As an author, I’ve had the honor and privilege of signing my book a fair number of times over the years. Each one I’ve signed has contained my tagline: The Best Is Ahead. Rarely, but sometimes, I’ve had a few people push back on that.
“Do you really believe that?” goes the question.
My answer, every time, and unequivocally: “Yes. I do.”
I first wrote about this topic back in Fall of 2020 as the ravages of Covid were still coursing their way through our civilization, threatening our health, and in many cases, tragically ending lives. All the while, the stock market had experienced its fastest bear market in history, falling over 30% in less than a month. How, then, could I unequivocally believe that the Best was Ahead in moments like those?
I’ve thought a lot about that question over the years. Let’s face it, bad things happen. And in a gut-wrenching twist of fate, bad things happen to good people. Try as you might, you can’t overcome the accident, the tragedy, the doctor’s diagnosis, the divorce, the breakup, the job loss.
Then, the ultimate of all bad habits…you turn on the news.
This catastrophe, that earthquake.
This murder, that robbery.
This war, that conflict.
This stock market crash, that financial fad.
Then, in the name of all that is doom and despair, you click open your social media app du jour.
This highlight reel, that comparison.
This clickbait, that advertisement.
This luring ad to spend money you don’t have, that post that is so angering it gets your heart beat racing.
So, the question hearkens back: “Do you really believe that the Best Is Ahead?”
My answer, unchanged. “Yes. I do.”
Which, of course, begs the next question.
“Why? …How? …Are you blooming mad? …Don’t you want to go back to the good ‘ol days? The days prior to all the bad that’s happening around us? Back to the simpler life?”
My answer, in order: “Because I’ve told myself that phrase for so long, I actually believe it. Because I’m convinced that maintaining a pessimistic mindset is simply not good for one’s health. No, I’m not crazy, I’m a rational optimist. No, the same things we struggle with today existed back then, just in different ways, there’s nothing new under the sun.”
So, what must a person do to believe, as I do, that the Best is Ahead? You must always make your future bigger than your past. Let me be clear, I’m not a pie in the sky, head in the clouds, nothing is ever wrong type thinker. I know there’s an abundance of bad news around the world. I know bad things happen, even to good people. I know not everything is well, or perfect, or solved, or ok. But I’ve made a conscious choice to believe that there are brighter days to come, that my purpose is greater than my shortcomings, that my choices lead to better health…to greater joy.
You see, it’s not that the world is good. It’s that I’m consciously choosing, moment by moment, to find the good, to find the opportunity, to find the victories, to find the triumph, to create gratitude and meaning in my life. Hence, the reason that the Best is Ahead for me…is that I create it. I create it with my choices. I get to choose who I hang out with. I choose not to watch TV (ok, except Shark Tank). I choose not to doom scroll through social media. I choose not to click on click bait that would pull my mind and my attitude below the line. I choose to read books that expand my mind and promote optimism. I choose to listen to podcasts that make me a better investor or leader or dad. I choose to work out to feel better about myself. I choose not to eat junk food. I choose to limit my sugar intake. I choose to spend less than I make so I can invest for my future self. I choose to go to church on Sunday to remind me of the sacrifice my Savior made for me, to affirm my higher calling and to give me hope of a brighter future. These are disciplines I’ve instilled in my life that ensure that my Best Is Ahead is always intact.
All told, my Best is Ahead thinking comes from the choices I make on a moment-by-moment basis. And yours can too.
There’s never a shortage of bad news to quash the positivity right out of your head. But, with simple choices, you can shut off the voices, cancel the pessimism and get your mind to a place of abundance and joy.
You can choose to believe, as I do, that the Best is Ahead!
