Robbing the Present

Do you ever let your future rob your present? Many of us spend unnecessary amounts of time paying attention to and worrying about speculations regarding the future. We watch economic and market forecasts, read about upcoming elections including polls predicting which candidate will win what, and we listen to commentary about what may or may not happen tomorrow and next month and next year. Then we have our own private worries about the future on top of it all.

And it is not all bad news that steals joy from the present. We look towards future positive events and allow our impatience for their materialization to mute the joy we feel in the moment. “I’ll be more happy when … I get that promotion, go on that vacation, finish this semester, etc.” Rather than wait in eager anticipation, we treat that future event as if it is a get-out-of-jail-free card from the prison of current circumstances.

Please do not misunderstand, I am not advocating for a lack of planning and even sacrificing for the future. But you must be mindful of where your emotions are carrying you as you consider possible events of tomorrow, especially if those possibilities are out of your control. Do those thoughts bring you Anxiety? Restlessness? A lack of contentment?

Be careful how much power you give your future over your present. If you dwell on bad events before they happen, you suffer the pain long before – and for greater duration – than necessary. Also be careful not to cheat yourself out of the pleasant surprise when good events take place.

Do not let tomorrow steal from today.

Comments

Toxic Humility

We have all seen false humility: the guy who tries to hide his arrogance with feigned modesty. It’s usually pretty obvious and always obnoxious. But there is also another variation of false humility out there: toxic humility. This is often displayed in self-deprecating talk and a lack of self-confidence, belittling or undermining one’s own talents and abilities. The danger in this kind of behavior is twofold: it is too often accepted as true humility and like a virus, it spreads doubt and disbelief. To clarify, it is not that the bearer of this toxic humility isn’t honest about his view of himself. That is the very issue: he absolutely believes he has little value or utility. He thinks downplaying his own worth is humility but I disagree. CS Lewis said it best when he wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking about yourself less.” His point being, true humility is not an ever-present raincloud of self-doubt that follows you around. It’s a focus on

Glutton for Punishment

I’ve learned over the years that being comfortable can be a dangerous thing. I try to find paths to discomfort to push me out of my realm of “safety.” However, I have noticed my ability to develop comfort zones amidst discomfort. I’ve found ways to be comfortable in uncomfortable circumstances. I wonder, do I need to be stretched beyond those areas as well? One of the areas in which I have adapted to the discomfort is the gym. I don’t go to the gym to exercise, to get stronger or even to be healthier. It’s grown beyond that. Now, I go to the gym to clear my head by testing my will and resolve. I do it to see how hard I can push my limits and I strive to outwork everyone else there. I may not be the strongest, the fastest or the fittest. I may not lift the most weight or even do the most reps – I can’t control any of those variables – but I can control my effort. So one of my goals for each workout is to unleash more effort than anyone else at the gym. But along with this

Commitment

You know what the problem is with a lot of goals and grand plans? They are mostly fueled by emotion rather than commitment. It is why most New Year’s Resolutions are long forgotten by now and many aspirations quietly fizzle out over time. True commitment is sticking with the effort even – if and especially when – the emotion has diminished or disappeared. Emotion can be a great initiator of action, like kindling on a fire, but it lacks staying power. Commitment is the logs that keep the fire burning long after the kindling is consumed. The butterflies after falling in love, the best intentions of waking up at 4:30am every day to work out after you join a new gym, the excitement of your first day on campus, even the sleep-deprivation induced euphoria of a new baby: all kindling. But it is commitment that keeps you working hard on the marriage twenty-three years after “I do.” It is what causes you to keep going when you do not want to make one more sales call, do one more presentat

Mindset Matters

Search This Blog