We live in a world of instant gratification. Frustration abounds. Unless we know what to do, our world will reach the boiling point

Action starts with you.

I heard once that if you take a frog and put it in hot water, it will immediately jump out. But put a frog in cold water and gradually turn up the heat, and it will slowly cook to death.

The point of this gruesome example: In an environment of gradual change, an organism won’t know to take control before it is too late.

People in abusive relationships may find themselves caught in a caustic situation that seems impossible to leave. The Holocaust was a progressive series of events where for millions, it became too late to escape. The oil crisis has taken decades to transpire, supplies are limited, and we are approaching precarious times. Yet, consumption is only accelerating.

There is a sequence of five things you an do to avoid being the proverbial dead frog. To get ready, turn a piece of paper horizontally. Draw a line from one side to the other. Put a dot in the middle and write the word “today” above it.

First, identify signposts. Put the last ten years of your life on a time line. Identify all the defining moments, turning points, life markers, and even advances in technology that have impacted you directly.

Second, identify feelings. What feelings do you associate with these signposts? List these feelings over each signpost. You can have two paradoxical feelings over one signpost, for example, freedom and complexity.

Third, identify trends. The signposts and feelings will reveal trends. How have you made decisions in the past? Do you wait until everything goes wrong before you change course? What feelings keep popping up? Do you want to keep feeling those feelings?

Fourth, identify the next signposts. Use your imagination and inner desires to identify signposts for the next ten years. What defining moments, turing points, life markers, and other things can you identify that you guess will impact you in the next decade?

Fifth, identify feelings you want to have. Simple enough. Choose the future you want to feel.

Okay, before you carry on with your day, take fifteen minutes and do this exercise. This brief investment in yourself will keep you out of the soup (so to speak).

(the cute little frog in the picture was not harmed)