Who Are You Building Toward?
The photo on the left was taken when I was 18. The one on the right was taken at 48. A lot changes in 30 years. Not surprisingly, you learn a lot too.
Over the last few years, I’ve found myself thinking less about the years behind me and more about who I want to be in the decades ahead. I want to be strong and capable. I want to stay curious, engaged, positive, and excited about life. I want to keep traveling, learning, building relationships, trying new things, and saying yes to new experiences. And I want to do what I can now to remain physically, mentally, and emotionally able to enjoy all of it. That vision has shaped a series of commitments I’ve made to myself. I’ve changed how I think about food and movement, prioritized strength, experimented with different routines, and paid closer attention to the habits that help me feel my best. There have been plenty of iterations, and I’m sure there will be more. But most of those choices are really an attempt to answer one question:
What can I do today to support the person I want to be in the future?
Recently, it occurred to me that the same question applies to our businesses. Businesses grow, shrink, change, and evolve. Sometimes, everything seems to be working. The right people are in the right roles, opportunities are coming in, clients are happy, and everyone is moving in the same direction. Other times, we develop blinders for whatever problem is directly in front of us. A quarterly goal is slipping. A key position remains open. An important pursuit didn’t go our way. A client relationship needs attention. We focus on solving the immediate problem, winning the next project, filling the position, or getting through the quarter. Those things matter. But when we spend all of our time reacting to what is directly in front of us, it becomes harder to imagine what the company could become.
The future we envision should shape the choices we make today.
If we want to be known for strong client relationships, we have to invest in those relationships long before we need something from them. If we want a team that confidently creates new opportunities, business development has to become part of the culture. If we want employees to contribute their ideas and expertise, we have to create an environment where they feel encouraged to do so. The company we want will not be created simply by working more hours, pursuing every opportunity, or getting more work out the door.
It has to be built with intention.
And we cannot intentionally build a future we have not taken the time to define. Maybe that is true for all of us, personally and professionally. We cannot control everything the next 10, 20, or 30 years will bring. But we can decide what we want to be building toward and begin making choices today that give us the best opportunity to get there.