Here and now is all we’ve got.
Tomorrow is but a dream.
What you do here, today, and what you do now are the primary predictors of the future.
Status, condition, experience, meaning, feeling, and fulfillment are all whimsical byproducts of our push within now.
Here > There.
Now > Then.
Why do we cut flowers, stand them in a vase, and display them in our home? The hope, at least for my home, is be a reminder to bloom…a reminder to grow…a reminder to be alive.
Why do we hang painted canvas on our walls? We do so because they point us somewhere, don’t they? They point our imagination out of the box. They take us to a treasured place, time, or moment. They remind us to paint something ourselves.
Why do we write or read another’s writings? The heart of a writer is not to have you enlightened, but to remind you of what you already know deep inside of you. Success to a writer is having you agree ‘that’s right’ – not having you exclaim ‘that’s new’. On the other hand, success to the reader is saying this author ‘gets me’.
And what about our true heroes and mentors? Not the ones that dunk basketballs, but the ones we have on speed dial. If they’ve earned the badge of such a title it’s probably due to their investment in getting to know us. When we go astray they are our ever-gracious compass to show and remind us where North is.
Why are you here?
Probably to remind us of something.
This is your friendly reminder to be, become, and live out a metaphor that reminds us all as to how things are.
Do your thing.
You’re not after trophies.
You’re not after status.
You’re not after “like” clicks.
You’re not after retweets.
You’re not after accolades.
You’re not after money.
No.
You are, however, after doing something with your life.
You are here to make this place better.
Let’s call it this and not that.
This (thing that you are here for) > That (which they’ve convinced you to believe)
You can see today as a shot, an opportunity, or orchestrated divinity from your yesterday’s.
Or, like most, you can see it as a do-over, a mulligan, or a repeat of the past.
Let’s talk about the past. Every experience, reaction, response, and thought you’ve had thus far brought you here to this thing before you called today.
So be careful, today, with your experiences, reactions, responses, and thoughts because they will create your tomorrow.
Today > Tomorrow until Tomorrow is called Today.
The short answer is no. You haven’t seen an instruction manual because there isn’t one.
Of course we don’t call it that though.
We call it college.
We call it the corporate ladder.
We call it schmoozing.
And now all of this isn’t making true on its promise to fulfill our dreams.
Here’s the catch: There isn’t a map for what you were sent here to do and there’s a reason something inside of you turns when you look out over an empty ocean.
Leave the shore. Sail your vessel. Return with your instruction manual.
Ashton.Gustafson 