I've been reading *Hell Yeah or No* by Derek Sivers lately, and one chapter in particular has been sitting with me long after I set the book down.
Sivers breaks people into two broad categories: those who are present-focused and those who are future-focused. The differences between the two go deeper than you might expect.
Present-focused people tend to live fully in the moment. They pursue pleasure, excitement, and genuine connection with the people around them. They're playful, immersive, and often better at helping others than at helping themselves. Future-focused people, on the other hand, delay gratification. They're driven by a vivid picture of where they're going. They're disciplined, goal-oriented, and tend to find more success professionally, though Sivers notes that often comes at the expense of relationships and moments that require a present focus.
In the business world, and in leadership circles especially, the future-focused person gets most of the applause. The visionary. The one with the five-year plan. The one who doesn't get distracted by the noise of today because they're locked in on what's coming. I understand why. That kind of discipline and direction genuinely produces results.
But when I read through Sivers' description of the present-focused person, I found myself unexpectedly moved. Some of those traits are not weaknesses at all. They're genuine gifts. The ability to appreciate the people around you. The ability to get completely lost in a moment. The ability to give more to others than you take for yourself. Those things matter deeply, in business and in life.
It also made me think about parenting. And friendship. And the kind of leadership that earns real trust over time because the people around you know they're actually *seen*, not just managed.
So where does that leave us?
I don't think the goal is to pick a side and plant your flag. A long-term vision can keep you healthy and give you direction. But a life spent entirely focused on what's ahead can slowly cost you the relationships and the moments that make the journey worth taking in the first place. I've watched it happen in others. I've felt its pull in my own life.
What I keep coming back to is this: the pursuit of both. Not in a way that waters everything down, but in a way that holds both things with real intention. Knowing when to delay gratification because something bigger is on the line. And knowing when to set all of that down and be fully present with the person sitting right in front of you.
Please don't hear me saying that discipline doesn't matter. It absolutely does. But if we're not careful, we can get so consumed by strategy and vision and direction-setting that we lose sight of the people and the moments that actually get us there. The ones that make it all mean something.
Discipline and presence don't have to be in competition. I think they can actually feed each other, if we're willing to hold both with intention.
So as you're building your business, or sitting with the quiet longing of what it might mean to finally step into that thing you've been dreaming about, I want to leave you with a question worth sitting with:
**What does it mean to live out both realities with great fervor and intention?**
Not just future-focused enough to build something. And not just present-focused enough to enjoy it. But to do both, together, in a way that makes you more whole as a person and as a leader.
That's the version of this I want to keep working toward. And I hope you'll join me.
