Quote-A-Day: Day 255

It's rarely about what you've done, but always about what you're doing. #QuoteADay #Day255 #edchat #edu #ASCDL2L #DoWhatMatters

At times, we like to believe that the past shapes who we are, and what we’ll do.  But, in reality, it is the present, and where that leads us in the future, that makes the most difference.  While we are shaped by our past, we aren’t owned by it.  What we do today, however, makes us who we are.

As leaders, one of the most important things for us to remember is that the past is truly the past.  We should call on it as we lead and learn, and we should utilize our past experiences to help guide what we do in the present, but in the grand scheme of things, how we handled a situation in the past, as important as it is, takes a back seat to how we address a similar situation in the here and now.

Therefore, when we take action, or plan to do so, we should remember that what we do must be based on who we currently are, not who we have been.  This is important, because if we truly want to show growth, we need to step out of the shadow of the past.  In this way, every action we take reflects us now, and as such, when we look back on situations in the past, we can chart our growth, rather than seeing a static response that never changes.

In other words, it is rarely about what you’ve done, but always about what you’re doing.  Understand that to lead in the present we have to be in the present, and as much as we might like to rely on the past, the only true way to grow is to lead for the future.