Now & Later

The older I’ve gotten and the longer I’ve been in leadership roles, the more I’ve started to realize this tension that exists in any decision or direction I’m leading.  The tension is between what I’d like to see now vs. what I’d like to see later.

The younger I was, the more I seemed to give into the pressure to see the results of my actions “Now.”  But as I’ve matured, I’ve learned this invaluable lesson:  If you can be patient in the now, you can get a far better result later.

This isn’t an excuse for laziness by any means, but it’s deferring the ‘reward’ so to speak to see something happen that couldn’t happen in this instant.  Maybe for you, it’s putting in the long hours on a project to see the results later.  Or with your diet, it might be giving up that sweet treat now, so you can be healthier later.

In a very fast paced culture, the pressure can easily push us to want instant results.  But the reality is, an instant result will never bring the quality of results that a consistent, long-range effort brings.  Whatever you’re working on, leading others toward, or hoping to accomplish, be patient in the now, so you can see a far better result later.