“Even though the future seems far away, it is actually beginning right now.”—Mattie Stepanek
The future. We all want to know what the future has in store. We wait so impatiently for the future that we miss it. The future begins now. Carpe momento!
We spend so much time looking far off into the future that we miss what is going on around us, right now—the very things that shape our future. The stark reality is that none of us knows how much time we have. Plan for the future, but live for the moment. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34, NIV).
I think there are two important things to consider about the future.
- What we do right now dictates what happens next.
- What we think we want may not be what we need.
Our path is before us. We take it one step at a time. When we act, there is a consequence—a determined outcome. If we want a specific future (and I strongly encourage goal setting and planning), we must act toward such a future. One cannot dream of being something that he or she does not prepare for or work to be.
I don’t know about you, but I have wanted a lot of things in my life that I thank God I never got. I like the future I have right now much better than the future I sought 20, 30, or 40 years ago. Then, again, had I known my now back then, maybe I wouldn’t have done some of the things that I have done—or I might have done things differently. But, had I done things differently, I would not have had the now that I have.
Don’t wish for a different past. First of all, you cannot change the past. So, unless you can master time travel, your past is what it is. Second, be grateful for your past, because it has made you who you are—and, if you don’t like who you are, it has given you the platform to become who you wish to be.
The only time that matters in now. Be your best today, and be better tomorrow. The future is shaped by the present. “Even though the future seems far away, it is actually beginning right now” (Mattie Stepanek, emphasis mine). Embrace the present.
“You get a participation trophy for stepping outside of your comfort zone, trying something new. For taking a risk.”—Jim Harshaw