We are complex, multilayered individuals, experiencing a constant push and pull between the various versions of ourselves. Call it a quarter-life crisis or just an ongoing cycle in life, but every time I think I’ve figured out who I am and what I want to do, some new experience, conversation, or class plants me right back at square one. Instead of allowing these interests, questions, and callings to run ramped in my already chaotic mind, I learned to find intention within the storm. If this does not resonate with you, then this article might not be for you and that’s ok! Now, if your crystal ball is working, but you’re having a hard time seeing your reflection in it – stick around.
Here’s how I learned to navigate this battle:
Step 1: Unlock and identify each character you see yourself as.
- Character One can be someone who loves feels a strong sense of identity through their culture. Character two can be an academic who enjoys nitpicking at trend reports. Character 3 can be a younger version of you who’s love for space you never grew out of.
Step 2: Discover what makes each version excited for the future.
- What topics, outcomes, and experiences does that version want to explore? Do they want to know more about the future of one specific domain? Do they want to cultivate an experience that shares a potential future with the world? Search for a product that makes that part of you happy.
Step 3: Make it happen
- Find ways to implement your identity, experience and passion into your work. This can range from exploratory projects on topics, experiences that introduce participants to potential futures, workshops that target our assumptions about specific futures, an art project, or a podcast episode. Find your medium and channel your interests.
Step 4: Chaos maintenance
- As interests or inspiration arise, find it’s home within yourself. What character does the new information resonate with? What can you do about it? Do you want to do something about it? Repeat the process.
This may seem mentally taxing, but the heavy lifting comes from identifying your characters – the rest is really maintenance. Besides, we all need a good journal sesh/private workshop (call it what you want) every once in a while to get back to our grounded selves. There is depth in each of us, and I invite you to explore it!
There is so much more than meets the eye. For example, Andy’s got a bold personality, known for his facial expressions and gestures during his lectures and discussions. Adam’s brilliance can get confusing, but he cracks a joke and opens the floor for questions, leaving his students feeling seen. You can feel the warmth of Juli’s empathy through a screen and Mina’s polished delivery of content leaves you wondering how long it took to achieve that level of professionalism and confidence. But who are they outside of these roles?
What songs make them tear up? Where does the influence of their culture begin and end? What parts of their identity run so deep; it can’t help but show up in their work? Maybe we see some of those answers as they teach us, but can you answer those questions for yourself?
I feel my eyes water as listening to music from my culture and feel drawn to explore Latino Futures. I spend time with my single friends, discussing their love lives, and wonder how our disconnect to one another has led us to feel so pessimistic about the future of our society. My previous education and career pull me towards a love of a law and governance.
Not all experiences become identity and not all characters inspire project. Maybe you just take the best bits of each and develop something or someone you’re proud of.
As I unlock or further understand the layers that make me who I am, I find myself farther along the path to understanding my role in the field. I see how characters shape my interests while others guide my strengths. Instead of focusing on what I do, I’ve learned to feel excited to explore how I get to show up.
So, who are you? In every way, in each environment, from the deepest part of your soul to your hobbies and interest to your surface level interactions with strangers? Now ask yourself – how does my approach to foresight vary depending on which parts of myself I activate. My thought is – the more of yourself you can include in your work, the more fulfilled, passionate, and successful you’ll. Not just in foresight, but in life.
Sarah Lischner graduated from the Masters program in the Spring. She wrote this amazing essay as part of Pro Seminar class.
