The Importance of Today

Have you ever spent time worrying about tomorrow? Or thinking about what happened yesterday? As a leader, we have a responsibility of planning for tomorrow and for knowing why things happened yesterday. But our biggest challenge is living fully today. We have to set the examples for those we lead. If we made mistakes in the past today, is our day to correct it. This means staying focused on the day and fulfilling promises made today.

Perhaps you have met people who give yesterday more time than today. I often work with businesses, who are struggling because employees are living in the past. They resent changes being made, sometimes because they are fearful of the future. While others, I meet who are having problems getting along are fuming over events that happened in the past. By the time, the company decides that they need to bring in an outside resource such as myself; the level of frustration is often so high, I wonder if combat pay should be involved. I know from training and experience that when I work with these employees that progress will be slow. They tend to have a need to dwell in the past, wanting to rehash what could have been done to present this and what should’ve been done earlier. For some of the people they must express their concerns and apprehensions based on the past. However, as the leader, I know we have to move them beyond the yesterdays and in to today. The danger is that without proper guidance these individuals can very easily get caught up in the Ain’t It Awful Club, where their only focus is on what has been going wrong, instead of what they can do to take charge of improving today and the future. Dwelling in the past not only prevents from living fully in today, it allows people to get hooked into a blame game, thereby avoiding responsibility for making changes today.

The only day we can really live is today. So today, consider deleting worries and trouble by deleting two days tomorrow and yesterday. Lead others into facing today and letting go the baggage of yesterday. Promote a healthy work environment today. Face life with all the energy possible. Make each decision with conviction and determination. This day will never return and it could be our last opportunity to leave a legacy, to see the sunrise, to touch someone’s life in a positive way. To share information so that those we lead can lead without us present. Be courageous enough today to lead without regrets.

Today is important be careful what you do with it! What if today never ended and tomorrow never came?