Have you ever encountered folks at work who can’t seem to get over their past successes and accomplishments? These are the ones who keep bragging about the things they’ve done years ago, to validate their value in the organization.
How about those folks who keep talking about who they’re going to be in the future? They are persistent in telling as many people as possible who they’re going to be ‘someday.’ Or these are the folks who are already bragging about a future accomplishment.
It’s not wrong think about your past—especially if you’re using your failures and experiences to help you make decisions right now. It’s also not wrong to think about the future if you use it as a goal to work towards to. Looking at your ideal situation in the future, can help you position yourself, right now, to get there.
Here’s a powerful quote from the NBA’s two-time Most Valuable Player Award and 2021 NBA Champion (Milwaukee Bucks), Giannis Antetokounmpo:
“When you focus on your past, that’s your ego. When you focus on your future, that’s your pride. When you focus on the present, that’s humility.”
– Giannis Antetokounmpo
Your Past (Ego
Your past is important. Your past experiences and accomplishments have allowed you to be where you’re at right now. Think of those experiences and accomplishments as stepping stones to bigger possibilities.
When you’re slowly climbing up steep steps towards a destination, do you (normally) keep looking back at the previous steps you’ve taken? Is that the most effective use of your time? Isn’t the practical thing to do is to look at what’s in front of you and beyond? You don’t look back and say, “Man, look at step #4. That was a great step! I was ranked among the best to have done step #4. Look, this is my step #4 trophy!”
If looking back at the past, reliving it causes you not to see what’s in front of you, you’re feeding your ego. You want to be constantly remembered as the one who won the championship in high school. Instead of creating your value now—when it matters, you’re wasting your time celebrating your previous glory.
Your Future (Pride)
Focusing on your future may sound like a good thing. It becomes a problem when it’s causing you to be blinded of what’s in front of you. Folks who have this pride usually think that they’re entitled to certain titles and successes, without considering what they must do right now to align them to that desired future.
Let’s talk about former NBA player, Michael Ruffin. During the 2006-2007 NBA season, the Washington Wizards were trying to get ahead of the Miami Heat for the Southeast Division title. Playing against the Toronto Raptors, they were ahead by three points with 3.8 seconds remaining, after Gilbert Arenas made two clutch free throws. The Raptors’ inbound pass was deflected, Ruffin ended up with the ball. Instead of grabbing hold of it until the time expires, Ruffin threw it up in the air. The ball slipped and landed directly in the hands of Toronto’s Morris Peterson who immediately threw a quick 31-foot shot, making a three-point buzzer beater. Wizards lost. [Here’s a link to that exact play]
Ruffin was probably already thinking of the celebration the team is going to have in the locker room instead of looking at the task right in front of him.
The Present (Humility)
It can be a humbling experience focusing on the present because you technically have not proven yourself yet in the present. You’re (presently) still working on it. None of your great achievements in the past and the glamourous vision of the future can help you. You’re going to have to ‘work it’ one step at a time.
In the past month or so, I started working out at least five days per week, at 5 am in the morning. It’s not easy at all. In fact, it’s extremely difficult! My future vision is to have a stronger body, with much less fat. Instead of daydreaming on how I would look like after this wellness journey, I must force myself to wake up early every day, do the work, one difficult rep at a time. It’s humbling to realize how out of shape I am, struggling to lift weights and complete the sets.
Gary Keller, executive chairman of Keller-Williams, and author of, “The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results” once said:
“Extraordinary success if sequential, not simultaneous. What starts out linear becomes geometric. You do the right thing and then you do the next right thing. Over time it adds up, and the geometric potential of success if unleashed.”
– Gary Keller
If success is sequential, it’s obvious that the past and the future have little to do on the now—the present. Let’s focus much of our energy on the present, and let’s be darn good at it.