The Power Of The Now: Today Over Tomorrow
I was having a discussion with a couple of friends at an event some days back and one of them made a statement which sent some insights to me, he said; "for the step you want to take, today is the only available day that you have to take it." What I understood from the statement was that if you want to take an action or do something, or even pursue an idea or a dream, you have to do it promptly in the now, which is what is guaranteed. Just to let you know, a lot of people have missed out of success, not because they were not presented with opportunity, but because they kept procrastinating. Procrastination is what stops a lot of dreams from being actualized because it keeps reminding the person that they still have tomorrow, and there is no urgency to take up the action. But the sincere truth is that the only time you have, which is guaranteed, is now - so make it worthwhile.
The power that is resident in the now may be underestimated, but it holds unimaginable power to determine success, unlock progress, and makes for the fulfilment of purpose. People tend to find themselves pushing their dreams to the future, with the hopes that they will be met with better opportunities and better conditions. However, what they fail to understand is that the perfect condition they are expecting to see in the future may not be available. More so, tomorrow is not even fully guaranteed, so it is better to take the action in the now.
Procrastination has a way of breeding fear and hesitation, and can throw someone into the cycle of unnecessary delays, which can affect their productivity and their confidence negatively. But by taking steps in the now, you will be exposed to the opportunities that you never knew existed. You have to understand that it does not matter how small the step you take in the now may look like, it is part of what brings you closer to the fulfilment of your dreams. In fact, it is better you take that small step and continue at it little-by-little, than to wait forever in the hopes to find a perfect time to start big.
You may be faced with a task that looks different. However, when you take a step towards it, not only will it help you to build momentum, but it will shift your brain towards a problem-solving mode. That is, instead of being in a thinking and hoping mode, it will be in a doing and achieving mode. More so, you will also develop the needed confidence to undertake more tasks. You will agree with me that when you take a step, especially towards a difficult task and succeed at it, it will unleash a very unusual energy and confidence within you to take on more tasks. However, you can only know these things if you have taken the required step at the right and appropriate time.
It is not just about doing something, that matters, but timing plays a very significant and important role towards the success of the action. If you are to do something today, delaying it to another day may thin out the window of opportunity. Why it looks like a lot of people have not achieved what they wanted to, is not because they were not presented with any opportunity, but they did not act promptly. When you leave what you are supposed to do in the now and procrastinate it to the future, you are already harming the future because you are already compounding more tasks for yourself. This is why you have to take advantage of the now and make it count.
Breaking the hold of procrastination may not be too easy. You need to become more self-aware, disciplined, and more focused in life to achieve it. But when you finally overcome it, you will become more intentional and then able to channel your energy towards what is truly important to you and to your dream.
Thanks for reading
