Future projection 

I had to make a blood exam. The moment I decided to go to the lab, I had a sensation in my arm, on the elbow internal part. Then I noticed that I was imagining how it would be, someone threading an injection needle there, and I was feeling some pain! And it happened every time I remembered that I would go to collect the blood.

How is that possible? It is because we have the ability to project the future, and make decisions based in what we imagine and how we react to it. When we go to a self-service restaurant, we have also to think like this. Will eating that plate be good or healthy?

The capacity of projecting the future is essential to our survival. That's how we predict the consequences of our decisions. Think, for example, when you are angry and you feel like beating someone, maybe you don't do that because you project that the other person will be hurt, or he/she won't be your friend or husband or wife anymore.

(Future projection is a particular case of Visualization; we distinguish them because this opens some specific options)

So, that's a very nice capacity. But like every capacity we have, the way it is used may not be so useful. For example, you are invited to dinner and, when you see the food, you notice that the main plate is one you don't like. You imagine yourself eating the food, verify that you won't like it and educatedly refuse to eat. But what you don't know is that the plate is a new recipe of the house lady that tastes very differently of everything you know. The pattern that you have identified in your experience cannot be applied in this case. This time, you loose (or don't win, as you can't loose something you've never had) some pleasure.

And when you imagine the future, what aspect are you focusing? If you're invited to a leadership position, maybe you focus only the bad part of it. If you have an opportunity to work as a teacher and you focus on filling control sheets, you will say no. But if you think about what you can do for the students, and projects their future with or without you, you could be very motivated. It will be still better if you project everything you'll do and receive, and make an over-all cost-benefit evaluation, integrated with your objectives.

The state-of-the-art of projecting the future perhaps is when you project, evaluates what you see and, if you don't like it and preserving your objectives, you search for alternatives to make changes. You do this when you drive. If you see a pedestrian, you make a projection of what he or she will do. If you conclude that both the car and the pedestrian will collide, you will brake, deviate or even accelerate (if, of course, your intention is something else than hit the pedestrian!).

When I went to the lab, I was afraid. But I decided to look and feel what was happening in the very moment of the collect, that is, get some kind of feedback. Then I verified that there was pain, but not so much, and I could look to the blood without problems, while talking to the nurse. Now, when I think of going to the lab, it doesn't bother me so much.