Prepare to Take the Next Right Step
Act from the point of power.
Often, I have stumbled by not paying attention to where I was at in the moment. Sometimes it’s physical repercussions like stubbing my toe or bumping my head, or tripping down the stairs. Mostly it’s mental consequences of wasting an opportunity to create an inflection point. I get distracted obsessing over past events and what I should have done or said or worrying about future scenarios.
It happens to American football receivers. They run their route, the quarterback throws to them, and they get distracted hearing the steps of a defender closing in or planning their run after they catch the ball, and they end up dropping the reception. The mental concentration to stay present is critical to their performance.
Too often, we get distracted thinking about the future. Instead of being present at this moment, we relitigate the past and worry about the future.
Please think of how many times you have built anxious scenarios about some future event and followed it down argumentative rabbit holes only to see nothing like your fantasy play out. That is a waste of energy and a wasted opportunity to do something to move things forward at that moment.
Mark Twain said,
‘I’ve had a lot of worries in my life…
