Chapter 8: Understanding to Be Understood: Meta Programs 141
explains how something that’s mostly unconscious – your focus on time –
has a huge influence on your life: it affects the way you make decisions and
the options that you think are available to you, without your even being
aware of it (as we describe in Table 8-1).Table 8-1 Pros and Cons of Past, Present, and Future Focus
Focus on Pros Cons
Past People who remember their
past positively have an
appreciation of history and
tradition. They have a strong
positive identity, and strong
foundations of patterns of
behaviour and of values and
beliefs.People who focus on nega-
tive past memories may
carry a lot of regret and
anger, and feel less optimis-
tic about the results they
expect, and therefore get,
in life; they may be afraid
to make decisions because
of possible damaging
consequences.
Present People who focus on the
present can concentrate on
the task at hand and get on
with the job.People who are too present-
orientated don’t learn from
past mistakes in their head-
long rush to complete a job
and move on, and they may
not make time to plan for a
happy future.
Future People who focus on the
future, but in moderation,
plan and are reasonably
hopeful, and therefore,
optimistic.People who are always
thinking of the future have
a tendency to rush through
life, ready for the next
experience but miss out on
the treasures that are to be
savoured by stopping and
taking stock of the good
around them.You can spot someone’s time preference by listening for the verb tense they
use. For example, a past-focused person may use phrases such as ‘remem-
ber’, ‘when I was younger’, ‘things were better then’, and ‘if only I had.. .’.
Someone whose focus is on the future may say ‘when.. .’ and ‘I will.. .’.
People who focus on the present adopt the present tense and talk about
what’s around them, for example, ‘this is the way it is.. .’ and ‘what’s hap-
pening is this’. To influence people, adapt your language to match the tense
they’re more prone to using.