Aren’t you lucky: you have a wonderful life ahead. If only you could see it.
Our Depth Perception Problem
Bill Gates is not only one of the richest men in the world, but he has dedicated those riches to helping others. He has worked to help lower poverty rates, improve access to drinking water, and improve conditions in places where people need help most.
He’s been wildly successful. If anyone could look in the mirror, and say, “I have a wonderful life ahead”, it would be him. Yet he’s discovered something that most people don’t realize: our depth perception problem.
When looking at the future, Bill Gates had this to say about it: “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.” If you think about it, you can see it’s true, particularly on the 10 year side. Would you in your wildest dreams believe how your life has changed in 10 years?
Big Things Coming
It’s a big reason why companies who used to have 10-year plans and 5-year plans have moved to 1-year plans or 3-year plans on the outside. Things change a lot as time goes on. And that’s why you have a wonderful life ahead even if you don’t see it.
You can accomplish so much in ten years. It took only 4 years to build the Golden Gate Bridge. It barely took over a year to build the Empire State Building. In 7 years Facebook went from a college app to something used by more people daily than the population of nearly every country save India and China.
You have a wonderful life ahead. You have all kinds of possibilities in front of you. It’s okay if you don’t see it; we all have a depth perception problem when it comes to the future. What matters is that you move forward. What matters is that you find out where you want to go, turn in that direction, and move forward.
It’s easier than you think. Here’s a quick primer of three simple steps to live a better life. You have a wonderful life ahead. Why not start living it today?
