It’s a great book on meditation by Jon Kabat-Zinn [affiliate link].
It’s also something I’ve recently noticed to be true in my general reality.
Let me explain.
Today is January 1st, 2020. Last night was New Years Eve, and many people were celebrating and making resolutions and posting meaningful quotes across various social media platforms. One post that found its way onto my Facebook wall read…
“Never forget: Years ago you dreamed of getting to where you are now.”
To me, this quote means a number of things.
1. Years ago, I dreamt I would be happily married, healthy, working from home and making my own hours, and living a generally comfortable and happy life. Here I am, living that dream.
2. Years ago, my facebook feed was full of a very different type of New Years post. Quotes like, “Thank god this fucking year is over. Here’s hoping the next one is better! 🍻” Hope is what you do when you buy a lottery ticket. If you’re not taking action to make this year better than last, well, good luck to you. Keep hoping, you’ll need it.
Clearly, I’ve changed the type of people I associate with and the kind of media that I expose myself to.
This took years of strategic Facebook feed grooming. I taught myself to Like certain kinds of posts while ignoring others. There was a lot of tongue-biting and forcing myself to not get involved in Comments melodrama, and a healthy dose of using the “See fewer posts like this” function. I even unfollowed a number of friends that, though we were once close, I had begun to realize were toxic to my personal growth.
I like the vibe of my new Facebook feed better.
3. As I sit here on my beautiful chocolate leather couch (I’ve always wanted one, and we finally pulled the trigger this year) with my beautiful wife next to me and each of us with a dog resting her head on our arm or leg, the fire is roaring in the fireplace, and it’s about 3pm on a Wednesday when most people have to be at work, I realize that not only is this now a run-on sentence, but this is also the life I was dreaming of way back in 2015.
That’s an accomplishment worth acknowledging.
It’s easy to forget how far you’ve come because wherever you go, there you are. Even now, I’m in the midst of a 90-day intense coaching program as well as a digital agency academy program, constantly thinking about personal and professional growth, and building a bigger and better future.
If you’ve got big plans that sometimes consume you, it’s nice—and probably important—to spend some time thinking about how you’ve managed to reach the big goals you set for yourself some years ago.
Reviewing past performance helps orient you for future performance. What would the you from 3–5 years ago think about where you are now? Have you grown personally and professionally? Have you contributed? Have you hit your goals? If no, why not? What can you change or do differently to make a positive impact and begin seeing changes in your life starting today? New Years resolutions are bullshit, there’s no doubt about that. But if you didn’t plant your tree last year, plant it today. Your future self will thank you.
As for me, in 2025 I’ll be writing these blogs from the 2nd story balcony patio overlooking my Pacific Northwest horse ranch and getting ready to take the Cybertruck into town to have a slice of cherry pie and a damn fine cup of hot, black coffee.
“Harry, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don’t plan it; don’t wait for it; just let it happen. It could be a new shirt in a men’s store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black, coffee.”
Dale Cooper, Twin Peaks