My teenage son and I sat down last night for a cozy fireside chat. He has an exciting couple of years ahead of him as he finishes his studies and has a ‘gap’ year overseas. He was really worried about what would happen after that – especially when in these difficult times young people are finding it increasingly challenging when they leave college. It was clear that his worry and concern was overshadowing his short-term thoughts and actions.
I think this sometimes happens to all of us. We allow worry about what may or may not happen in the longer term to creep into our lives and adversely impact on our well being in the present. This then impacts our short-term performance, which can then impact our longer term results. It’s a dangerous loop, especially as worry is normally a wasted emotion which consumes too much energy! Most of the things people worry about turn out not to have been worth worrying about!
I think it’s fundamentally important to have a vision for your future – a vision that engages you and excites you. Once you’ve done this, work it back to the present, and the actions you can be taking right now that matter. Live life with purpose. If you must worry, concern yourself with what needs to be done today, this week, this month, not something far away. I heard someone say recently “Sometimes on the way to your dream you get lost and find a better one” – and it’s so true. The world is changing by the minute, and our visions for our futures will be shaped as we progress along our journeys.
I’ve designed the magicnumber.com goals tool to work in exactly this way, taking a long-range vision and breaking it down until you have short-term actions you can take today. Making short-term progress builds longer-term momentum and creates a feeling of fulfilment.
Visualise your future but concern yourself with the present. Live life on purpose and enjoy the journey!
