Helping high achievers (a.k.a overachievers) reach their potential and make a difference.
You don't have to choose between dreaming about the future and living in the present.
When we push too far one way, life has a way of pulling us back. That's my story - a future-focused visionary who needed to learn the art of present living. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming, except when you live in the future instead of the present.
For future-focused leaders, there is always a tension between looking ahead and living ahead. We humans tend to think of tension as negative, but maturity teaches us that tension—the state of being stretched or strained—is necessary for us to thrive and grow as people and organizations.
According to Andy Stanley, there's a crucial distinction between problems (which need to be solved) and tensions (which need to be managed and monitored). Healthy tensions should not be eliminated because trying to "solve" them often creates bigger problems—instead, they need ongoing management. He put it succinctly when he said,
“Some things aren’t problems to solve but tensions to manage.”
Look Ahead, Don't Live Ahead
So how do we manage the tension between dreams and reality or the future and the present?
A good friend taught me the difference:
Looking ahead produces vision;
Living ahead creates anxiety.
The answer is not always to solve the tension. In this case, that would mean we either dream or live in the present. The answer is to embrace the tension and manage it in a healthy way.
Living in the Both And…
Recently, I went to a local monastery and took some time to think and dream.
It was refreshing for my soul. Without dreams, life can feel dry and bland. Dreams give us hope and something to shoot for. But I’ve also learned to hold dreams loosely and not live in the future.
Now the pendulum is swinging back from living in the future, and I’m learning to both dream and live in the present.
If I can do it, I know you can do it, too.
Embrace the Tension
Dreaming and living in the present aren’t at odds with each other. Whether you plan a day away or sit for an hour with your notebook in your favorite coffee shop, give yourself permission to dream deeply while remaining in the present.
Do you tend toward present living or future dreaming? Once you know your default, what would it look like to intentionally embrace both - not as competing forces, but as essential partners in your growth?
Action Step: Find a block of solitude this week, whether it’s 15 minutes or an hour. First, identify which comes more naturally to you - living in the now or dreaming ahead. Then, in the area where you feel the most tension between the two, write down one specific way you could let both present living and future dreaming coexist and strengthen each other.
Until next time,
PS - Great writing takes time. Buy Me a Coffee so I can keep creating.
