In a blog post related to living in the present, adapted from his new book The Earned Life, the renowned leadership expert and bestselling author Marshall Goldsmith talks about how it’s necessary to live in the present and deal with what you have in the moment, in order to move forward in life.
“Every set of facts we see is situational—there’s something noble in dealing with what’s in front of us. Yet many of us fail to play the shot in front of us.”
Goldsmith writes, “The Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman famously said, ‘What you see is all there is,’ which spawned a widely adopted acronym WYSIATI, to point out how quickly we use the limited information at our disposal to make premature conclusions. I prefer to apply WYSIATI as a reminder that every set of facts we see is situational—and there’s something noble in dealing as best we can with what’s in front of us. When golfers play the shot in front of them, they are being supremely rational and disinterested (that is, neutral), divorced from past or future concerns that may cloud their judgment. They accept that golf, like most of life, is situational, never involving the moment before or after, only now. At their best, they are Buddhist masters of mindfulness and being present. The enormous value of being present shouldn’t be a controversial idea. And yet failing to play the shot is one of our most consistent behavior patterns.”
Participants at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, are facing a new reality. Many of its values — globalization, liberalism, free market capitalism, representative democracy — are under attack. The coronavirus pandemic prompted isolationism among certain foreign leaders, showed that the global supply chain is weak and built a wall between the world and China. What’s more, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created a fear of broader global conflict. Not to mention internal divisions that are straining countries from the U.S. to Hungary. Leaders must face these challenges before they can confidently explore future growth.
In The Earned Life Goldsmith uncovers the source of today’s existential crises, including regrets that stem from choices that irrevocably alter our lives, reroute destinies, and haunt our memories. These are particularly timely themes today.
With Goldsmith’s book as a guide, readers can close the gap between what they plan to achieve and what they actually get done—even in a world full of inescapable unfairness and curveballs—and live an earned life that is fulfilling in the long run.
You can read Marshall Goldsmith’s blog here.
About MARSHALL GOLDSMITH
Marshall Goldsmith has been recognized for years as the world’s leading executive coach and the New York Times bestselling author of many books, including What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, Mojo, and Triggers. He received his Ph.D. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. In his coaching practice, Goldsmith has advised more than 200 major CEOs and their management teams. He and his wife live in Nashville, Tennessee.
About THE EARNED LIFE
In THE EARNED LIFE (Currency Books), Marshall Goldsmith uncovers the source of today’s existential crisis: regret, the kind stemming from choices that irrevocably alter our lives, reroutes destinies, and haunts our memories—particularly timely themes as the pandemic and Great Resignation inspire people to seek meaning in their lives, get unstuck and make changes. With this book as their guide, readers can close the gap between what they plan to achieve and what they actually get done—even in a world full of inescapable unfairness and curveballs—and live an earned life too fulfilling to dwell on the “what ifs.”
If you’d like more information on Marshall Goldsmith, The Earned Life, and his work, please get in touch with Lyda Goldsmith.
