Lately this question has been floating around in my mind

“What can I do today to set myself up for tomorrow?”

It’s a simple question that packs enormous power. Answering this question for my personal projects, managing the home, and my 9 to 5 endeavors has kicked me into strategic action.

The combination of lessons learned and foresight enables me to drive the present moment with intention. Even if it makes a seemingly small ripple I feel empowered. More like a conqueror and less like a victim.

Let me give you a real life example. Since being home with my family 24/7 (thanks Covid) we have been running through more toilet paper. I realized I didn’t purchase toilet paper until we were pretty much all out. So I embarked on a mini data gathering exercise of documenting how much toilet paper we run through in our highly trafficked bathroom. I learned that we run through about 9 rolls in a 2 week period. Which means for a month supply in the main bathroom I need to have about 20 rolls (of that brand) in the house to prevent a scramble run.

This is really useful information for me as it helps me to prepare today for the month ahead.

Another example is that I know certain executives at work look for specific information in presented material. Instead of being reactive to the requests and questions during the meeting. I proactively prepare for what I know is coming. Make sure that my projects are being executed with these stakeholder questions in mind so that when the question comes (because it always does) I have the data and story slide to match.

It’s funny – how once you get tired of feeling yucky about an area in life you kick into proactive mode.

Many times pausing and dropping into yourself to take inventory of what triggers you to feel like SHIZ NIZ can help you level up for the next go round. 

Not long ago my kids were watching a youtube video based on the Aesop “The Ant and The Grasshopper” fable . It stuck with me. The ants worked hard in the summer to store up food and the grasshopper was out playing without a care in the world. When winter hit, the Ants had plenty of food thanks to their preparedness while the grasshopper was starving. Spoiler Alert: The ants shared their overflow with the Grasshopper.

I hope we can learn not only from this story but our unique experiences to be prepared for the days ahead.

Quotes to Meditate On:

“The More you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future” Theodore Roosevelt

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Benjamin Franklin

“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander,  no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” Proverbs 6: 6-8

Peace & Blessings, 

Lo