Do you ever wonder where your entrepreneurial journey is going to take you?
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Creating your future through the actions you take today
We’ve all stopped and asked ourselves at one point or another, “What does the future hold for me and my business?”
Jumping ahead
It’s tough not to jump ahead. Of course we want to know what the end result of our actions will be – what it will net us.
But when we focus our attention on what’s up ahead, we lose focus of the things we’re doing right now: the things we do have control over and that we can tweak and change if we choose to.
Why choose to focus on a point in time that does not yet exist? Especially knowing that nothing is static: things are constantly changing and evolving.
The way you communicate with your audience and how you run your business in this very moment in time will have to shift as unexpected changes come your way.
For example, once you launch a new product or service you’ll most likely be making changes to it along the way.
That’s the beauty though: your product or service will continue to get better and better as you continue to focus on the here and now, which includes listening to feedback from your audience and recommendations from others who have the knowledge and experience to help you improve.
If you waste your time worrying about what the results of your actions might be in 6 months, then you’ll miss out on the actions you could be taking right now in order to improve whatever it is you’re working on.
Seems pretty silly at its core, doesn’t it?
You get to decide
One of the best things about being an entrepreneur is this: you get to decide what the future holds for you and your business through the actions you take today.
Will you always get exactly what you want? No, of course not. But you can actively decide to focus your energy on what it is you’re creating now versus a time in the future that doesn’t yet exist.
A quote that I’ve always loved is this one from Peter Drucker:
The best way to predict the future is to create it.
In order to do this you must fully focus on what you’re working on now. This is the one and only thing you do have control of.
You can’t change the past, and you can’t predict the future, but you can decide what it is you dedicate your time to now.
Achieving the result you want most
Focusing on the present can be tough, and just like everything else in life, we have to actively be practicing it in order to become better at it.
If you want to become a better writer, you must write more. If you want to become a better teacher, you must teach more. If you want to become a better coach, you must coach more. You get the idea.
So how do we practice focusing on the present so that it becomes a habit for us?
How do we practice focusing on the present so that we can achieve the results we want most in the future?
3 steps to focusing on the present
Recognize
One of the most important steps in breaking through whatever it is that’s holding you back is being able to recognize when you’re doing that thing.
In this case, “that thing” would be us not focusing on the present.
Because I’ve practiced being more aware of my behavior, I’ve become quite good at recognizing when I’m focusing more on the unknown results of my actions (the future) versus my actions themselves (the present).
When this happens, I stop and I remind myself that by focusing on the future, I’m preventing myself from actively participating in – and learning from – my journey.
Bring yourself back
Be an active participant on your journey. Once you’ve recognized that you’re not focusing on the present, it’s time to bring yourself back.
Remind yourself that things are constantly changing, and therefore, worrying about what “might happen” in 6 months is a waste of your time. Chances are whatever is going to happen in 6 months will change a hundred times between now and then.
FOCUS: What is it that needs to happen right now in order to make whatever you’re working on the absolute best it can be?
A journey is defined as an act of traveling from one place to another. Where we’ll start and where we’ll end up are variables, but where we are at this very moment in time is under our control.
Let go & focus
You cannot change what has happened in the past. It has defined the first leg of the journey you’re on. And there is no sense in trying to predict the future, because that leg of the journey is still far ahead.
What you need to be concerned with is right now.
Let go of all of the doubts and fears and concerns you’re holding on to. They’re only holding you back from actively creating what it is you truly want to achieve. Trying to predict where you’ll end up will only stall your progress in getting there.
Focus on what it is you’re creating now – that is the only thing you have control over.
Start creating
Remember, the only way to start creating your future is through the actions you take today.
