How We Build Our Future One Moment at a Time
In business, leadership, and life, we often get stuck living everywhere except the one place where we have any real influence—the present. We replay old decisions wondering what we should’ve done differently, and we project into the future imagining everything that could go wrong. Meanwhile, the only place we can think, decide, create, and execute is right here, right now.
We all learn this lesson eventually. Sometimes it happens during a setback, sometimes it happens during a comeback, but it always begins with awareness. As outlined in the “Relativity of the Present” lesson in Don’t Do Business With Dicks, the moment we redirect our energy into the present, we regain our power, our clarity, and our momentum.
The first lesson is simple: we stop suffering when we stop time traveling. Anxiety lives in the future, regret lives in the past, but action only exists in the present. Our ability to perform, lead, and innovate depends on our ability to stay where our feet are.
The second lesson reminds us that planning should build—not paralyze—our forward motion. Strategic foresight is essential, but obsessive forecasting becomes worry, and worry provides no return on investment. We plan for the future, but we build in the present.
We also learn that trust isn’t passive. Real trust motivates action—it doesn’t excuse inaction. When we say “it will work out,” that belief should energize what we do today, not delay it. Trust is forward-leaning when it fuels execution in the now.
The past plays a role too, but not the one we often give it. Our past is for learning, not living. The moment we begin treating it as a reference point rather than an identity, we unlock growth that once felt impossible. We use the past for information—not validation, not punishment.
Our circumstances matter far less than our commitment. As seen through athletes, founders, and leaders, results aren’t built by talent alone—they’re built through consistency, especially when outcomes are still uncertain. Our future is funded by the deposits we make today.
Finally, we learn that our future isn’t built in breakthroughs—it’s built in micro-moments. Comebacks don’t start when everything is fixed; they start the moment we decide to get up. If we can look up, we can get up. And if we get up today, we build tomorrow.
So here’s the question we leave with: Are we spending more time re-living or pre-living than we are living? Because success, fulfillment, and momentum are built in the present—and the present is where our future begins.
P.S. If you're interested in my new book "Don't Do Business with Dicks" just email me directly at david@dmeltzer.com or click HERE to Pre-Order
