Different Attitudes To Think About The Future

We all think about the future. But there are different ways of thinking.

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 complete certainty.

Guessing the future is impossible, and this fact can lead us to experience negative emotional states.

Usually , the unknown generates fear, anxiety and insecurity. The future, the great stranger, produces these sensations when we think about it. But the future is not only bleak.

We can do things to improve it. Although we cannot predict it, we always have the opportunity to show a particular attitude that will help us feel prepared when faced with it.

By and large, we can adopt four positions on the future. Although they have mostly been used to determine the attitudes of leaders, they apply in any context.

Ostrich’s attitude (passivity)
Firefighter’s attitude (re-activity)
The position of the insurance company (pre-activity)
Conspiracy attitude (pro-activity)

One of the different attitudes to the future is ostrich and passivity

Despite popular belief, ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand when they feel they are in danger. But this attitude takes its name from this false belief. The ostrich’s attitude is based on passivity without doing anything. The ostrich’s attitude is to refrain from seeing the world as it is until the changes are imposed.

This attitude is considered negative because it does not involve being prepared for what may happen. However, it is not always bad. Failure to do so is a valid strategy that can be very effective at times.

But this attitude is also very risky. If the future demands that we change, we may miss opportunities if we imitate ostriches.

Firefighter and re-activity

In general, firefighters only act when there is a fire. In other words, when it’s 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 something to catch fire before extinguishing it. Waiting for problems to occur before resolving 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, hasty reactions usually cause us to make more mistakes.

The insurance company and pre-activity

Insurance companies sell insurance, which puts a price on the assets we have. Should anything happen to them, we can regain their economic value. This attitude towards the future goes a step beyond the attitude of the firefighter. It tries to prevent something from happening and ensures that if it does, at least not everything will be lost.

The position of the insurance company is considered pre-active. It consists in anticipating what might happen before it happens. While it is better to be prepared for what may happen, this attitude also has a negative aspect. Fear can cause us to be too pre-active and to insure everything at a high price when the chances of something negative happening are very low.

Woman with many arrows out from head symbolizes different attitudes

The conspirator and pro-activity

The conspirator is always alert. Any sign leads them to distrust of people. This attitude towards the future is called pro-activity. It is based on acting before something happens.

A pro-active attitude goes a step further and seeks to change the future. People with a pro-active attitude try to intervene so that reality fits their thoughts and plans. If a particular future is sought, a person with a pro-active attitude seeks to do everything to make it happen.