Projecting Yourself Into Multiple Futures

Hello, my name is not Atlas Thunderbaux and I want you to start projecting yourself into new futures. I want to establish a new way of thinking that is simple and to the point.

It can be overwhelming thinking about the future. I know forcing the notion of a million different futures upon you doesn't help with that overwhelming feeling. But the simplicity of this is not about a million futures you should explore. It’s knowing you can explore better ones. No matter what life has dealt you, there are always multiple paths you can take. There is always a way forward.

And that’s the simplicity I’m aiming for.

The Past Futures

I have abandoned many futures. I wanted to be a film director. I ditched a film course after a semester because there was no future in it. One path vanished. But I did discover I enjoy writing scripts, which opened up another. I worked behind the scenes of a local play. I met creative people, who read my writing and asked me to adapt a short story into a script. It didn't go anywhere, but the director introduced me to the works of Chuck Palahniuk – who inspired more writing. More futures.

I worked as a manager for a big retail company. I didn’t love retail and knew it wasn't going to be my future. However, I was tasked with giving a presentation to a large group of managers and executives that sparked a love of public speaking within me. This showed me another future worth pursuing.

I have countless paths abandoned. These are only a few examples of not letting seemingly dead-end futures be the main path, but ways to find new and more exciting ones. The direction I am heading in today is not necessarily where I will be heading tomorrow. But the point is there will always be a path, no matter what you are experiencing. I don’t want you to forget. I want you to project.

The spark that changed it all.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

Lots of my sparked futures have come from my pursuit to read everything. Though I read primarily non-fiction these days, the concept of A Million Potential Futures became clear reading this novel. The main character dies and finds themselves inside the midnight library. The library shelves contain books of lives they could have led. Each life spawning from different decisions and actions taken. This solidified an idea I had and brought it into focus. It made me feel a little less miserable about where I was going in life because I wasn’t stuck; there were still options for me. Abandoned futures aren’t really lost. We just need to visit our own midnight library, metaphorically of course, please don't die, and start flicking through the books containing all our potential lives.

The Potential Futures.

The future where I am wearing the uniform and badge is gone for now, but writing this blog is creating new ones. I can see myself writing a book. Meeting new people. Gaining an income free from the constraints of the nine-to-five.

Using this method of projection and eliminating the simple mental blocker of feeling stuck, I left my comfort zone and took part in a free Improv course. Next thing I knew I signed up for a term. A vastly different future where I already feel more confident putting myself out there into the world.

I can start a family. I can try for a new career. I can see paths where my surroundings have changed. My income source has changed. Or simply my mentality has changed. The overarching pathways don’t matter. We just need to be excited knowing those thoughts, actions or ideas that excite us makes those new pathways possible.

Your Futures

Ponder some actions you can take right now. Challenge yourself to see something from someone else's perspective. You could continue reading this, or you could go out and do something, whatever it might be. We all have something we were too afraid to pursue. Project yourself into the many different futures that might spawn from those simple decisions and chase the ones that excite you most.

You aren't stuck. There are many futures ahead. You just need to look.

Thank you to Rah for the art. Check out their stuff here.

Feel free to share your thoughts here.

Thank you for your time.

Atlas Thunderbaux