Are You Futurising? Fearing the future? Or doing the 7Ps?

Today my morning yoga practice (Yoga with Adriene) was focused on transitions. Near the end she had us complete the statement “I choose...” Without a moment’s hesitation I knew what I wanted to say, “I choose to embrace the future, whatever it may bring.”

It’s just over a year now since a coaching session I had with Chip Chipman where he pointed out that I was “futurising.” This was his way of saying I was over-thinking about the future and getting myself into a bit of a state about it. I still catch myself futurising now and then, but it’s not so loaded with anxiety. I guess this means I’m having less anxious thinking about the future. Of course while being present is essential to keeping calm, we all think about the future some of the time. It’s the quality of that thinking that makes the difference.

So it was interesting this morning to realise that I found it so easy to embrace the future, which of course means embracing the unknown.

I think I know where this comes from – my partner and I were talking about fear yesterday. One of those rambling conversations where we explore things with an open mind, and just see where it leads. We talked about how when people do something they’ve been afraid to do, it often turns out to be much less frightening than they had imagined. For instance when my friend’s son was a small boy he refused to go on the climbing frame because he was afraid of falling off. But when he eventually did climb it, he fell and discovered that falling didn’t hurt as much as he’d expected it to.

Fear is a natural part of being human. I often find myself telling my clients that they don’t need to worry that they experience fear or anxiety, as it is completely normal for a human being. This is what allowed us to survive and thrive in a hostile world over 100s of 1000s of years. It is simply a protective mechanism to keep us out of danger. The problem is that it doesn’t pay to have it rule our lives. Had we never faced our fear of wild animals and left the cave in search of food, we’d have starved to death. But it did keep enough of us from being eaten.

So what about the 7Ps? This is an expression from the British Army: Proper Preparation and Planning Prevent Piss-Poor Performance. Sometimes we face doing something really important, and when that’s the case, it’s wise to plan and prepare well for it. For instance I wouldn’t go into a job interview or face an assessment for PIP, without having done my research. (Ok, I recognise that doesn’t compare with facing large wild animals or a hostile force, but it’s the kind of thing most of us seem to be afraid of).

So the way I see it is:

• Avoid futurising – what will be will be
• Face the fear
• Make sure you’ve done your 7Ps
• Just do it

Is there something you are futurising about? And would you like some support with that? If so email me on hello@sorrelpindar.co.uk, or set up a discovery call.