This is Oliver, our five-pound Yorkie who just turned one year old. He is such a treat and has a boundless personality. He loves people and dogs. Jumping high in the air to pop bubbles with the kids or fishing with me on a lazy Saturday, he enjoys life.
Today’s picture really caught my attention because of what Oliver is doing and how focused he is on it. This is a regular activity, and it has paid big dividends as he now has lots of neighborhood friends, including several dog buddies that come over for playtime. Our neighbors have noted they can’t walk their usual dog-walking route because their dogs throw a fit until they go by Oliver’s house to see if he is outside for playtime. Ha!
How did Oliver accomplish this? By anticipating seeing a friend or a dog buddy, Oliver has capitalized on these moments of opportunity. He is patient, focused but always anticipating the next opportunity.
What is around the corner? Who needs some playtime with me?
Today, our world is moving fast, changing constantly, and we are constantly reacting to these events. Never in my life have I seen a time when learning to anticipate could benefit us more. The world has moved from incremental change where being quick to react was sufficient to a world now full of exponential change. If we are constantly reacting today, we are falling further behind.
We can anticipate some of this change and how to capture opportunities that we would have missed.
Being anticipatory requires some focused time thinking about the future. What are the hard trends that will continue to affect us and our business? What are the soft trends that are highly likely to come true? What impact do these trends have? What does it mean for our current business model?
One thing is for sure — our future will be brighter if we work on it today. Let’s anticipate what’s right around the corner like Oliver.
