Yesterday is now tomorrow
It’s 2018 and the world turns faster than ever before; days are now 20 hours, hours are now 40 minutes and minutes are ONLY 20 seconds long. Everything must be done yesterday. Ideas need to have been thought of last month and you’re expected to see 4 years into the future.
This is the ridiculous notion that the next generation is told to think, act, and work towards. In this "new" reality, we post about our life on an hourly basis for our “friends" to validate our choices and actions. On social media, doing things in private is almost considered “weird”. We reach out with passive aggressive or cryptic posts hoping for the sympathy and/or support we seek. In a somewhat backwards way, social media justifies our celebrations and has become the safety net for our worst days.
We compete online for the most ‘likes’ for our achievements and adventures (which are sometimes exaggerated, posed or fabricated), and we post about our challenges as if they’re the WORST imaginable experiences. We talk about our routine commute to work or school as if it’s something special or something that needs to be recognized by our false cyber-
tribe.
I AM HERE TO SAY STOP IT! There’s NO rush to “get there”. Why are we in such a hurry to get to the finish line? Time is still time; still equally as valuable now as it was 50 or 60 years ago.
So many people look to others and ask: What is the finish line? Who decides who is winning? What is winning? How can I show others I am succeeding? It really doesn’t matter what others think, you need to answer and define these yourself. In the future, the leaders that will succeed far beyond the rest are those that have patience, love, and live in this moment – Each moment!
What if my grandfather who fought in World War 2 could have tweeted? Let’s imagine what that would have looked like using an expert from his journal:
“Just got back behind our line, Jack didn’t make it back. Haven’t seen Eddie. Here’s holding hope for them, for more than 2 hours of sleep. I miss my love. I miss quiet."
Now, here’s an actual post I read recently on Twitter:
"I just had a cup of tea with soy milk. It was one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made in my life.”
I am sorry Grandpa. We are pretty entitled aren’t we? Maybe I don’t appreciate my days fully. I need to remind myself that I have it good, REALLY good!
This blog isn’t to make anyone sad. I am saying we need to slow down. We need to appreciate the here and the now. We need to stop documenting our lives for the approval of someone else, someone we may not even really know. Be appreciative of what you have. Tell your problems, your challenges to a real human, a close friend, not the world.
For those that travel, I get it – it’s exciting. It’s a privilege to travel, and something I get to do. Yet I have stopped posting about getting on planes or checking into nice hotels. Honestly, it’s because I have MORE respect for the parent that gets in their cold car at 7 am to get to work to provide for their children; the one that doesn’t have time to post a picture on Instagram. Maybe they don’t post because they don’t feel worthy or because it doesn’t match up to the post of the $9 latte that someone they follow is having while travelling in scenic Seattle.
When I was a kid, I remember that my parents would hate when a friend came over to show their pictures from a recent vacation. It reminded them that we couldn’t afford to take one.
If you want admiration and accolades from others, do INCREDIBLE things, create a STUpendous impact in the world. Let others tell your story for you, it will mean more.
If you are sharing stories of cool humans or new interesting experiences then I say, “Do it!” Get excited and share the love because it is good to show human connections and wonderful accomplishments.
Be proud of your accomplishments. If what you’re doing is of VALUE to others, creates JOY or provides knowledge, SHARE! People will want to celebrate with you. But if it’s just to gain acknowledgement of what you do or how “great” your life is, maybe it’s time to opt out of this ‘post and brag’ behaviour.
Today is today. Live in it. To my young, aspiring leaders; Take deep breaths, write in a journal, experience your life, now. You are blessed.
I often need to remind myself of that too.
In leadership and gratitude,
