What will our future look like?

Covid-19 has certainly made us look differently in life.  People are feeling confused and unrest amongst the population is becoming obvious.  This is a time for thinking about the future. It is also a time for reflection and decision. Positive change is the way forward

What is our future?

What will life look like in the 21^st Century? Will we ever be able to live life the same way again? These are great questions everyone is asking, but the answers are unknown to us all.  We have no idea what our future holds.  We don’t know how we will live or what choices we will ever have again. Do we ever really know the answers to these questions? I think not. No, we have no idea what our future will look like but we never have.

A future has already reached

We could never have looked into the future and seen Toyota as a major car brand worldwide, or Microsoft being the key to our working life on the computer.  Who would have known that Coca-Cola would sell bottled water, yes, the same water we get from taps, and who would have guessed this would be a major seller? Life has changed, yes, but it was always going to change.

Generational change

My grandfather saw the invention of the motor vehicle, he went from riding in horses and carts to riding in modern cars.  He fought for the rights of man to work 40 hours over a 5 day working week and he saw man walk on the moon, the changes he saw in his lifetime were huge. Whereas my grandchildren couldn’t imagine life without a television, a mobile phone and they have no idea what the home telephone even looked like.  YES, life was always going to change and it did.

The present is changing as well

Covid-19 has put a spanner in the works of our present life. It is a new variable in our life that has altered so many things, namely working from home, isolation and lockdown.  There are some negative implications, but we can’t afford to look too long or dwell on those negatives, either as individuals or as a nation.  I believe what will give us the most benefit is flipping the negatives into positives. Concentrating on the positives and everything that we have gained from living our life in lockdown, working from home, and isolation is what will propel us forward and positively into the future.

Future Business Model

Taking the time to reflect, to see what has worked well and what our society has liked about these times, is most important.  Brainstorming and making a list of all the wonderful things we have been gifted over these times is very beneficial. Contemplation helps to bring about change. Reflection and contemplation are relevant to business models.  We need to think about how we can improve our business models or start totally new more appropriate businesses.  Are there businesses that work better and that are more appropriate and profitable in our changing times?

Adapting and Changing Business

The businesses that have thrived during Covid are those that have adapted to the situation. They have changed fast and moved with the times. Some of the businesses that are failing or have gone under and closed are wallowing in the pity pit rather than adapting or changing.  Those that have changed may be going in a totally different direction or expanding what they are doing. They have thought outside the box and in many cases taken a leap of faith.

Forward Thinking People

We have seen the emergence of comedy podcasts by some of our best and leading comedians.  Online cooking schools taught by some of our greatest chefs have opened. There is fabulous music being made and uploaded to YouTube by some amazingly talented artists, both known to us and unknown new talent. Market stallholders suddenly have online ordering capability.  Forward-thinking people are doing incredibly different things, creative things, and they are being successful in new ventures.

Who are the Winners in this Future?

Our world has changed and it is easy to focus on our losses caused by Covid. . When we have another look we discover that the winners in this change are all of us, the consumers, as well as the businesses that are growing and blooming. Entrepreneurs are quick to evaluate their situation, by looking at the positive aspects of the past, they reassess their current position and changed their trajectory so they can move forward positively, not looking back.

Look back but don’t get stuck

The only reason to look back is to learn from the past, so we can do things better, improve what we have been doing to perfect them.  Looking back can be helpful but we can’t get stuck there. In the last 100 years we have gone from inventing the airplane and automobile to taking people to outer space while robots do the manual labour that men used to do.  If we look positively what can our future look like?  How far can we go?

So what will you do?  Will you have a think about the future? Will you be the positive change this world needs?  Will you look for the good in these times and take them forward into the future? Bring on the future!