Staying Focused on the Present

How many times have you day-dreamed about something nicer or better than an item you already have? Admit it. I bet you have. Candidly, all of us at one point or another do it. It's something we're all wired for. We inherently want to improve. Maybe it's for ourselves. Or perhaps for a spouse or child or even parent.

Many times, we are compelled by desire. We have not yet fully developed that skill of being satisfied with what we already have. However, necessity very often also drives us for something better. Prioritizing the reasons are probably best left for another post. Suffice to say, regardless of the motivation, there is actually a process by which we should look to the future while remaining firmly planted in the present.

I am a firm believer in setting goals. I learned this skill very early in my life when I started building my own business. I can remember seeing and hearing seminar speaker after seminar speaker telling of the plight of the significant majority of business failures due in large part to their failure to form and write down their goals. These motivational gurus would follow this up with explaining the value in not looking to the future until you have some goals and objectives, written down and placed somewhere that provided me an always and/or frequent, visible reminder. That way, I could consistently visualize achieving the goal.

Developing and writing down goals can never be underestimated. Also, goals are not exclusive to business owners or executives or even athletes. Goals can and should be something each of us should develop and write down. They should be achievable but, yet, require us to stretch in order to reach them. These are practices some of the most successful people in every industry have practiced for millennia.

We must learn, once we have developed our goals and dreams, the art of returning to the reality of our present situation, develop a plan of action, stay focused and then work the plan until we achieve the goal in our future.

Staying focused on the present does not negate the goal of dream you have established. Some people believe you have to dissect yourself from your present situation in life in order to reach your future, ala "name it and claim it". Don't fall into that trap!

It simply takes a measure of balance. The sensibility of being able to fully live in the present while keeping an eye on and moving toward the goals of the future is honorable. You can do this!

So, get out there and start dreaming. Write them down and look at them often. Then, develop your plan to get you from where you are to where you want to be.

I'll see you at the top!