“Around the corner of the street who can say what waits for us?”
- James Whitcomb Riley

If a group of people were asked what’s around the corner for them, there would likely be a wide range of answers given - anywhere from “I don’t know” to a literal sense of someone describing what’s around the corner from the place they were at. Depending on the time of year, some may start to describe the upcoming year, and what they hope to accomplish during that time. Although we can never really say for sure what’s around the corner, we can help prepare ourselves to provide some control over what we may encounter.

To prove the point, I’m going to use a literal example of me walking to my mailbox that is actually at the end of my street and around the corner. Most of the time I encounter absolutely nothing when I turn the corner; I see only the set of mailboxes ahead of me. Other times I encounter others also checking their mail, some that smile and like to chat and others that look away and seem determined to get back to where they were originally headed. On one occasion, however, I encountered a loose dog that didn’t seem to be any more thrilled to see me, than I was to see him. My heart instantly started racing as I tried to anticipate what may happen, which turned out to be a non-confrontational parting of ways. Now anytime I turn the corner, I can anticipate that scenario and be more prepared in the event it happens again.

There are so many factors involved in what is waiting for us, both personally and professionally. Our jobs largely depend on many others, whether it be customers and clients that buy our goods or services, other employees that may factor into the outcome of our responsibilities, or even management that only has their best interest in mind, regardless of how it affects us individually. Although we may not know what’s around the corner for us professionally, if we continue to learn, perform at a high level and do what we’re supposed to do better than anyone else, then we’ll be more likely to see a more positive outcome around the corner  - maybe literally around the corner at a different company! Ha!

That same concept that we should apply professionally should also be applied personally. For parents, what’s around the corner typically involves our children and ultimately what opportunities we’re able to provide for them. So if we continue to learn, perform at a high level and put more effort into the lives of our children, the more likely that our children will have opportunities we never had. Naturally, children have a mind of their own, so we still truly don’t know what waits around the corner for them, or us, but there’s a much better chance of a more favorable outcome if we continue to invest in a better outcome.

Here's the Point:
Although we can’t say what waits for us around the corner, we can certainly help tilt the scales in our favor by continuing to work hard for a better outcome.