How YOU Can Predict the Future

While staring out the window one day…I started thinking about the relationship between Prediction along with Cause & Effect.

An innate need we humans have is the drive for a sense of control. (I’m guilty!) Taking it a step further, when we can predict or forecast what will happen, this gives us stronger leverage to successfully control outcomes.

If we do not know what will happen next, we find it difficult to calm our brains. We are uneasy. We struggle to rest. We're not sure when Jack will suddenly pop out of the box! We must be alert for the potential dangers of uncertainty, doubt and exposure.

For me, it's always about looking for patterns.

If we allow our minds to completely open to view events as they are actually occurring, as opposed to our perception of what we think is happening, we gain a clearer view into the potential effects.

We must clear our minds from the clouds of our pre-judgement; often a very difficult practice.

We must continually look carefully at the potential outcomes, both positive and negative, while weighing the costs. Time, action, labor, even thoughtful consideration all have associated costs. When weighed against the potential outcomes, do the scales tip in our favor? Do the negative outcomes outnumber the positive outcomes? Obviously, negative cost coupled with negative outcomes is a lose-lose situation. We must find and explore better odds.

Being able to predict is about connecting with cause and effect. If we can connect the lagging indicators (cause) of yesterday to the leading indicators (effect) of tomorrow, we can predict. When we detect or identify a pattern in these events, the sooner the better, we may predict and more readily control what will happen near term.

Explaining these cause and effect relationships meets yet another human need. It allows us to appear rational to other people, thus appearing predictable, stable ....and trustworthy.

We not only meet our innate need for control and prediction, dare I say, we meet our customers' and colleagues' need for trust and their desire for our value-added rational stability. 

Clear your mind and really experience the events as they unfold around you. Focus on an unclouded view of events. Work to hone your awareness of cause and effect.

I know, I know...easy to say, hard to practice. 

How do you handle cause, effect and prediction? I'd love to hear your thoughts?

(Shout out to the folks over at Changingminds.org for some provocative thought.)