By George Land and Beth Jarman

A compelling vision can pull individuals and organizations to their desired futures.

"The purposiveness of all vital processes, the strategy of the genes and the power of the exploratory drive in animal and man, all seem to indicate that the pull of the future is as real as the pressure of the past." - Arthur Koestler (1905-1983)

Master cellist Pablo Casals was once asked, "How are you able to play the cello with such magnificence?" He replied, "I hear it before I play it." Pole-vaulting champion John Uelses relies on a vivid image of winning to spur his performance, and golfer Jack Nicklaus says that vision "gives me a line to the cup just as clearly as if it's been tattooed on my brain. With that feeling, all I have to do is swing the clubs and let nature take its course."

These are all examples of the phenomenon of Future Pull, in which a blueprint of the future serves as the propelling force of creative change. Every single cell in a tree, in a caterpillar, or in a human being grows and develops not based on its history but by being pulled forward by its internal picture of the possible future. That future is inscribed in the DNA, the genes that reside in the nucleus of every cell. That way, every part of the system can pull together toward the common future. In human terms, this translates into living with a powerful vision of the future. The founders of Apple Computer committed themselves to a unique vision: "To change the world by empowering individuals through personal computing technology." They then used enormous energy in sharing this vision throughout their organization, with their customers, and within their communities. Their vision became not only the driving force of the organization, but the primary criterion by which to make decisions. Choices are made not just "by the book" but by the vision. The pull of the future thus takes precedence over the past. The Principles of Future Pull Individuals and organizations can harness the power of Future Pull by following a few principles: Know your vision and purpose, commit to achieve your vision and purpose, experience abundance as nature's natural state, and make the world a better place by living according to shared values.

Know your purpose and vision. Purpose can be defined as how an individual or organization makes the world a better place. A vision is a compelling image or picture of the purpose having been achieved. Landing a man on the moon in a decade was the vision that John Kennedy held out as an inspiring magnet pulling an entire nation to develop the technological capability for manned space flights.

Purpose and vision are as important for individuals as they are for nations and organizations. Actor John Mahoney did what others expected him to do for 37 years; he was miserable. Then one day, he realized that things could be different. He doesn't know where his excessive drinking and self-destructive bitterness would have taken him, but at the age of 48 he finally decided to follow his childhood dream of acting. At age 11, he fell in love with acting. He got involved in Community Theater doing Gilbert and Sullivan in summer festivals around England. He clearly knew then that acting was what he wanted to do with his life. He even quit high school to commit himself full time to acting. That's when the problems started. His parents protested with screaming and weeping. II At least finish high school," they said. "That's all we ask. Then you can do what you want to do with your life." It took 37 years, but Mahoney finally acknowledged that acting was his purpose in life. He developed his unique talents and skills and to- day has one of the busiest careers in Hollywood. "I'm finally doing what I want with my life," he says.

A compelling purpose energizes life. Without a compelling purpose, we live life as a fairly haphazard experience, being easily swayed by the latest fad, temporary pressures, or the most recent advice on what others think we ought to be doing with our lives. George Bernard Shaw believed the true joy in life was "being used for a purpose recognized by your- self as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."

Commit to achieve your vision and purpose. The chief operating officer of a huge military-industrial company called together 300 of his top managers. Citing lagging profits and high costs, he told them, "The only purpose of this company is to make a top return on the capital invested. We're not around to build the best products." Little did he know that many of his top managers would leave within the year and that poor morale would sink even lower.