This Magic Moment: Achieve your Grand Project

An older man once gave me some advice. He said, if you want to accomplish anything worthwhile you have to “stay in the moment”. I was young and didn't really get it. Stay in the moment? Really? Where else was I going to be? As the years went by, I started to understand. 

We see time through the 3 lenses of Past, Present and Future. The Past is great, that’s where we keep our memories, experiences, failures and successes. We can learn from the Past. And the Future? Well the future is awesome too. It’s the playground for our hopes and dreams and our vision for a better world. But the real magic - in fact the only magic - happens in the Present. The present is the only time anything ever gets done. The Past and the Future are in your brain, the Present is "live action". 

We have a beautiful pine forest in the back. I know of the fellow who planted it, he passed away some years ago. The trees are about 25 years old. I suppose 25 years ago this guy got up one morning and he may have said, “I wish I had planted some trees yesterday” and gone back to bed. Or he could have said, “Tomorrow will be a great day to plant some trees” and went back to bed. Instead he decided, “Today is the day, let’s plant some trees!”  He stayed in the moment. He acted and his legacy is the beautiful forest we see today.

The lesson is simple. Learn from the Past, but don’t fixate on it. Dream of a better future, but don’t become a dreamer. And above all, keep those feet moving and act in the Present. 

So, what’s the grand project that’s been bouncing around in your head for too long? My wish for you, in the year ahead, is that you do something amazing. Something for people. Something that matters. And you will certainly succeed, if you focus on the Present and stay in the moment. Let me know if I can help.

(Jack Ott is Founder & Coach at BolderBlue Leadership)