Future carving

COURSE GOAL
 This course is designed to help individual project the
future with a clear picture of how their will want it to
look like.
 It involves stating goal in written details and specifying
the action that will be put in place to reach these
goals.
 Future Carving is an act of planning the future by
writing it out as a document that will be visible for
constant observation.

LEARNING OUTCOME
 How to visualize the future; ‘Thinking Strategies’
 The importance of Future Caving or Personal Expectations
 How to develop a detailed plan ‘Clarity’
 How to state specific actions necessary to attaining these goals
 How we experience the world.
 See the Detail as Well as the Big Picture
 Six Steps in Making Change Happen

COURSE CONTENT
 Thinking Strategy
 Logical thinking
 Creative thinking
 Blocks to Thinking
 Assertive Clarity
 Decision Tacking
 Personal Assessment
 Action plan

INTRODUCTON
 The lack of a vision in life is like walking in the dark, you may not find
your way to your destination. It is therefore important to have a clear
cut picture of where we are going to.
 In modern time for individuals or organization to reach their
potential, they most at some point know where they’re going and
how they intend to get there. This often makes it possible to get there
faster than anticipated and with less setback and frustration.

THINKING STRATEGY
 Thinking is the process of analyzing an issues and
ideas to determine which best suit the given
circumstance.
 It‘s the art that precede assertion.

CIRCLES OF INFLUENCE
 When you realize what is in your control to change or
influence you begin to see challenges and problem
through completely different lenses.
 You start to develop proactive thinking and let go of
whole heap of ‘stuff’ that gets you down.

CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE
Circles of Influence invites you to categorise what you
worry about into three areas:
 What’s in your control?
 What is your influence?
 What’s out of your control?

HILLTOP EXPERIENCE
Four main factors shape our view of the world:
 people,
 events,
 environment and
 Culture.
Our experiences of these factors then influence our beliefs, values,
attitudes and behavior, many of which remain with us throughout
our lives if left unchallenged.

HILLTOP EXPERIENCE
From the moment we are born, what we observe and experience begins
to construct our hilltop and influence the way we handle situations
in adulthood.

FACTORS INFLUENCING
OUR HILTOP People: Our parent guardians are major influences. The more familiar
science suggests their influence is most significant after birth. We
watch, listen, learn and even download their language to our
subconscious memory. When we understand the roots of our
programming and realize that we can change how we respond to those
programs.
 Events: This covers a broad range of historical situations that can
extend from family deaths, bullying, illness and some of those
unspeakable events that haunt us.

FACTORS INFLUENCING
OUR HILTOP Culture: Culture is the ideas, customs and social behavioural
characteristics of a particular group or society who create a set of
spoken or unspoken ‘truths’ about the nature of that group. You can
after know your cultural influence decide which are positive and then
endeavour to unlearn the negative.
 Environment: this is all about the setting and atmosphere surrounding
you as a child. So for example, your family’s size and gender make up,
your position with your siblings, the family dynamic and culture.

LOGICAL THINKING
 Logical (or left-brain) thinking comes into its own when we are
working with verifiable and reasonably certain information. Using
“scientific” information allows us to develop our knowledge by
making logical deductions.
 It is the kind of thinking used in playing games of chess, and solving
puzzles for which there is an answer.

LOGICAL THINKING USES 5
STEPS:
 A clear goal or solution
 Systematic planning
 Using information
 Reasoning
 Checking conclusions

SMART GOALS
 The first step in logical thinking is a clear goal. Working towards
clear goals is often described by the mnemonic SMART.
 These are goals which are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic
and Time-bounded.
 SMART goals are managerial goals. They lend themselves to plans
and the application of a step-by-step through-and-action process.
 SMART goals assume that the future will be the same as now, that
resources will stay the same and that nothing will interrupt the
execution of the plan. If anything changes, then so will the SMART
goals.

SYSTEMATIC PLANNING
 Systematic planning is the second step in the Future Carving
(SMART) process towards a goal. We know the “what?” because we
have defined a clear goal; systematic planning tells us the “how?” to
get us there.
 Systematic planning aims to find the correct method, the correct
procedure, the correct system that can logically take us to our goal.
In SMART goal thinking, planning is “systematic” because we can try it
out in different circumstances, repeatedly and with different kinds of
information.

USING INFORMATION
 The remaining steps in the SMART process involve using our left-sided
brains to work towards our goals. Information is vital to this process.
We need to group it, organize it, rank it, fit it into the bigger picture,
and make connections with it.
 It needs to be accurate and verifiable as possible. When information is
uncertain, difficult to check, subject to change, not easy to understand,
then it is of limited use.

LIMITS OF INFORMATION
 There is too much of it
 It gets distorted easily
 It is incomplete
 It is quickly outdated
 Our conscious brains can only hold a limited amount of information.
The logical, or scientific, approach to thinking relies on information about
the world around us. From it, we can create the most wonderful
inventions and manifestations. If we are to rely on logical thinking to
succeed in life, then we need to be masters of the left-brain thinking.

CREATIVE THINKING
 In a time of change, where we need to solve major intractable
problems, we need to be more creative and instead of known
thinking and known solutions, develop new thinking and new
solutions, is using the right-brain.

CREATIVE THINKING
Here are 7 ways to be more creative:
 Think like a child: To re-capture your childhood curiosity, allow
yourself to just wonder at things, to be completely present in the
here and now.
 Be More Curious: The search of new answers to old problems start
with being curious about the problem and looking at it with fresh
eyes. Sigmund Freud said that such curiosity come more naturally to
children than adults.

Ways to be More Creative
 Play with Ideas: The route to creativity is to see things in ways that
nobody has seen before.
 Make New Connections: To be innovative doesn’t a university
degree; it simply requires making a connection between existing
ideas.
 Be a little Illogical: Attempts to go beyond the confines of logical to
enlightenment.
 Think Outside Your Limits: Many of the products we have and
cherish today are as a result of people thinking outside their limits.

BLOCK TO THINKING
Thinking, like communicating, is one of those functions we think we
should be good at because we do it all the time, do it without effort
and have done it for all of our waking lives. But there is a difference
between just doing something like thinking or communicating and
doing it well. Just as with communicating effectively, what stops us
from thinking effectively for much of the time are the perceptual,
emotional, cultural and environmental blocks that get in the way.

HERE ARE 7 OF THOSE
BLOCKS Assumptions: assumptions are examples of lazy thinking. We simply don’t wait to
get all the information we need to come to the right conclusions.
 See Things from Other Points Of View: A truly open mind is willing to accept that,
not only do other people have as valid points of view from theirs, but that these
other points of view may be more valid.
 Thinking and Doing: It is part of the Western intellectual tradition that the thinking
part of a decision is separate from the implementation part of the decision. In
Oriental philosophy, which has a much longer tradition than Western philosophy,
the gap is not understood. Here there is no gulf between thinking and doing. There
is only process. A decision and its implementation are part and parcel of the same
thing.

HERE ARE 7 OF THOSE
BLOCKS Get Rid Of Lazy Thinking Habits: Habit can be a major stumbling block to
clear thinking and another example of laziness.
 Think like A Child: if we use our brain like a child, accepting everything with
judgment, we can actually halt and reverse the brain ageing process and
become fully open-minded again.
 See the Detail As Well As the Big Picture: When we see the detail and the
full picture, it is easier to give everything its right context.
 Think for yourself: People who work in creativity-constrained organizations
are likely to think the way they are supposed to think, or as others think, or
as has always been the way to think. Don’t let others tell you how to think.

HERE ARE 7 OF THOSE
BLOCKS Time to Think: Each of us has the power to think clearly. It’s part of our
natural make-up as human beings. The trouble is that, too often, we block
our natural thinking ability and so make errors in judgment. By unblocking
your thinking, by not judging, not making assumptions, and not blindly
accepting the views of others, you can access the full creativity of your
thinking.
We each see the world differently because of our thoughts; every “thing” is a
think”. Thinking like a child is more open and creative because it is not
layered with years of learning and habit. Well-directed and well-trained
thinking is always more productive than activity.

ASSERTIVE CLARITY
 Please answer the following question to get
clarity about what assertive development means
to you.
 Create a vision of what you imagine yourself
looking, sounding and feeling like, in one year’s
time, having completed this text. What is
different?
 What factors do you think stop you from
behaving assertively and what type of situations
challenge you the most?
 Given the above two questions, what do you
most need to learn and what benefit will these

ASSERTIVE CLARITY
What Is Assertiveness?
 Assertiveness is one of four behaviours that we
exhibit through our actions, body language and
facial expressions; the other three are passive,
aggressive and passive-aggressive. Each one is
an external projection of our thoughts and
emotions, providing the basis for our
interactions.
 Therefore, the quality of our relationships and a
situation’s outcome depends upon the behavior
we display.
It is a general belief is that we are not born
assertive, it is a learned behavior.

ASSERTIVE CLARITY
Our primal inbuilt behavious are predominately
aggressive or passive – and these primal
behaviours ensure our survival. Born with both
instincts, we learn from our parents or guardians,
situations and our environment, which very
quickly forms our conditioning and our beliefs.
The result is that the subconsciously develop a
default for either aggression or passivity and
although we use both, we generally err towards
one or the other as a predominant pattern.

ASSERTIVE CLARITY
 This default remains with us and whilst we learn new techniques.
It’s not until adulthood that our brains develop a more sophisticated
way of thinking and an alternative; more appropriate behavior
becomes apparent, offering better quality interactions and solutions.
 Author Peter Honey says, “All the other, more sophisticated
behaviours develop through a process of learning and are thus more
‘made’ than ‘born’.” Assertion, as a more sophisticated behavior, we
learn and through practice and repetition can be adopted as a more
dominant pattern.
A widely supported assertive definition is:
 Assertiveness is expressing your wants and needs without
violating the wants and needs of others. Why this is crucial is
because Future Carving is us finding a better and more efficient way
to express ourselves, our innate talents and gifts.

DECISION TAKING
 Managers, team leaders and their staff can take as
many as a hundred or decisions in the course of a
day, each day and every day.
 However, from time to time, we all have to take
decisions on which the course of our future and
that of others depends.
 Future Carving is a decision we make about the
future and how we want it to look.

HERE ARE 7 PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE YOU IN
RIGHT DECISION-MAKING
 Time Them: there are two traps which people fall into when
making decisions: making them too soon and making them too
late.
 Align Them: The more decisions you make consciously, the more
you can align them with your goals and purposes. Studies show
that the average person makes 612 decisions a day. Each one takes
us closer or further from our ultimate goals in life.

 Balance Them. There are three balancing acts to be aware of in
taking a good decision. They are:
 Care and not care. Do all your worrying before the decision and
once a decision has been taken, stop worrying.
 Think and act. Too much thinking puts off the action; too much
action may be at the expense of thought. Seek the right balance.
 Look before you leap and leap before you look. See the possible
risks of your decision but, once decided, take the plunge with
courage.

 Act When You Have To: You should only make decisions
when you have to. Here are 5 “don’ts” to guide you.
 DON’T make a decision unless you have two or more
equally valid options.
 DON’T make a decision if it’s somebody else’s responsibility.
 DON’T make a decision unless there is disagreement.
 DON’T make a decision about irrelevant matters.
 DON’T make a decision if it can’t be turned into action.

 Use a Decision-Making Model: “No amount of
sophistication is going to allay the fact that all your
knowledge is about the past and all your decisions are
about the future.” However, there are decision-making
systems that can help us in making important decisions.
Here are selections of the best models.
 Decision Tree: Decision trees are diagrams which consider
the different options of a decision by weighing up the likely
outcomes and considering how desirable and probable they
are.
 Pros and Cons: List the pluses and minuses. Weigh up the
respective merits of each side. Aligned to this method are
cost-benefit analyses.
 Toss a Coin: When all other factors are equal and we can’t

 Instincts: No matter what method or model we use to make a
decision, there comes a moment when we know instinctively
whether the decision is right or wrong. Intuition work best when
we have done the ground work accumulated plenty of expertise
and researched the field. Intuition is no substitute for hard work
and planning.
 Don’t Decide Without Acting: Theodore Roosevelt said that the
worst thing you could do when you have to make a decision is to
do nothing. Even if you make a wrong decision, the very making
of it and the learning from it are steps forward.
 Keep Your Decision under Review: Decisions are a mix of what
we currently want (goals); what we currently know (information);
what we believe (outcomes); and what we can do (actions). A
successful decision depends as much on motivation and skill in
implementation as on getting it right.

HERE ARE 7 PRINCIPLES TO
GUIDE YOU IN RIGHT
DECISION-MAKING A right decision is one which meets your aims and resources and which
you are prepared to act upon. The time to worry about this decision is
before you take it, not afterwards.
“there is only one corner of the Universe that you can be certain of
improving and that is your own self.” - Aldous Huxley

PERSONAL ASSESSMENT
 What are the factors that affect the way we see things and how we
judge them?
 What practical step will you put in place to control these factor and
due control how you think?
 Who can you try to see things differently to avoid a dispute?
 What is the way you think will be must applicable to you, if you were
to think more creatively?

ACTION PLAN
 Much has reported about Harvard studies that show the
correlation between goal setting and success achievement.
Whether these studies are truth or fallacy matters less than
the premise that if you want something to change you have
to a focus on what you want to change.
 Review you Learning
 Review you Goals
 Your Inspirations: Always keep in view what inspired you.

ACTION PLAN
 Use the ‘Six Honest Serving Men’! :
 What: will you specifically do differently and what
will it give?
 Why: is this action important to you?
 How: will you approach achieving this action, how
often, how well, how many?
 When: will you do this, over what period?
 Who: will need to support you and who is
involved?
 Where: will this goal take place, home, work,
socially?

ACTION PLAN
 Do and Review: It is now time to take action and repeated
action at that.
 Focus only on three commitments.
 Repeat your actions regularly.
 Involve people in your changes.
 Carry out regular reviews and document your successes.
 Celebrate your successes.
 Commit to Paper.

CONCLUSION
 Having followed the steps above diligently, understanding fully the text
related to Future Carving. It is expected that we will be able to see a
clear picture of what we want tomorrow to be like. And also be able to
state in a document varying steps that need to be taking in order to
make this a reality. It act takes allot of creativity, and hopefully by now
we know to enhance our creativity and drive to attaining these goals we
have carved.
Note: “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a
time.” – Abraham Lincoln

Future carving

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