I recently had the pleasure of interviewing author and futurist Cecily Sommers.  I have always had a personal fascination with people who can predict the future, and while Cecily doesn’t state that she predicts the future she does engage her readers into understanding how to look for signs of how to predict and capitalize on the changes we are all attempting to adapt and adopt too.

Her book teaches the reader how to engage in new thinking in order to connect today’s pressures with tomorrow’s realities.  “Think Like a Futurist” explains how the social, economic and environmental crises of our time spring from just four constant and predictable forces.  Those four forces are resources, technology, demographics and governance and these four forces determine our future trends.  As Cecily state “over time, humans have been able to harness the power of the four forces for their own benefit. In the process, they have moved from a postion of hand-to-hand combat with the forces in a battle for survival, to one of greater comfort and ease.

Cecily’s book is not a book about identifying trends, but rather transcending them, which is crucial in today’s fast-paced world where success is often defined as movement from deadline to deadline (crisis to crisis).  Throughout “Think Like a Futurist” you will learn how to make your perspective both more elastic and comprehensive–you will find a long term vision needed to see opportunities on the horizon and understand how to realize them.

I hope your enjoy this great interview with a fascinating author, extremely knowledgable and wise who knows how to help you see the trends that are shaping our future before they manifest.   You can watch a great video about the book by clicking here to be directed to Cecily’s website or you can watch a great YouTube video by clicking here.

There has probably never been a book that is as timely at Jonathan Fields, “Uncertainty-Turning Fear and Doubt Into Fuel for Brilliance.”   We are all living in a world of uncertainty, filled doubt and fear–let’s face it we are living unprecedented times.

In Jonathan’s new book he speaks about the single greatest determinants of high level success as an innovator or creator in any realm is the ability to manage and at times even seek out sustained high levels of uncertainty, bundled lovely with risk of loss and exposure to criticism. He states these three psychic horseman of creation must often not only be sought, but embraced repeatedly and with increasing levels of intensity over extended periods of time.  In fact, they are often signposts that you’ve entered your next big creation crux move.    Now while this philosophy might seem contrary to the belief that we need to avoid uncertainty  and the associated stress, this is where Jonathan states we receive our breakthroughs and are exposed to high levels of inspiration and creativity.

Uncertainty is about what goes on in your head, your heart, and your gut as you strive to create something truly extraordinary.  It is about the nutty things we do, the gremlins we battle and the decisions we make and action we take in the pursuit of long-term, large scale creative, artistic, entrepreneurial and organizational greatness.   In Uncertainty-Turning Fear and Doubt Into Fuel for Brilliance our author states that it is these three psychic horseman of creation that lead to so much suffering and  in spite of the havoc they so often wreck, that they must remain present.

The best part about about this book is that our author provides transformational personal practices that let you feel the uncertainty, risk and exposure necessary to high-level creation, but experience them more as opportunity rather than deep suffering, anxiety and paralysis.

So no matter what you fear or doubt might be about the uncertainty in your life Jonathan teaches you personal techniques that will help you  cope with and embrace uncertainty and reframe your vantage point by turning it into a positive.  You will also learn to build the tools and strategies into the fabric and culture of your endeavor, allowing them to fuel your own creative efforts and the work of those charged with moving your venture forward on all levels.

If you are interested in learning more about how uncertainty can help you fuel brilliance then I highly recommend reading this book.  The stories and advice Jonathan Fields has for the reader are exceptional.  I hope you enjoy my interview, and should you want to learn more about the author please click here to be directed to his blog, or watch this great TedX video where Jonathan is speaking about fear and uncertainty.