It’s so easy for bosses, employees, parents, children, professionals, students, and people in general to get caught up in the here and now and lose perspective. How often have you taken a step back and found that you’ve drifted off course over a period of time in some area of life? Because individuals make this mistake, the same thing happens to entire organizations. Over time, the ship just starts to veer ever so slightly off course, and the lessons learned in the past are forgotten as mistakes are repeated in the future across the entity. 

One effective antidote for drift is a combination of perspective and accountability. Perspective is a key ingredient to keeping things in a healthy place. Take a simple example of exercising. While the average person does not enjoy getting up earlier than would otherwise be necessary to get a workout in, the return is well worth the investment when viewed with proper perspective. But when a long-term viewpoint of health is lost, it becomes much easier to make a short-term decision, like staying under warm covers to sleep in. Perspective shifts the focus to the proper place, and it allows wise decisions to be made.

In addition to perspective, accountability is necessary to ensure that actions align with priorities. Healthy accountability brings the extra punch needed to turn desire and intention into consistent action. In our current culture, accountability can often be viewed negatively. But healthy accountability definitely makes things better and can help turn bad, or even good, areas into GREAT ones. 

Speaking to the Future You

A great tool to aid in maintaining both perspective and personal accountability are FutureMe emails. The thought here is simple: Write a letter to yourself and send it now and then receive it later. Since 2022 I have sent and received messages 1-2 times a week that will specifically remind me to:

1. Be the kind of husband that I want to be by asking “What will your wife think/say about you at your funeral?”. 
2. Be the kind of father that I want to be by reminding me that “Your time with your sons will run out. Use it wisely”.

In addition to the FutureMe tool, I have found it equally as effective to simply schedule send and snooze email reminders in similar fashion. Right now I have one email reminder for each day of the week. These range from “Don’t take anything personally” to “You currently do not have cancer. Be grateful to God and LIVE!”. In the midst of busy days, I’ll see one of these reminders and this alone will cause me to slow down, course correct, and shift my actions and outlook.

In Closing

These simple types of daily reminders provide the perspective and accountability needed to prevent drift and to help a person live more closely aligned with their values and priorities over time. Try this out and see what the outcome can be in your life!