Focus on the present and the future will take care of itself

How one conversation reminded me to focus on what matters most

It started with a phone call.

Three years ago, Unrealized Purpose was just a conversation between old friends. We hadn’t talked in over a year, but when we finally reconnected, minutes turned into an hour—chatting about books we were reading, authors we found interesting, and everything in between.

By the end of the call, I asked him, “What do you think about starting a podcast?”

To my surprise he said yes. That’s how it all began.

Our very first guest was Matt Jodouin—a Canadian mindset coach who helps men find clarity and balance in their lives. Something he said on that episode has stuck with me ever since:

“Do the best you can in the moment, and the rest will take care of itself.”

That hit me. It still does.

It reminds me of memento mori—the stoic idea that you could die at any moment, so live fully now. You don’t own the past, and the future isn’t guaranteed. The only thing you truly have is the present. So live it well.

Living with intention doesn’t mean abandoning your goals. It means anchoring each day in purpose. One intentional day leads to a week. That week builds into a month. Those months stack into years—and eventually, into a meaningful life.

It’s not a breakthrough idea. But it’s the kind of truth you return to again and again.

Start with today. Do the best you can. Let the rest take care of itself.