Written By: Brad Pedersen

I published a recent post that resonated with many people: "Yesterday is a cancelled cheque, tomorrow is a promissory note, today is all the cash you can either invest or spend."  

The response was overwhelming—and it got me thinking about why this simple metaphor hit home for so many. I believe it's because most of us recognize a painful truth: we're rarely fully present in our own lives.

Where Are You Really Living?

Think about your day so far. How much of it have you spent replaying yesterday's conversations or anticipating tomorrow's challenges? If you're like most people (myself included), your mind probably spends more time anywhere but here.

We ruminate on past failures, trying to rewrite history in our heads. We anxiously anticipate future problems, attempting to control what hasn't happened. Meanwhile, the only moment we can actually influence—this one right here—slips through our fingers.

It feels productive. It even feels responsible. But it's an illusion.

Your Most Valuable Non-Renewable Resource

We often hear that time is our most precious resource. Once spent, we can never get it back. But there's something even more valuable at stake: your attention.

Where we place our time and more importantly our attention reveals what we truly value. And if we're honest with ourselves, our attention is rarely aligned with what we claim matters most.

We say family is important—while our minds drift to work during dinner. We claim to value health—while mentally rehearsing tomorrow's presentation during our workout. We talk about being present—while our thoughts are stuck rehashing yesterday's argument.

The truth is, we can physically occupy one space while mentally living in many other places. And that disconnection is costing us more than we realize.

What Is Wasted Time?

I've been thinking deeply about what it means to waste time. As someone who values productivity and impact, the idea of wasted time has always bothered me. I grew up in a home where the expectations were to be constantly busy and productive; after all idle hands are the devils workshop!

But what if our definition of wasted time is wrong?

Wasted time isn't about which activity we're doing. It's about whether we're fully present for that activity.

If we're doing something we value and bring our full attention to it—whether that's working on a project, having coffee with a friend, taking a walk, or snowbiking with my buddies (like the photo above)—that time is well invested. We are fully alive in that moment.

But if our bodies are in one place while our mind’s is somewhere else—if you're physically at our child's recital but mentally reviewing tomorrow's presentation—that's real waste. You might as well not be there at all.

Any moment when we’re not present for our own life we are essentially dead to it. You are physically present but miss it completely and as a result, the opportunities that were there, are now gone for ever.

Living in the Past: The Cancelled Cheque

When we fixate on the past, we're trying to cash a cheque that's already been processed. The transaction is complete and the funds are gone.

Yet how much energy do we spend ruminating on mistakes we can't undo, words we can't take back, or opportunities we missed?

The past should teach us, certainly. But living there doesn't change it—it only robs us of our now.

Every minute spent wishing things had gone differently is a minute you're not investing in making this current moment count. The past is a place of reference, for learning and refinement but not for residence.

Living in the Future: The Promissory Note

The future has its own allure. It promises everything the present lacks:

• The business exit that will finally give you the freedom you crave
• The perfect partner who will make you feel complete
• The recognition that will silence your inner critic saying "you're not enough"
• The financial milestone that will finally let you relax about money

But tomorrow's note hasn't been cleared yet. It's a promise, not a payment. And while vision casting and planning are necessary parts of designing a preferred future, constantly living in anticipation of what's next means never experiencing what's now.

How many conversations with loved ones have we sat through physically while our minds are busy solving tomorrow's problems? How many of our child's soccer games have we attended, our eyes on the field but our thoughts consumed with next week's deadlines? How many beautiful moments with friends have slipped by unnoticed while our minds rehearsing a future conversation or worrying about potential challenges that never materialize?

We trade the gift of now for the mirage of then—the sunset walks on the beach, the laughter around the dinner table, the quiet moments of connection—all sacrificed on the altar of tomorrow, worrying about problems or potential in an uncertain future.

Today: The Only Cash You Have

This moment—right now—is the only currency we can experience life fully. It's the only resource we can leverage. It's where all your power exists.

And yet it's where we invest the least time mentally.

Think about what this means practically:

• We can't love people in the past. We can only love them right now.
• We  can't solve tomorrow's problems today. We can certainly act now to mitigate risk but truly only address what's in front of you at the moment.
• We can't change yesterday's choices. We can only make better ones today.

Being present doesn't mean we forget the past or stop planning for the future. It means we recognize that the quality of our future and our ability to heal from our past both depend on how fully we show up right now.

The Practice of Presence

So how do we become more present? Here are some practices I've found helpful:

1. Notice the Unnoticed

Take a moment to look around you. What haven't you noticed before? The texture beneath your hands? The way light falls across the room? Presence begins with curiosity.

2. Feel Your Body

Your body is always in the present moment, even when your mind wanders. Take a deep breath. Feel your feet on the floor. This simple practice can instantly bring you back when your thoughts drift.

3. Ask Present-Focused Questions

• What is in this moment that I've never noticed before?
• Who's in front of me that needs my full attention?
• What choice can I make right now that honors what I value?

The Big Questions That Matter

As children, we ask the big questions: Why are we here? What does it all mean? As adults, we're often too busy to think about these things. But keeping life's brevity in front of us gives a powerful perspective.

When we remember that everything eventually goes to zero—that all our achievements and possessions will one day be gone—it helps us prioritize what truly matters.

Life is very short. Each moment just disappears instantly. If you're not there for it—if you're stressed, anxious, or thinking about something else—you've missed it forever.

The True Wealth of Presence

At Full Spectrum, we explore what it means to have wealth beyond money. And one of the richest forms of wealth is being fully awake to your own life—experiencing each moment as it happens, rather than missing it while our minds are elsewhere.

This doesn't mean we have to be perfect. We just need to keep coming back—again and again—to this moment. To what's right in front of us. To the people we're with. To the work we're doing. To the life we're living.

Because today is all the cash we have. Will we invest it wisely or will we spend it foolishly, letting it slip through our fingers?

When we  invest in being present, we discover something remarkable: ordinary moments become extraordinary. A simple conversation becomes a deep connection. A routine task becomes a meditation. A familiar face becomes a new discovery.

This is what it means to live life to the full—not by doing more or having more, but by experiencing more of what we already have.

PS. Last week we hosted a Full Spectrum Workshop with a number of founders and business leaders.  It was a rich and deeply insightful conversation — the kind of dialogue we love to have — exploring what it really means to create a truly fulfilling life. The good news? We recorded the session.  So if you want to catch the replay, just reply to this message with the word “WORKSHOP” and we will happily send your way..

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