I want to talk to you today about that fine balance of living in the moment and also in anticipation of what’s to come. How do we do this?

How do we focus on being here now while also keeping our eyes on the prize of future goals?

Across the teachings of personal development, we find what may seem to be contradictory core principles.

🖐On the one hand…
Live in the moment because all you have is now. If you’re anxious, you’re living in the future; if you’re at peace, you’re in the present.

🤚On the other hand…
Visualize your goals daily; keep a vision board of what you want. Affirm them as if they’ve already happened. Maintain the feeling of the wish fulfilled.

This can be a challenging dichotomy. I’ve walked this earth long enough to know from experience both of these approaches are accurate and beneficial. I also know they have to work in harmony for my peacefulness and growth.

Here’s how I balance them.

☀️Be in honest alignment with my true self.
That means I’m totally dialed into what I value and desire, stripped away from cultural, familial, societal expectations . I’ve asked myself “what would I want if I didn’t know what you had?” and defined my clear answers.

☀️Ask with full trust and joyful anticipation, then ‘put it in the basket’ and go about your work.
If you believe enough to ask God, you can trust enough to leave it with God. There’s simply no need to hold the request tightly and repeat-repeat everyday; that’s misdirected effort and energy.

☀️Live as a realist with faith.
Undergirded by joyful anticipation, face the daily realities that will run the gamut of work, play, rest, struggles, triumphs, and waiting.

☀️Be here now with gratitude.
There’s abundance in contentment. Acknowledgement and appreciation of all that is now is a source of immediate peace and a wellspring of joy to come.

☀️Activate your greatness now. Make your life your vision board.
Step up and step into who you wish to be, holding the thoughts and taking action in the direction of what you intend achieve. Conspire with yourself and go for it. This empowers you to think “more of” rather than “instead of”—putting positive energy toward that which already represents your joyfully anticipated next chapter.

☀️Live with curiosity, welcoming new understanding and growth.
Truly living things are always ebbing and flowing, changing and growing—even if all seems still. To be alive—really alive—is to ask, to learn, to expand, to create…and to enjoy rest and dormant seasons, as well, that serve to prepare for the next season to come. The moments now are richer when we fill them with curiosity and wonder.

And, ultimately, carry the core of love wherever you are—here and now, there and then.