The Present of the Present

Recently, I have found myself doing a whole lot of planning. Some of it is work-related, some is personal, all of it feels necessary.

Often when it comes to planning (at least for me, and I’m sure for others), I get caught up in seeking perfection of sorts. I begin by envisioning or defining the perfect outcome. Then I work backwards, and imagine a perfect plan to attain such an outcome. 

With such a focus on future perfection, I can find myself getting lost in the details, always hovering in the question of what will be, rather than on what actually is. It’s as though I’m striving to create something that will last forever; in doing so, I lose out on the opportunities that are staring me right in the face. In a nutshell, when my focus is exclusively on future perfection, I miss out on present-moment progress. 

The thing is, I’m not the only one who can work this way. This is often how we teach folks to hold planning. We invite them to hold a big vision and ask what they want in the future. 

What do you want to be when you grow up?

How do you want to use your education?

What’s the legacy you want to leave?

How do you want to be remembered?

In and of themselves, these are great questions. What I’m starting to take issue with, however, is the singular focus on the future at the expense of the present. When we always look forward we miss what is right in front of us. Which feels like a trap. And I do not like traps.

So, how do we avoid this? Can we avoid this? I believe there is. And for me, the antidote lies in use of the phrase, “for right now”. 

So, that solution you’re seeking? What if it doesn’t need to be forever, but instead can be for right now?

That plan you’re creating? What if it’s the plan for right now? 

That career choice you’re making? Imagine that this is your career path for right now, as opposed to for eternity.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the point of life is PROGRESS not PERFECTION. By holding the phrase, for right now, and using it as a filter of sorts, you can take some pressure off your shoulders. When you take the pressure off, you can actually start to make the progress you need in order to move ahead. 

Let me be clear; I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t have some sort of big picture, long-term vision. Being able to hold the big picture is absolutely valuable. Moreover, it is necessary. I’m also not suggesting that we only implement temporary fixes and band-aid solutions; because while band-aids are useful in the moment, they don’t hold long-term. 

That being said, the gift of temporary fixes and band-aids is that they can buy us time and breathing space. When we have time and breathing space in the present moment, we are better able to plan for the future with clarity, because the pressure is off. 
So, as you face challenges and conundrums going forward, whatever you are finding yourself contemplating, I invite you to ask yourself: what is your plan for right now? Focus on the here and now and once you’ve got a modicum of peace about that, then look to the future. Let whatever is right for right now, inform what will be right going forward.