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Whatever you’re doing now, do it as best as you can
January 3, 2013
It may seem strange that the number of days it takes our dear earth to make a full rotation around the Sun can signify so much in our personal and professional lives. We make resolutions for the new year, set new goals for the business, make proclamations about the type of person that we would like to be, and state our desires – whether its for health, wealth or happiness – in the hope that some of these may come true.
As the year progresses, some of these goals may actually be achieved: we would like to think that the goals were achieved through determined adherence to a structured plan. But more often than not, they come through serendipity.
With that in mind, I would like to make a suggestion: let’s not worry too much about whether we can live up to a mentally constructed ideal of ourselves and our objectives, or spend too much time berating ourselves for past “sins” of commission or omission.
We have only the present moment – not the past, nor the future – in which we can act. No amount of worrying, anger or heartache can change that simple fact. Whatever you are doing now, do it as best as you can– whether you’re drafting out a newsletter, planning a project, visualizing a creative piece, writing a note to colleagues or clients, or even in the simple act of saying “hi” to your colleagues as you walk past them in the corridor. Do everything you are doing with arête. With quality. With presence here and now.
So what are my own priorities? To act, live, breathe, and be here now. To talk, laugh, vent and cry with you like a human being. To learn about, and act on new knowledge, ideas and opportunities. To stay open to ‘luck’. To be the best caretaker possible of the people I care about, which include the travellers on this ship that we call Ying.
There are no guarantees that any of these will result in commercial or professional success: after all, there are no guarantees in life. But beyond hard facts, there is always faith. And I have faith that doing things right, right here, right now, makes the journey worthwhile. Once we understand that, we will see that the destination (wherever that may be) will be a great one.
POSTED BY: Allan Tan
