089: The Cost of Living in Tomorrow-land
Tomorrow.
It's a word with dual meaning.
It can be used in optimistic anticipation as in Annie's famous lyrical encouragement: "The sun will come out...tomorrow. Bet your bottom-dollar that tomorrow will be..."
To the contrary, tomorrow can also mean delay for whatever reason.
The philosopher, Marcus Aurelius said:
"You could be good today, but instead you choose tomorrow."1
Your tomorrow could be one of anticipation or delay.
If I were placing bets, I'd wager that your tomorrows are often more about delay.
Keep your eyes on the horizon with anticipation, sure.
But what would your life look like if you stopped living in tomorrow-land.
Let's alter Marcus Aurelius' statement slightly for our purposes here by replacing "good" with a blank space you can fill in.
"You could be ______, but instead you choose tomorrow."
Whatever defines your delayed action, why not make today your day to delay no more?
Aging is a stark reminder of that truth.
So...
- "What" are you waiting for?
- "Who" are you waiting on?
- "When" will you wait no more?
Let's unpack each question.
"What" are you waiting for?
Procrastination is a thief, plain and simple.
It's stolen from me throughout my life and I suspect it has from you as well.
It steals your dreams, goals, and ultimately your decisive action.
Tomorrow is the place where procrastination hides everything it steals from you.
And one of procrastination's greatest tools is keeping you from answering the "what" question.
Because when it comes down to taking action, procrastination somehow keeps you from defining the real reason(s) you fail to act.
It's a hard game to play and one you won't win until you confront your lust for tomorrow.
- Realize that your "why" (for taking a specific action) is stronger than your "what."
- Realize that "done" (some action) is better than "perfect" (delayed action due to overthinking or waiting for the-stars-to-align).
- Realize that the power of deciding in advance will remove your excuses when tomorrow arrives.
"Who" are you waiting on?
Tomorrow often lives in anticipation that someone else will act on your behalf.
Hoping they will be the first to say, "I'm sorry..."
Thinking they will step up and do the thing so you can reserve your right of refusal.
Believing that they're the problem so you can continue playing the blame game.
Your "people" are often your biggest fans and there-when-you-need-them advocates.
But people will also clutter your tomorrows with disappointment, pain, and frustration.
Instead, choose today and be the one who...
- Heals a hurt, forgives, or says, "I'm sorry..."
- Takes action that others are refusing or too fearful to take.
- Owns responsibility for your role in the problem at hand.
"When" will you wait no more?
Today is yours to decide.
Tomorrow perhaps, as there are no guarantees (though lil Annie might disagree).
I'm not being fatalistic, I'm simply being realistic.
I like watching previews on my favorite streaming channels to build anticipation for an upcoming movie or series.
With that in mind, maybe "anticipation" is a more intentional way to deal with your tomorrow-fixation.
"When" (like it's cousin "if") carries hope but without active anticipation it could stay consistently out of your reach.
I'd like to believe that's why Jesus said,
"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."2
- Anticipate tomorrow but don't worry about tomorrow.
- Prepare for tomorrow because you don't know what you'll face.
- Go stronger into tomorrow because of what you gained today.
Who knows what tomorrow holds, but today...that's on you
- "What" are you waiting for?
- "Who" are you waiting on?
- "When" will you wait no more?
Press on...
Eddie
Sources:
2-The Bible, Matthew 6:34, New Living Translation