Taking Stock in the Here and Now

Only when you come to terms with the here and now can you can begin to work on your future self.

Dreaming and planning for a better future is an admirable goal, and if you are living a life of personal accountability then you are well on your way to achieving it.

But while focusing on a destination will help you create a path to get there, having an end goal in sight does not matter unless you have a firm understanding of where you currently are.  To get to point B, you need to know where point A is.

Have you taken stock in the here and now of your life?


What is your current _________ situation? 

Fill in the blank with the obvious words:  Financial situation; Relationship situation; Health situation; Living situation; Career situation; Happiness situation; etc.

No doubt these situations are not where you'd like them to be... that's why we look to our inner sage to guide us towards better days... but still they are somewhere now.  

Be specific when you consider their current status.

For example, it is unacceptable to just say, "I'm broke and I want to be rich."  No!  You must know what is your account balance, what is your monthly income, what are your expenses, etc.  This knowledge is critical to determining that path for change.  Knowing the exact figures related to your finances is an example of acknowledging the here and now.

Similarly, it is unacceptable to just say, "I need to lose a few pounds so I'll make that a New Year's resolution." No!  You must know exactly how much you weigh now and evaluate your daily health habits today if you ever want to improve for tomorrow.  If you've ever said that you need to "lose a few," you must appreciate the fact that right here and right now you are overweight.  Right this moment you weigh more than you'd like.  Acknowledge it, then you can work on it.

Only when you come to terms with the here and now can you can begin to work on your future self.

Only when you take a hard look at what's in front of you... what the real situation is... and when you see yourself as others do, then you know what you're working with.

You understand what you have here.  You understand where you are now.

Identify these elements in your life and you'll have your starting point to head down the road to success.