The Power of this Moment

Is there such a thing as too big to notice the little? What happens when all decision you make are big, and missing your kid’s game or recital is simply small? 

With affluence it’s easy to get a wrong view of one moment. We can over and under inflate our view of our time, one small series of words and actions. 

This is true that one moment isn’t going to change the world. Let’s look at exercise. If I consistently exercise 3-4 times per week and then sleep in once, what happens? Nothing. Thankfully, if I miss one work out or eat one donut my gut doesn’t push out three inches. The one moment isn’t essential. But is it?  

If I haven’t worked out in several months I can’t make it up in one monstrous work out? I can’t go to the gym for 19 hour bust my gut session and have anything good to show for in the end. The only thing I might have to show for that 19-hour exercise glut would be potentially a trip to my chiropractor for throwing out my back, right?

This is part of the Law of the Harvest. 

Compare the farmer’s field freshly plowed and seeded field, with the man who did not seed his field.  The next day there are absolutely no noticeable differences. But give it time and the differences show up, right?

We can see this with working out but with other areas it is more difficult to see. With my kids if I miss the game or two, but show up to the others, not much happens. If I miss one monthly investment installment, nothing really changes. But what if those missed ballgames become more? What if those skipping work outs by hitting the snooze bar becomes a pattern? Then it shows up. But it’s later, not right now.  

A good analogy of this idea is taking ship from Paris to the U.S. If my goal is get to Miami since I like warm weather but my path is heading toward New York. Catching it early is simply a matter of small measured corrections. But if I get all the way to New York and then want warmer weather I’m out of luck.  

The power of this moment is not in one moment but stringing together those moments into a habit. If I then make those habits into routines, then those routines into a way of life, then that way of life can turn into a legacy. But the legacy is made up of my way of life.  My way of life is made up of my routines. And my routines are made up of my habits. My habits made up of those moments. The power is in the moment. There is power in the here and now.