“Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.” Most of us have heard this said about something which eventually turned out to not be so great. Perhaps you can think of an example from your own life when a vision you had (maybe even supported by a well-laid plan) resulted in a less-than perfect consequence. I have had one or two of those.
On the other hand, sometimes an idea that seems obscure or even outlandish leads to a great outcome. The problem is, we don’t know ahead of time which of the seeds that we plant will grow to fruition. (True story: a clever consultant once told a book publisher that they could significantly improve their financial outlook if they brought only the bestsellers to market and didn’t spend any resources on the duds. What a genius!)
No matter how much we learn from experience, a good part of life remains a mystery. Creating a new future is risky business: it might fail. But what’s the alternative? There is no real stagnation in life; it’s either growth or decay. We know that going backward is not an option.
So let’s imagine a better future. Who knows – some of our ideas might turn out to be good ones, even in hindsight.