2-40: Prepare to Impress Yourself
Thoughts on Presence, Preparation, and Uncertainty
A friend I hadn’t seen in a year reached out last weekend while going through a particularly difficult time. He came to me to talk through his situation and I caught myself saying things that I wish I had told myself years ago. Control the things you can control. Don’t allow yourself to fatigue in fear of what is to come. When you catch yourself focusing too much on the past or the future, go for a walk. Every time I go for a walk, I come back with a clearer head. Nature has a sort of gravitational pull that quiets noise and pulls attention back into the present.
We have to remember to keep our agency in trying times by choosing deliberate actions we can take today, even when everything else feels uncertain. We cannot allow regret of past actions or anxiety towards future unknowns to weigh us down in the current moment. Regret and anxiety can be debilitating. We have all experienced these intense emotions. It is how we react to them that determines how prepared we are for what is to come.
Focus your energy on inputs like what choices you make today, what effort you give, and what routines you commit to. These are the few levers you actually have access to, regardless of circumstance. When attention drifts toward outcomes, it leads to mentally walking in circles, sideways, or backwards. When attention stays on inputs, it concentrates and steadies you. It turns presence into mental fortitude, leaving you better prepared for the range of outcomes ahead.
Your future self will thank you for doing everything you can to be the best version of yourself today. Your past self has done what it was meant to do, and wants you to focus on being the best version of yourself that you can be. Your present self, reading this today, has so much potential. You have the potential to impress your future self, and make all of your past selves shed tears of pride from being a part of your journey. All of this starts by preparing yourself through the decisions you make today.