‘Now’ is your friend. It’s one of your most powerful allies, in fact.
‘Then’, meaning, some other time in the future or past that’s not ‘Now’, is more often your enemy than not.
Of course, it’s good to make a plan, be prepared, and consider possible obstacles and dangers which might come to pass.
But the reality is that none, or, very few, of those things are certain to happen.
And they are certainly not happening Now.
And, Now is the only time during which you can actually do something about it, during which you have any measure of control over what might happen Then (or Now).
You cannot actually do something about it Then.
You can only do something about it Now.
And so, when you’re faced with a stressful conversation, event, or other situation, before you jump into Then, and start worrying, speaking, or acting as if Then were already here, give yourself a moment to breathe back to Now, to be here Now, and act Now.
Right Now, you can change everything.
Matt Fried 