Dovetailing Now's time frame with Next's time frame

 

Next’s default focus is on having some result in the future, often the distant future when contrasted with Now’s default time-frame, which is in the next few seconds or minutes.

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"Moons" could be reachable if you take it minute-by-minute

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Next says, “We can celebrate when we get that job we want.” Asking your Now to be excited or interested in this is reaching for the moon.

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Savoring each breadcrumb on the path to your bigger quest

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A way to get Next and Now on the same page is by developing the habit of creating small celebrations of each of the hundreds or thousand of steps that could lead to the big celebration.

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Break it down to keep Now happy and engaged

 

An example of how to do this with the the intention to “get a job we want”...

 

• “Hey! We turned on our computer.”

• “Look at that! Google found many job sites we could explore.”

• “Huzzah! Let’s read this review about the best job sites.”

• “Cool! So many to choose from. Let’s start with Indeed.com.”

• “Bang-up! I entered my city and the position I want...let’s see what happens.”

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Maybe it even needs to be smaller to make Now happy

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For example, you could break down, "Hey! We turned on the computer" into...

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• "My eyes can so amazingly distinguish the computer switch."

• "I can notice the power of my mind directing my hand to move from my right side towards the computer switch."

• "I watch my hand with awe as it gets closer and closer to the computer switch."

• "I notice how I automatically feel my forefinger coming into contact with the switch."

• "With delight, I know just the pressure to put on the switch to turn my computer on."

• "My touch calls forth the power of electricity streaming from far away at a ridiculously low price to bring my computer and all manner of systems, representing millions of man-years of work, to my beck and call."

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It's all about honoring the needs of your three-year-old

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Now is your three-year-old child. Break the celebrations and acknowledgements into short enough time frames so that he or she naturally stays engaged. When you use this method to keep Now engaged, then, in the longer time frames, Next will also get what he or she wants. If you ignore what Now needs, Next’s needs will suffer too.

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How to install this new habit

 

Creating small celebrations is a new habit. Use Kickstarting a Mental Habit to get it installed as a permanent part of how you live your life.