Today and Tomorrow

“Progress is the activity of today and the assurance of tomorrow.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our greatest successes in life come when we develop ambitious, realistic goals, and then act on those goals on a consistent basis. Notice that one of those actions looks to the future, while the other is firmly grounded in the present.

Many folks fill their lives with plenty of activity, but they never seem to have any worthy goals in mind so they never seem to get anywhere. In their jobs or careers, in their relationships, even in their free time, they seem to live for the moment. Friends, that can make for a busy life, but at the end of the day what do those folks have to show for all their activity?

Then there are those people who are constantly making plans. They’re forever telling you what they’re going to do, what they’ll accomplish tomorrow, the next day, or somewhere down the road. These people are good at map making, but there not much at blazing the trail.

The bottom line is, progress in any facet of life takes both goals—looking with assurance to the future—and action—working wisely in the present to reach your goals.

You can’t have one without the other.

Think about it.—J.P.