How to future-proof yourself

Future-proof definition: the ability of something to continue to be relevant and successful in the future.

Future-proof (you) is your ability to adapt to be relevant and successful in the future.

Future-Proofing You is to navigate your future with clarity and confidence by strengthening your adaptability to succeed. That means adapting your choices, focus, energy, and story to be future-ready.

In this article, I will focus on adapting your choices. Choosing options that are consistent with your values and derived from outside your comfort zone, an advanced choice.

Making advanced choices sits at the core of the future-proofing process and it is dependent on two key components, your values and your options.

Values

A value is believing in what we hold most important.  Like a compass that a ship’s captain uses to navigate a route, our values are our compass that helps us navigate our future. It helps us steer our actions by aligning them to our beliefs.

But living by our values is not a choice. Because when we are so clear about our values it does not feel like a choice anymore. This makes it is easier to pick the right choice during hard moments because we naturally pick what is right over what is fun.

Also, during periods of change when everything around us in a state of flux, we often seek clarity first. Our values play an instrumental role here. They help in containing our uncertainty by bringing a sense of control to our situation thereby allowing us to decide our next step.

This is important because when we make choices that are consistent with our values, we make more authentic decisions. Decisions that are aligned with our beliefs.

Options

We need at least 2 options to make a choice. We make choices every day. Some are easy choices whilst others not. Easier choices are usually comfortable choices and harder choices are usually uncomfortable choices, where we are outside our comfort zone. The thing about adapting is that it does not take place in the comfort zone.

In an advanced choice, the option is derived from outside our comfort zone. That’s an uncomfortable place to be and it requires a bit more from us to cross the barrier that wants to keep us in our comfort zone.

And the key feature about the barrier is that it is not about the option. The barrier is usually the thing we are avoiding. If you are trying to future-proof yourself chances are you are avoiding some form of discomfort, the feeling you have about your uncomfortable option.

Adapting to advance

Getting comfortable with our discomfort is not impossible but it takes practice.

Practice is something I mention in most of my articles. I have daily practices and rituals to work my adaptive muscle. Practice sometimes feels hard because it requires discipline. Discipline puts pressure on us and that’s why many people give up on goals they have set themselves.

The way to reduce the pressure is to remove as many barriers as possible that are stopping us from advancing.

The first step is to live by our values so that it is a natural part of us and not a choice we have to make.

Stepping out of our comfort zone requires a bit more effort. This is where creating a practice is crucial to help us get comfortable with the discomfort.

The irony is that it is the discomfort that helps us advance. Discomfort tells us that we are doing something we don’t want to do, don’t know how to do, or have not done before. When you analyse it, your discomfort is your feeling towards that option. It is an emotion! And emotions are the energy that moves us to action.

We typically experience the emotion of fear, doubt, or not knowing how (anxiety) or what to do next (frustration). In my previous article on emotions, I mentioned that each emotion we feel is there for a reason and it has a story, purpose, and disposition. So, if you tune into them you will glean your clues. It is pointing you to what needs attention for you to move forward.

And as you work with it you and your task make progress.

When future-proofing yourself, the comfort zone is your barrier and the unfortunate thing is that by being there you remain static. Instead, work with the discomfort and learn from it. It may not be pleasant or perfect, but it is through your discomfort that you will understand yourself, adapt and advance on your journey to future-proof yourself.

Execution brings clarity and confidence.

And execution becomes easier when you operate from your values and insights about your discomfort.

For more on making advanced choices connect with me at yoga@yoganesadurai.com