By Joe Byerly
I’ve been thinking a lot about how we treat the present versus how we imagine the future
We’re often too harsh on the present and too idealistic about the future.
In the present, we don’t have enough time. We’re too busy. Too many competing priorities. Too much stress. So we tell ourselves we’ll wait until the future.
In the future, we’ll have more time. It will be less stressful. Priorities will stop colliding. Life will get easier.
But here’s what actually happens: the harsh present becomes the wasted past, the idealistic future turns into the harsh present, and we keep kicking the can down the road—always waiting for that idyllic future that never arrives.
We never get started.
As Julia Cameron wrote in The Artist’s Way: “In fantasizing about our art full-time, we fail to pursue it part-time—or at all.”
One of the things that became my saving grace—and made my transition out of the military far less difficult than it could have been—was that I made time for my art throughout my career. Maybe I had to get up early. Maybe it was only 15 minutes here or there. But I made time. I didn’t wait until I was out of the Army and life “slowed down.”
Because guess what? Life didn’t slow down. Work meetings turned into carpools. Training exercises turned into business trips. The onslaught of emails never went away.
And not once—waking up at 4:45 to write or stealing 15 minutes during lunch—did I think, “This is the perfect time.” It wasn’t. It was frustrating. But I knew an onslaught of free time was never going to come my way.
Those 15 minutes added up. Over a decade, I learned how to write—by writing. I built a body of work. And that body of work created opportunities that never would have existed otherwise.
“In the meantime” became the perfect time to put the work in.
I’ve learned that if I want to do something for me or my family, I can’t wait for the perfect moment. It won’t get easier. I have to use “in the meantime”—because it’s the only time. The present will always feel imperfect, but it’s the only place we can actually start.
So if there’s something you want to do, stop waiting for the future to make it easier. Start now. Start small. Start “in the meantime.”
Joe Byerly is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel with 20 years of service, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and command of a cavalry squadron in Europe. He earned numerous prestigious awards, including multiple Legion of Merits, Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, and General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award. In 2013, Joe founded From the Green Notebook.
A passionate advocate for self-knowledge through reading and reflection, he authored The Leader’s 90-Day Notebook and co-authored My Green Notebook: “Know Thyself” Before Changing Jobs, a resource for leaders seeking greater self-awareness. If this post resonated with you or sparked any questions, feel free to reach out to him at Joe@fromthegreennotebook.com.
