Caution: Tripping Hazard

With eyes locked on the future, you’re likely to trip over the present.

Future goals are awesome!  Without them activity is sorta pointless.  Yogi Barra said it best, “We’re lost, but we’re making good time.”  So yes, set great goals but watch out for the tripping hazards.

Tunnel Vision

With focus locked on the future you may become blind to the present.  It’s like walking through a cluttered room looking up—you’re gonna trip over all the stuff you’ve neglected in your daily life.  All those trips and falls cost you time, energy, and ultimately your success.

10 Experiments to  help you step through life wisely

1.    Dump Sexy Pipe Dreams 

Stop trying to change the world or become somebody – Pipe dreams are sexy and can make the future look better than the present.

2.    Make Today Rock

Stop striving for a better future; try perfecting the present first.  Channel your energy into making today awesome and tomorrow’s awesomeness will take care of itself.

3.    Off  The Marketing Messages

Advertising seduces you into working more to get more stuff.  Okay to a point, but when your lifestyle costs you a LIFE, not so much.

4.    Nix The Mantra

Reminding yourself over and over about your awesomeness means you don’t really believe it. Try pointing to real things in your life saying, “This is awesome.”  Now you have proof of awesomeness which is much better.

5.    Stop Trying to be Perfect (or even just better)

To err is human.  Having an ego is human.  Trying hard NOT to be human (or to be less human) distracts you from knowing and liking who you really are.  Maybe you’re just fine as-is.  Every consider that?

6.    No More What Ifs

Over-planning for all the contingencies slows you to a snail’s pace.  Speed up by adopting a curious mindset and become a fast learner.

7.    Kick The Hope-Dope Habit

Great bumper sticker:   “Since I gave up hope, I feel so much better.”  Hope turns bad when it’s a crutch or a pipe dream.

8.    Go For Opportunity vs. Possibility

Chasing possibility is an endless losing race.  ANYTHING is possible but not EVERYTHING is possible.  Opportunities have a shelf-life because they are only available to you in the present.

9.    Dump The Wanna-Bes

People striving to succeed are expensive needing lots of encouragement and energy from you.  Find people who are happy doing what they do today and dump those that trade today’s happiness in hopes of being successful and happy tomorrow.

10.   Someday is Today

Optimism is great unless it becomes eternal optimism.  If it’s worth doing “someday” then it’s worth doing today.

Imagine how surprised you’ll be when you realize that you’ve arrived at your goal and had a blast along the way.

Related Articles:  Delay Gratification? NO WAY!, Play to Win, Always!

Related Tip of the Week:  Problem Crumb Trail, Frustration, Natural Consequence Cop-Out,

This list of ten ways to become happier today is based on the work of Thomas Leonard and his book, 28 Laws of Attraction

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Tagged as: choice, Goals, Happiness, Health, Overwhelm, Stress, success