Pretty much everyone realizes that prediction is very difficult, especially when it concerns the future. But that doesn’t stop gazillions of writers and pundits from writing books, articles, and blog posts about the future.

Most of that stuff is fun to read, wonderful to debate, and mostly wrong. Bill Jensen’s book, Future Strong: How to Work Unleashed, Lead Boldly, and Live Life Your Way, is different. That’s because it’s not about the future. It’s about you.

Bill started from what he calls the “humanist perspective.” Given that the world of work is changing so rapidly in so many ways, what kind of choices will people have to make? His answer after reviewing published research and after interviews and survey research involving more than 7000 people around the world is that you can boil the choices down to five.

Bill says that these are the same choices whether you’re a senior citizen or just starting out, whether you’re an executive or a worker bee. Here are the five important choices in Bill’s words. There’s a headline and a question for each one.

“One is ‘Inner Truths.’ Do you know yourself?

Number two is ‘Soul on Fire.’ Who will you choose to become?

Number three is ‘Humble Self.’ How will you choose to be vulnerable?

Number four is ‘Sacrifice.’ What are the best hardships for your future?

And number five is ‘Reliance.’ Who will you choose to have your back?”

Obviously there’s a lot of detail and self-examination for each one of the five. And Bill says you’ll get the best outcomes if you work through them all. It may not be as much fun as debating what kind of technology or social structures will dominate the world in ten years, but making wise personal choices in these areas will help you determine how to create the future that’s right for you.

For More

Read the Story of Future Strong by Bill Jensen and how he hacked the writing process.