Summary: We Move In the Direction We're Facing Most of us carry within us a desire to reach a brighter future. Sometimes we sabotage our efforts to get there by continually looking over our shoulder at the past. Getting where we wish to go requires knowing what to bring with us from our past and what to leave behind. To help us gain this focus, strategic coach Dan Sullivan uses a brilliant exercise he calls the Quick Thinker. It starts by taking a few minutes to identify the future we want by jotting down about 3 or 4 bullet points. Next, we decide which part of the past gets to come along. The rest we discard. At this point, we simply utilize the present to make the best possible progress. Some of the things we may choose to keep as a part of our brighter future could include strengthening our family relationships. We can also put effort into building our family's relationship with God, staying in shape and maintaining good nutrition, and even teaching others how to live in abundance. As we examine our past, we may want to consider bringing along the best of our family heritage and traditions and the experiences--including the good and the bad--that we've learned from. Utilizing the present simply means to make the best possible progress we can choose by continuing to focus on those things that are going right in life. We can also remember to have constant gratitude, to stay in motion, and continuously add value to the world by making ourselves necessary in some way every single day. Last of all, we'll want to use the best tools available to us so we can stick to true principles, employ proven strategies and concepts, and grow in an exponential fashion. This simple exercise is a powerful tool that enables us to clarify where we've been, where we are, and where we'd like to go. A better tomorrow is easier to reach when we outline what our future ought to look like instead of looking over our shoulder at a past that cannot be changed. A quirky movie from a few years back can illustrate how this works. Living In the Past Stunts Our Growth Anyone who has attended a high school reunion or similar gathering recognizes that there are folks who always seem to be living their lives in the past. They tend to beat themselves up for mistakes made many years ago or try to desperately hold on to their accomplishments from yesteryear. They may feel that they don't deserve a brighter future because they want to justify where they currently are because of past decisions. They're a lot like Uncle Rico from the movie "Napoleon Dynamite." They are constantly looking backwards instead of forwards. If you've seen this movie, you'll recall Uncle Rico sitting on the front porch obsessing about what might have happened years ago if his high school coach had just put him in the football game. Rico was absolutely convinced that his team would have gone on to win the game and then taken the state title. He is certain that he would have been recruited by the NCAA and then the NFL and would have ended up with a Super Bowl ring on his finger. Rico fantasizes about how he should be sitting in his hot tub with his soul mate instead of living out of a van and selling plastic bowls. His nephew Napoleon, on the other hand, provides a positive contrast by looking to the future despite his current challenges. He goes after what he wants, supports his friends along the way, and ends up finding the happiness he was looking for. Think about which character you more closely resemble and consider how will that might play out in your future. We all have choices in how we handle our progress or lack thereof. This is true in the present as well as in the future Most of us would prefer to move ahead in life with consistent growth and abundance and that doesn't happen by chance. We have to take certain steps or we end up languishing along the way. Remember,
