Your Past, Present & Future
Too often, we have a tendency to worry about the past, have anxiety about the future, and ignore the present. This is a recipe for disaster. Yesterday is a canceled check, tomorrow is a promissory note, and today is cash so we must spend it wisely. My friend and colleague, Tony Robbins, has become known for the simple but powerful phrase, “Your past does not equal your future.”
We seem to want to identify with past mistakes and failures and believe that is who we are. If you have mistakes, problems, or failures in your past, it means that you are human. You can either repeat your past or use it as a springboard for change and great success in your future. Our future is a blank slate, and it is unaffected by our past unless we carry our past shortcomings with us.
Ahmet Ertegun, the founder of Atlantic Records, best known for discovering and developing Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and Led Zeppelin, said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” As long as we feel guilt about yesterday and worry about tomorrow, we invariably avoid taking action today which is really the only impact we can create. The history books are filled with powerful and influential men and women who took the agony of defeat and created the thrill of victory. Nothing is more exciting in sports or in life than a come-from-behind victory.
We are all writing our life stories and eventual obituaries every day. You can take several relatively minor steps today that will dramatically impact your future. I have written over a thousand of these weekly columns, and thus far, they have filled five books with more in the works. My Winners’ Wisdom columns cover a wide variety of topics, lessons and observations, but they all end the way this one does, with the phrase, “Today’s the day!”
It really doesn’t matter what you think, know, or even believe. It only matters what you do. Your past is a distant memory, but it can become the fertilizer for your success. Your future is merely a vague hope that will take care of itself if you will just take care of today. If you have a dream, goal, calling, or objective in your life, it means there is something you should be doing today to draw you closer to your destiny. It may only be reading pertinent books or meeting key people, but you must use today to build your future.
Every night when you put your head on the pillow, you will be either one day closer or one day farther from making your dreams a reality. Time is the most precious commodity we have. Everything else can be restored or replaced. Invest each hour today wisely, and you will reap the benefits tomorrow.
As you go through your day today, forget the past, ignore the future, and focus on this day.
Today’s the day!