As a society, we’ve arguably never been more focused on the short term, despite the fact that we are living longer and have more long-term freedom with our time than at any other point in history.
So much of the content being fed to us is designed to keep us entertained, indulging the immediate desires that we’ve been led to believe will make us happy. We’ve become a society that believes we’re just a click away from happiness, whether that means distracting ourselves with on-demand entertainment or getting a same-day delivery of something we’ve just discovered (or been told) is going to change our lives.
The truth is real fulfillment, significance, and even success doesn’t come from short-term indulgence or entertainment. Real significance doesn’t even come from the hard work we put into short-term success, either. To truly Live Fully, living an extraordinary life of success (achieving your goals) and significance (making an impact on others), you must embrace long-term thinking.
That’s not to say there isn’t room for the short-term in your life. Setting and achieving short-term goals is an important part of life, but these are only rungs on the ladder to success. To truly find success, you have to make sure to point the ladder at the outcome you truly desire—at the life you want to live. If you spend all your time climbing rungs that lead you to a place you didn’t actually want to get to or that don’t bring the people you cherish along with you, then no matter how far you climb, success won’t be waiting at the top.
Long-term thinking takes courage. It takes courage to set really big, long-term goals that will require significant discipline, goals that will require giving up short-term indulgence and short-term rewards in exchange for what we really want in life.
Most people have never taken the time to not only ask themselves but truly give thought to the question, “If my life ended up perfectly, what would it look like?” Even fewer have taken the time to develop a plan that will lead to these outcomes.
For those of us with families, almost all of us would have our family thriving as part of our perfect life outcomes. Strong marriages, children who are living fully, and for those of us of faith, a strong relationship with God that is central to our lives.
For those of us leading businesses, we are used to creating business plans with both long and short-term goals. We know that to achieve these goals, we need to have meetings and rhythms for communication. For most of us, we include as part of these plans and budgets, attending industry events to learn, build relationships and renew our focus.
Very few of us have developed the same discipline and meticulous attention to what and who matters most to us: our families.
Building an extraordinary family takes tremendous courage. Courage to make difficult decisions, including prioritizing habits that may be seen as counterculture, such as taking a hard line on screens for your children. It takes courage to have difficult conversations with your spouse, children, and most importantly yourself as you move through life together, facing challenges and sharing triumphs. It takes faith that the decisions you’re making each day are all moving you towards something greater.
It also takes discipline. It is hard work.
