Knowing what things are going to look like in advance can help you make the right decisions. Anticipation is natural. Everyone does it every day. We anticipate what the weather will be when we decide which clothing to wear. Moms and dads anticipate the family's transportation needs when deciding which vehicle to purchase.
Some people anticipate better than others to the extent of impacting our lifestyle.
In 1953, C. A. Swanson and Sons, a poultry producer, was stuck with 260 tons of frozen turkey and insufficient storage room. They kept moving it around the country in freezer boxcars. Jerry Thomas, a salesman for the company, was on a business trip, noticed the three-compartment aluminum trays used to serve airline meals, and an idea clicked. Observing that the television was fast replacing the fireplace as the centerpiece of most American homes, he anticipated a society where the family would begin eating in the living room in front of the television. A half century and 6 billion dinners later, Swanson still sells more than 150 million TV dinners each year.