“Tell me, where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?”

Most of us have been asked a variation of that question. There’s nothing innately wrong with the question. The purpose of which is to determine your ambitions, purpose or vision for your life. The subtle implication that the purpose of life is forward momentum; to be chasing the horizon where the future awaits.

The problem with always looking ahead is that you’ll never see where you are. You’ll miss what’s most important: right now. Where you are right now is all that matters, because it’s the only thing of which you can be certain. While it’s good and normal to imagine and dream about your future, you’ll never get there without knowing where and who you are at this moment.

Stop and look around at where you are, and things will become more clear, more important and more meaningful. When you chase the horizon, you never get to a destination — it will always be out of reach. What’s next is right now.