Hey, what's going on people? This is Brad H. back at it once again to present you all with another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! For those of you that may be new here, this is a hub that I use to curate my thoughts and ideas on topics that I feel will help inspire us all in our daily lives. For those of you that have visited already or may be frequent visitors, you already know how the drill works. Regardless of whether you're a long time reader or a first time viewer, I appreciate every single one of you that take a few minutes out of your day to spend a few moments here. Before going into the topic that I'm addressing for this week, I want to talk about the recent midterm elections that were held here in the United States a few days ago. I know there are a few races that are still going on, and there are some that are likely going to have some recounts take place. I know I've mentioned this before on here, but after a lot of the things I saw and read on social media the night of the elections and the days after, all I could do was shake my head to myself. There was so much anger and bitterness being expressed by people that didn't like the outcome(s) of the election. Now don't get me wrong, it is understandable when someone you voted for loses, etc. However, we live in a country where the majority wins out, so regardless whether the candidates you voted for win or not, we have to respect the decisions and the process. Being angry and bitter towards others doesn't do any good, and instead of making a case for why the person you voted for should have won, you do more damage to them in the long run. You help your cause more by giving more positive reasons why you voted for someone rather than being so negative because the person you voted for lost. Most of you already know that I don't like talking about politics on here, and much of the reason for that comes from exactly what I saw a few days ago. That's pretty much all I'm going to say about that. I think I may have another election related topic that I want to address via my soapbox, but I'll probably wait until the next topic to do that.
Now that I've talked about something that doesn't have anything to do with this week's topic, it is time for me to give the regular disclaimer that I give before giving my perspective on the topic that I'll be covering. I give this disclaimer as a way to show that I'm not perfect, and that just because I see something in the manner in which I do doesn't mean that it is the right or wrong way. I just present my viewpoint on the subject, and hopefully my perspective can serve as inspiration for someone else. Each of us have different outlooks and ways of viewing life. The objective here isn't to focus on what is considered to be right or wrong, but rather to hopefully be a spark that inspires others to see a topic in a manner in which they may not have before. We're all free to think and believer whatever we want, but for those of us that try and be open minded to the ideas of others, we also know how life changing it can be when someone else convey ideas that we may not have considered before. The ideas that I plan on presenting may not be anything new to some of you out there, and that is totally fine as well. Again, whatever you believe or think in regards to this topic or any of the others that I've went into, I'm glad to have everyone that is here. So how did I arrive at this topic? Well as I often do regularly, I was watching some videos on Youtube last week, and I happened to come across a video that mentioned the idea of being a forward thinker. The actual video itself wasn't about forward thinking. The forward thinking aspect was just something that was mentioned within the content of the video. A few days passed, and the thought of forward thinking continued to weigh on my mind. Whenever something is heavy on my mind, that signifies to me that it has some sort of relevance to me. When it came time for me to construct this content for this blog, I thought about the idea of forward thinking, and I figured I would give my own personal perspective on it. The main thing that I want to do with this installment is give a few examples of how some of us lack forward thinking. Next, I'm going to attempt to explain why being a forward thinker can be beneficial to our lives. Again, this is all my own personal perspective, so lets go ahead and get into it.
We've already established that forward thinking can have various definitions and ways to be described. When it comes to the business world for example, a forward thinking individual likely has a mindset of innovation. They're always thinking of ways to come up with innovative products and services that can make a mark in the business world. When it comes to a subject like politics, a politician that is forward thinking probably has a progressive state of mind. This individual is likely trying coming up with policies and bills that push a country's agenda forward. Those are a couple of examples that are specific to various realms that could define what forward thinking is. But what exactly does it mean to be a forward thinker when it comes to life as a whole? I already stated earlier that my own personal definition of forward thinking when it comes to life is being aware of what is possibly coming in your life. However, if the future is unknown like many of us believe it to be, how exactly can you be a forward thinking individual? Unlike the examples that I gave previously where those areas can have a certain level of control and regulation to them, life itself doesn't quite operate in that manner. We all know that life is a similar to a roller coaster ride that has a slew of twists and turns that can send you for a whirlwind. Beyond that, it doesn't always matter how prepared you may be for these twists and turns that life can throw at you. In some cases, even the most prepared people can be taken down by the hardships of life. However, what type of individual do you think is more equipped for what life may throw at them? I'd argue that someone that is more forward thinking would be. My reasoning for this come down to one word; adaptation. A person with a more forward thinking mind will likely have the ability to adapt more to what life throws at them than someone that isn't more of a forward thinker.
So how does being a forward thinker benefit us in our lives? Going back to the adaptation aspect of forward thinking that I mentioned in the last paragraph, an individual that knows how to properly adapt to life will usually put themselves in a position to extend their lives. From my perspective, people that have the ability to adapt their lives and thinking to the changes that occur are the ones that last longer. This mindset not only applies to life in general, but also to sub areas of life like the business and political examples I gave earlier. Y'all know that I bring up sports related example often, so I'm going to go ahead and do it again. Besides enjoying sports so much, I do this because I believe that much of what happens in sports mirrors life in general. Think of an athlete that plays a sport for example. Imagine that the sport that this athlete participates in is beginning to change from how it was when they first started participating in this sport. Lets say that the sport has become more uptempo and fast, whereas it was a slower paced sport when the athlete first started. If the athlete doesn't adjust their game to keep up with how the game is played now, they likely won't be able to extend their careers. When you look at any athletes that participated in their respective sport into their late 30's and early 40's, they likely were forward thinking individuals. They were able to adapt their craft to be able to extend their careers. When it comes to forward thinking and adaptation, we have to have the same approach in our own lives. We have to be willing to look ahead and realize that the way is now isn't always going to be this way. Every single year that goes by brings a change in how this world operates, and those that find a way to change with this world are the ones that increase their chances of survival. Now I'm going to get into how I believe a person can become more forward thinking.
So how do we become more forward thinking individuals? This is one of those questions that won't apply to everyone. Simply put, some people are naturally forward thinkers that can see the bigger picture. For those of us that this may not apply to, we have to learn how to be willing to be open to listening to others. From my perspective, much of the reason why so many of us struggle with planning ahead comes from the fact that we feel that nobody can tell us anything. We have this mentality that we know it all, and that no one else can tell us anything. This is a false mindset, and much of the learning that we receive in life will come from others. We have to be willing to listen and apply what we hear in a constructive way. Going back to the sports example that I gave, the athletes that tend to thrive the most are the ones that are teachable. They listen to what their coaches and mentors say, and they apply what they learn. Being willing to listen and learn is the best way to become more forward thinking in my opinion. I do realize that being more forward thinking isn't something that is talked about much in today's society. As I mentioned earlier, I believe that most of us try to live in the moment as much as possible. Again, there isn't nothing wrong with that, and I do believe it is good to appreciate the moment. However, though living in the moment is important, we also have a future to think about. There is a very profound quote by Malcolm X that goes; "The future belongs to those who prepare for it today." I believe that in order to reap the benefits that could potentially come in the future, we have to be willing to plant those seeds today. Hopefully this gave you all out there something to think about and consider. I know that many of us can be stubborn at times, but it never hurts to at least be open to what others have to say. So I'll just wrap this up by saying lets try to be more forward thinking.
Well I've pretty much said all that I wanted to say in regards to this topic. This has been another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective' brought to you by Brad H. As always, I hope that there was some understanding and inspiration that could be gained from this. Any questions, comments or feedback is welcomed. You can also hit me up or follow me on Twitter @BradrickH. Well that time of the year where we set clocks back and experience more chilly weather is here. I know that there is some colder weather happening here in the states the next couple of days, so I hope you all stay warm out there. Before I go, I also want to encourage everyone out there to call or visit with someone that you know have a hard time with loss during the holiday season. I know this is the time of the year that many of us enjoy, but it is also a season of memories and loss for those that may have lost a loved one. Well I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I will see you all in the next one. Peace!
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