Don’t Forget to Stop and Smell the Roses
The next goal can become a habit
It is easy to spend our lives looking toward the next milestone. The next promotion. The next client. The next account balance. The next problem to solve. Progress matters, but constant forward motion can quietly train us to overlook what is already here.
A rich life requires attention
Money can create options, protect independence, support people we love, and make meaningful experiences possible. But money cannot notice those experiences for us. That requires presence. It requires enough pause to recognize the conversation, the music, the meal, the walk, the friendship, or the ordinary afternoon that will someday become a memory.
Balance is part of stewardship
Stewardship is not only about preserving resources for later. It is also about using time, energy, relationships, and money wisely now. Saving everything for an undefined future can be as unbalanced as ignoring the future altogether.
Take the pause
Ask what deserves your attention this week. Notice something that is already good. Express gratitude while the person can hear it. Make room for an experience that does not improve a resume or an account statement. Stop to smell the roses, or life may pass right by while we are busy preparing to live it.
Progress and presence can coexist
We do not need to choose between building a meaningful future and appreciating the present. The work is to hold both. Because progress means little if we miss the life happening along the way.
By Fred Kettler • The Stewardship Project
With Thanks,
Fred