assets we have. In case something happens to them, we can restore their economic value. This attitude towards the future goes a step further than the firefighter’s attitude. It tries to prevent something from happening and ensures that, if something happens, at least not everything will be lost.

The insurance company’s attitude is considered pre-active. It consists of predicting what might happen before it happens. Although it is better to be prepared for what may happen, this attitude also has a negative aspect. Fear can lead us to be too preactive, and insure everything we own for a high cost when the chances of something negative happening are very low.

The conspirator and the proactivity

Conspirators are always on guard. Any sign can give them distrust of people. This attitude towards the future is called proactivity. It is based on acting before something happens.

A proactive attitude goes a step further and wants to change the future. People with a proactive attitude try to intervene so that reality fits their thoughts and plans. If they want a special future, someone with such an attitude will try to do everything possible to make it happen.

Different attitudes to thinking about the future

After seeing all the different attitudes we may have to thinking about the future, it is common to lean towards the last two. Choose to have the pre-active monitoring of an insurance company with the proactivity of a conspirator. This means that you have an attitude that is aimed at anticipating future threats and the opportunities that appear on the horizon  to correct the path without having to give up your goals.