Living in the now? You can do better

Photo submitted of John Bachman

Living in the now? You can do better BY JOHN BACHMAN
Our culture is immersed in one simplistic theme: Live in the moment; live in the now. Whether you watch Oprah Winfrey or read the latest self-help best seller, you're likely to encounter at least some variation of the same message: Make the most of your life; live in the present.

One of the earliest of the modern self-help gurus, Wayne Dyer, wrote: "Present-moment living, getting in touch with your now, is at the heart of effective living."

This approach is inherently foolish and in some ways denies man's most significant gifts. What distinguishes man from his pets and most everything else, and what has been finely developed over many years of evolution, is our ability to live beyond just the moment. We are singularly aware of more than just the now - we know there's a past and a future as well as the present.

In fact, concentrating so completely on the now can actually be dangerous and harmful. To be healthy and productive in our personal and professional lives, we must constantly balance the past, present and future. That's what allows us to grow, to become, to fulfill our potential - to unlock the door to an abundant life.

Think about it for a moment. Most of the dysfunctions, the disorders of our lives, result from an imbalance of the past, present and future. My newscasts are filled with those disorders.

Our financial crisis is symptomatic of a nation that has failed to plan for the future. Our greed demanded instant gratification, with Americans buying homes they could not afford, taking out mortgages they could not pay - with the enticement of equally greedy institutions - and the nation falling deeply into debt. All the while, the future of our children is underfunded.

Those who ignore the past often underestimate their limitations and failures and repeat their mistakes. Myopic pride blinds them to the realities of the future. Corrupt politicians are always making headlines, convinced that they will get away with one more deal. Some of the Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium extravagances underline this imbalance.

The challenges of managing a business in difficult times can test anyone. But when unreasonable margins of profit are required at the expense of the long-term health of the company, foolish decisions often result. Cutbacks may save money in the short term, but customers may gravitate elsewhere and never return. Wise leaders try to balance the needs of the future with successes of the past and the realities of the present, as harsh as those realities might be.

Concentrating on becoming, relishing the present but learning from the past and focusing on the future - that's the secret to unlocking an abundant life personally and professionally. Seize that unique ability and use it!

John Bachman is the anchorman on WHO-TV's 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts.

Reader comments Posted: Sunday, January 04, 2009
Article comment by: Jann E. Freed

I agree with Larry Mersereau on this topic since I write about "being present." While we need to learn from our experiences by reflecting on the past and we need to plan for the future, Dyer, Tolle and others advocate that we need to be present when making the best decisions. We can't live in the past and live with regrets and we can't live in future or worry about things out of our control. We need to be awake now and they are not talking about instant gratification and greed. As we know, there is plenty of that to go around. While I agree with the premise of the article about what "wise leaders" need to do, wise leaders according to Dyer, Tolle and others would be in the present. As Caribou Coffee says, they would "stay awake" so that they have the right perspective.

Posted: Friday, December 26, 2008
Article comment by: Larry Mersereau

You seem to have missed Wayne Dyer's point. He and others of us to speak and write on the topic of success, believe that each individual and each business should have a clear long-term plan. Where do you want to be in five years? Ten years? That �big picture� can then be broken down into smaller, short term goals - activities and accomplishments that move you towards the big picture. When Dyer refers to �present-moment living� and �getting in touch with your now� as the �heart of effective living,� he means that what you are doing right now can either move to towards or away from your big picture. It�s your choice which it will be. The problem most people, and even businesses have, is that they haven�t taken the time to clearly envision what their �big picture� is. So, when an opportunity for instant gratification presents itself, they have no long-term guidance. So they take the easy route, often finding that in the long term it is the direct route to a high cliff.

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