Will it matter 10 years from now?

Living in the here and now is natural. We wake up, go to work, get stuff done that we’re supposed to do today, come home, eat dinner, maybe watch some TV, go to bed and get up and start all over again. We worry about today, because there’s a lot to worry about just with today.

But, what if we made an effort every day to do something that would matter 10 years from now? It doesn’t have to be huge, but something that matters. For example, watching a semi-rerun of the Office last night, will not matter in 10 years, but praying with my wife will. Working out for 30 minutes can have a huge affect in 1o years. (skipping the workout will too!)

One of my favorite authors and thought leaders is Malcolm Gladwell. I reread The Tipping Point the other day and it got me thinking about this idea. He explains that the dramatic drop off in crime in New York in the 90′s had more to do with the Broken Window’s theory than anything else. Bascially, the Broken Window’s theory says that when small crimes like graffiti, breaking windows, littering, and panhandling are ingnored, it creates an enviroment where worse crimes are allowed. When the police started cracking down on the petty crimes, the hardcore crimes dropped as well.

Part of Gladwell’s point is that small changes can have huge impact in the long run.  Stopping graffiti can lower murder rates. Fixing broken windows can lower drug sales. Small changes have huge impact. So, what if we started doing small things now that in 10 years would have huge impact? Like praying more with our spouse or kids, working out, eating more healthy, reading a book a month, cutting off the TV, volunteering a few more hours, or getting to really know our neighbors.

What is something you can do today that will matter in 10 years?