Your Next 5 Minutes

“They say thinking big, have a compelling vision. I say think small and do something super cool by the end of the day. Most people see excellence as some grand aspiration. Wrong. Dead wrong. Excellence is the next five minutes or nothing at all. It’s the quality of your next five-minute conversation. It’s the quality of your next email. Forget the long term. Make the next five minutes rock !!”

This is an incredibly powerful quote by the legendary management guru Tom Peters that I have written down on the front page of my daily journal. 

Every day many thoughts are floating in my head, but these words by Tom Peters keep me anchored. Long-term vision is essential, but what matters more is how I deal with the immediate, what is in front of me in this instant.

I can plan and strategize about where I want to go in the future. But, the only way I can move forward is by being grounded in the present moment and bringing the maximum level of focus, care, and commitment into the work I need to do now- no matter what it may be.

• If you are planning to write a proposal, invest time and write the best you can right now.
• If you are preparing for a sales pitch- commit time and prepare the best you can right now.
• If you are thinking of putting together a plan for the year- write your plan the best you can right now. 

It’s early 2023. Anyone looking to accomplish big things this year, it would be great to follow Tom Peter’s advice. Give your best to what you have to do in the next 5 minutes. 

Many worry about what lies ahead in the future. However, this future we all think about will be within our grasp if we develop the discipline to focus on what’s immediately in front of us and give our best- in the next 5 minutes.