One of the most important tasks I can do as a leader is to direct the team when the time for thinking is over and it’s time to make. I know firsthand how easy it is to get stuck reviewing the past and wondering about the future. As much as staying in the past or the future can be intriguing it can also be harmful. Anxiety lives in the past and in the future. Doing so gets in the way of our progress.
We stay in the past or the future because we worry about not having enough information or if our idea is the right option. Staying in these time frames preoccupies our minds with doubt and fear. It doesn’t take much for these emotions to compromise our confidence and paralyze our abilities to make decisions, move forward, and feel positive about ourselves and our work.
We can’t change the past nor can we predict the future, but we can lean into what we know and what we can do now—today. It’s better to make based on what you know versus worrying about what we don’t know or what could happen. This is true not only about our work but our lives.
Wondering if you should have taken that other job or if there will be layoffs does absolutely nothing to positive for your mental health or your ability to make logical decisions. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think about these things, just give yourself a way back so you don’t get stuck there, because when even the smallest amount of fear sets in, it’s way too easy to sink. Anxiety lives in the past and the future. If we remain in the present, where we are now, there isn’t as much to fear.
