Crystal Ball Gazing

You may not be able to predict your future but you can learn the next best thing. Find out what that is in this mini podcast from John Morgan.

Grasshopper Notes are the writings from America's Best Known Hypnotherapist John Morgan. His podcasts contain his most responded to essays and blog posts from the past two decades. 

Find the written versions of these podcasts on John's podcasting site: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628038

"The Grasshopper" is the part of you that whispers pearls of wisdom that  seem to pop into your mind from out of the blue. John's essays and blog posts are his interpretations of these "Nips of Nectar." Others have labeled his writings as timeless wisdom. 

Most of the John's writings revolve around self improvement and self help. They address topics like:

• Mindfulness
• Peace of mind
• Creativity
• How to stay in the present moment
• Spirituality
• Behavior improvement

And stories that transform you to a wider sense of awareness that presents more options. And isn't that what we all want, more options? 

John uploads these podcasts on a regular basis. So check back often to hear these podcasts heard around the world. Who wants to be the next person to change? 

Make sure to order a copy of John's new book: WISDOM OF THE GRASSHOPPER – 21 Days to Creativity. These mini-meditations take you inside where all your creative resources live. And you'll come out not only refreshed but recommitted to creating your future. 

It's only $16.95 and available at BLURB.COM at the link below. https://www.blurb.com/b/10239673-wisd...

Also, download John's FREE book INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change. It's available at John's website  https://GrasshopperNotes.com

Transcript

Crystal Ball Gazing

I had this memory pop in recently: Twenty-five years ago, I began a new job. It lasted a little over 3 years. It got me to thinking how different my life is today than it was twenty-five years ago. I’m not alone in that assessment. Lots of folks look back on their lives and see many differences between then and now.

In retrospect, it’s easy to see how certain doors opened up when others closed. Whoever said, “Hindsight is 20/20” was a very perceptive person.

The real challenge is to look forward with the same perspicuity. The standard interview question of “Where do you see yourself five years from now?” is a great test for eliciting an applicant’s planning strategy but a poor precursor to what will actually transpire.

Is there a way to, say,  bring the next 5 years into clearer focus? Yea, there are goal setting strategies and planning protocols that can be useful. There' s also a technique from the NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming) community called “Future Pacing” that's also quite helpful. This strategy has you play out your current plan in your mind and see how it feels somewhere down the line. Reminds me of a story . . .

Many years ago my wife from another life was recruited to interview for a managerial assistant’s position at a factory. She came home and told me all about the opportunity – nice people, better pay, a regular schedule. As an aside, she said the area around her potential desk was a bit dusty. Apparently it came in from the factory floor. Her reaction seemed like a red flag to me so I asked her to imagine driving to that job every day for 6 months, getting out of her car, walking into the building and sitting down at her desk and seeing the dusty floor. “How does that feel?” I asked. Her face screwed up and she said, “I’m not sure that would be something I would ever get used to.” She chose to pass on the opportunity.

But there are some things that show up unexpectedly no matter how adeptly we plan or prepare for the future. So how do we best prep for the future?

The answer is: Learn to respond.

The art of responding will insure that whatever the future presents, you’ll have the ability to respond versus react. You can’t prepare for every eventuality but you can install the framework to deal with any of them, and the work begins now.

Now is the time to respond. What’s right in front of you now? That’s what you respond to. If you train yourself to respond, it really won’t matter what the future holds, because you will have built enough trust in your response capability to weather any storm or to accept any gift.

Reacting is a hit and miss strategy conditioned by the past. Responding is noticing the reality that is before you right now and taking the time to choose a response. The short time it takes to throw in the clutch and choose a response will make all the difference in the world as to how your future turns out. Your future depends on how this moment turns out. Teach yourself to respond to this moment.

You can easily tell what your future will be if you remain at the mercy of your reactions. It will be just what you have now. The only difference is you’ll be older.

Reacting is being a slave to the past; responding is using the gift of free will.So, ask yourself this question now: Which future do I want?

All the best,

John