Future tense is common sense

I speak to students all the time. I get invitations to speak to college students, and sometimes even high school. But I politely refuse invitations to speak to elementary students. If I were to speak to them, I have a feeling they won’t look at me as the speaker, but as their young grandfather. Emphasis on the adjective “young”.

I enjoy speaking to students. They’re an articulate and expressive lot. Some would personally ask questions and engage me in a healthy debate. Others would express their sentiments on my Facebook pages. It’s not true that young people have short attention spans – not true at all! Why, I’d engage them during my seminars, and even if the exchange and activities would go beyond one and a half hours, they would still protest when it’s time for me to conclude my presentation and insist that I go on.

I love these young people, and I think this is why a story in Andy Stanley’s The Best Question Ever caught my attention.

Andy talks about the director of their student ministry doing an exercise with their young people. The director asked each of the high school students to write a letter to his or her future spouse. The response was amazing. For most of the students, it was the first time they had given their undivided attention to what they were looking forward to, relationally. In a defining moment, it dawned on those young people how their current behavior would be either an investment in or a deterrent to that future relationship.

Following the letter-writing exercise, the leaders enacted a mock wedding, and the students were transported to an event so far in the future that it seemed to have no connection to the realities of their everyday lives. But in that moment, when they were fast-forwarded to a marriage altar with all that it represents, the casual decisions of adolescence took on extraordinary meaning. Suddenly, they realized the truth that their tomorrows would, in fact, be shaped by today. The decisions made at thirteen could determine what life would be like at thirty-one.

This exercise is so beautiful because it makes sense – one gauges the appropriateness of every option available today by his or her hopes and dreams for tomorrow. Every time there is a decision to make, you will reflexively stop and ask, “In light of my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do?” And, chances are, you’ll do it.

Adults like you and me should do a similar exercise. Let’s project ourselves to the future, future tense that defines common sense.

• In light of where you want to be financially in 10 years, what’s the wise thing to do right now? What do you need to start or stop doing financially?

• If you want to climb up your corporate ladder, what are the things you need to stop doing and what are the things you need to start doing? (Hint: How about overcoming your bad temper and getting more training for leadership skills and self-management?

In the book, Andy Stanley asks some very serious questions: “If you are single, in hopes of finding the man or woman of your dreams, what is the wise way to conduct your relationships now? What do you want to tell your future spouse about your past relationships? If you are married and your dream is to finish life together with your spouse, what options do you need to take off the table? What’s out there that could steal your dream? What precautions need to be taken? What’s the wise thing to do relationally?” And so you want your kids to be successful and your relationship with them sweet, what’s the wise thing to do now?

You are a unique blend of past experiences, current circumstances, and future hopes and dreams. Wisdom will enable you to customize the decision-making process to your specific professional, financial, and relational dimensions. Don’t miss the opportunity to reap the blessings of wise decision-making.

And don’t miss out on the wisdom of the book, The Best Question Ever. Get a copy because it makes a lot of sense.

(I’d love to hear from you! Click on to www.franciskong.com to send me your feedback. You can also listen to my radio program “Business Matters” aired at 8:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. during weekdays over 98.7 dzFE-FM “The Master’s Touch”, the classical music station.)