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Knowing the Future is an oxymoron.

I cannot know the future; I can only experience the present.

Until the present presents itself, it is unknown.

The future is yet to happen and yet to be created.

It is just a possibility of what may occur based on present thinking.

It is my perspective and my perceptions of my present reality that create my future.

To know my future, I would have to be aware of everything that is occurring in this present moment and every other present moment that has ever occurred in my life so far. This is beyond the capability of the conscious mind.

My future can never be exactly the same as my present reality because change is the nature of reality.

The only thing that I can know with certainty about my future is that something will change, and that makes the future uncertain.

Prophecies and predictions are just an attempt to influence and persuade an uncertain mind of its fate.

It is my destiny to know that I do not know, because in my heart I choose not to know.

Knowing the Past is not an intuitive sense of knowing.

It is knowledge accrued through past experience.

Past knowledge is an experience through which I have passed.

Should I choose to repeat the experience then this knowledge is of use to my Self.

Should I choose not to re-experience my past, I am obliged not to give it another thought.

Past knowledge will often create resistance in the present.

Without past knowledge, I have no option but to follow my instinct and my intuition.

My intuition will instinctively guide me on my path.

My past knowledge will create obstacles, hurdles, crossroads and dilemmas to navigate and to overcome.

My past knowledge is filed under headings of what was good or bad for me and what was right or wrong for me.

My past experiences of a dual reality world will always create at least two choices that make my future unpredictable and dependent on chance or misfortune.

My past is never on the path of my destiny.

To re-experience it is my fate.

Knowing the Present is the key to consciously creating the future.

My future is a recreation of my present thinking.

Whatever I focus on in the present moment becomes my experience in the future.

The focus of gratitude & appreciation in the present allows my gifts to be re-presented in my future.

Being totally present in each moment of reality requires absolutely no reference to my past or my future.

Thoughts of the future are always sponsored by my discontentment with the present.

The more I focus on my fears of the past, the more I project them into my future.

Knowing the present requires an intuitive sense of knowing and the attribute of Presence.

Being my Presence is the essence of knowing the present moment.

Being my Essence allows me to know each moment and be present.

When I feel my own presence, I receive the gift of Life.

This is the present that presents itself in each present moment of my reality.

In the beginning…the design intent was clear and the project scope understood. But yea, soon the design begat a new design which then begat another which begat a whole new product and a darkness fell upon the faces of the design team. Lo, the prophets of marketing became anxious and waived their pre-printed brochures in distress. The disciples of sales called the design an abomination and wailed over commissions lost. The gods of management gnashed their teeth in anger as the budget runneth over and rained down a plague of interoffice memorandums upon the company.

Sound familiar? The design of a product is usually what defines it not only in functionality, but gives it its life, beauty, and meaning. However, sometimes during the design process something goes horribly wrong as if the product had become possessed by Murphy himself. Below are the Seven Deadly Sins of Product Design that should be avoided in order to keep your design from becoming a disaster of biblical proportions:

Tunnelvision: Meeting a need while creating another

Every good design meets a need or solves a problem. Sounds easy enough, but the catch is, you have to do it without creating another need or problem. Take, for example, a simple pair of pruning shears. Adding a safety lock definitely solves a potential problem. However, unless the user holds the shears a certain way, the lock slips into position and locks the shears, thus frustrating the user. Keep your eyes open for the effects of the design on the use of the product.

Superficiality: Beautiful design, costly or impossible to produce

Anyone who has any interest in product design loves pie-in-the-sky brainstorming, where creativity, spontaneity and fluid thinking abound. It is fun to dream about the future of a product line and all of the “what’s next” ideas. While this fun exercise is stimulating and thought provoking, you also have to keep your eye on the ball. Many product companies engage industrial design firms that are very successful with this approach, but have no engineering background or technical expertise. You end up spending your entire product development budget on great ideas that are either far too costly to bring to market or are not manufacturable as designed. Understand your resources and use them wisely.

Imperceptiveness: Failing to design for the user or need.

Products should be designed for the user. Consider ergonomics and human factors by studying how your product will be used in its intended environment. Do not assume you know what the user needs. Instead, talk to them to understand what works and what does not. Study how the user will interact with the product and note the amount of effort that may go into each use. This approach is particularly effective when redesigning a product or launching a competitive product to the market. The most successful product designs are the ones that the end user can admire for aesthetics, but not think to hard about how to use. Over-design will result in the consumer becoming frustrated and a product that is short lived. Keeping a design simple does not mean sacrificing creativity or coolness.

Safety: Blending in

Of course the world is full of knock off products, but if you are looking for the big win, make your product different. Give consumers something to tell their friends about. Before designing that new product, analyze the competition. Do some research to determine user likes and dislikes about the products they use and develop ways to make it better. Incorporate ideas and features from other industries to give your product a more innovative appeal. Look at industry trends and research to see how you can incorporate the “next big thing” into your product idea. Whatever you do, give the user a reason to choose your product over the competition.

Transience: Designing for the here and now

Designing a product for today is fine if you accept the status quo. But, think of the products that changed the world because they were designed not only for the need at hand, but for the future as well: Computers, Cell Phones, Automatic Drip Coffee Makers–the list is endless. To truly expect the most from a design, you have to look forward. Don’t limit yourself to how users interact with your product today, or the current environment in which your product is used. Think about five years from now–or longer. How will the user’s needs change? Where else will the product be used? Will the product be able to serve a new purpose? Will there be new technology that you should plan for in the new design?

Egomania: Designing for design’s sake

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what looks “cool” or how beautiful a design is, we begin the design process trying to hit those marks rather than solving the problem. Worry first about meeting the need or solving the problem. The design will come as the sketches and renderings are developed. While award winning designs equate to success in the industry, the true success of a product is measured by the extent to which it meets or exceeds the needs of its user.

Distraction: Solving the wrong problem

Given, product design is usually a fluidic, creative process. But, do not confuse fluidity with “out of control”. Often as a product design evolves, things are discovered and tangents emerge. This is a powerful part of the creative process–but use this power for good and not evil. Stay focused on the original scope and design intent. Do not allow your design to become a monster that controls the project and either solves the wrong problem or none at all. Go back to the root of why the design was needed to begin with. Take the new air actuated corkscrew, for example. The designers observed that the problem was not the original corkscrew design, but getting the cork out of the bottle. Rather than trying to redesign the cork screw, the designers developed the air pump corkscrew, a completely innovative design. In a nutshell, that is the kind of simplicity that encourages good design.

Does the thought of speaking in front of others send you running in the opposite direction? Youâre not alone. Many people avoid public speaking at all costs â and there is a cost. Public speaking is one of the quickest, most efficient ways to market yourself, your message, business, or cause. Those who are willing to make presentations immediately stand out from the majority who are not. Whether itâs an audience of five people or 500, itâs worth it to invest in your skills.

After coaching hundreds of clients in presentation skills, Iâm convinced that anyone can improve and gain confidence by following a few simple techniques:

Know Your Audience. Most presentations fail because the speaker never took the time to find out anything about his audience. Knowing your audience means finding out as much information as possible in advance so that you can successfully match your message to their interests and needs. Helpful information includes: gender breakdown, average age, and their current or past experience with your topic. If itâs not possible to learn your audience in advance, then at the very least, arrive early and spend a few minutes meeting people. Or, begin your presentation by asking some general questions like, âWho has experience withâ¦?â This also helps to calms nerves as you are taking the focus off you, and putting it on your audience where it belongs.

Forget Memorizing. One of the biggest fears Iâve heard from my clients is that theyâll freeze up and forget what comes next. That can happen if you try to memorize your entire speech. All it takes is forgetting one word to trip you up. Instead, only memorize the opening and closing. Looking directly at your audience when you start and finish makes a strong, positive impression. For the middle section, itâs fine to glance at note cards with bullet points, or refer to your PowerPoint presentation to jog your memory. Do not, however, write out your whole speech word for word! Youâll be tempted to read it instead of connecting with your audience.

Open with a Bang. Itâs important to grab attention immediately. A good opening sparks interests, sets expectations, previews whatâs to come, and offers benefits. There are several ways to start: ask a question, tell a story, humor (careful with this one unless youâre naturally funny), quotes, dramatic statistics, or music/video. Give your audience a reason to listen, and build your credibility as the best person to be speaking on this topic.

Make it Memorable. Signposting is a way to help your audience follow and remember what youâre saying. Phrases that focus listening are: âThe point is this,â and âThe most important thing to remember is.â Another strategy is to number your points as in, âIâll be offering three ideas, the first one isâ¦â

In Closing. Audiences are most likely to remember the last thing they hear. A strong closing should be memorized and review your main points. Motivate the audience to do something â take an action, ask a question, have an emotional response, or think differently. Make it clear what it is youâre asking them to do (and if you donât know, re-think the purpose of your speech).

Calming Nervousness. Most nerves are caused when the speaker focuses on himself instead of the audience. A speaker might think to himself, âWhat if I say something stupid?â or âI hope I donât trip.â That kind of self-absorption puts up a wall between you and the audience. By shifting your focus to the audience, youâll forget about yourself and start connecting with them. Second, some nervousness is a good thing! Itâs an indication that you care what your audience thinks and can serve as a strong motivator to do well. The goal is not to eliminate nerves, but to use that energy in a positive way.