Thinking About the Future, Looking at the Past, and Fixing the Now

byJDenesovych

818 followers

2 weeks ago

You ever notice how our brains love to hang out everywhere except the present?

We think about the future a lot.
Where we want to be.
What kind of money we want to make.
What kind of life we want to live.

We also visit the past a lot.
Things we tried.
Courses we bought.
Projects we quit.
The “I should be further ahead by now” reel that plays in our head.

But when it comes to the now, the part that really decides where we end up, most of us only give it a passing glance.

This is what I have been sitting with lately:

My future results are being built by what I actually do in the next seven days, not what I wish I had done last year.

So I put together a simple three part check in that anyone inside WA can use. No fancy dashboards, no spreadsheets required. Just honesty.

You can think of it as:

Past: what I learned
Future: where I am aiming
Now: what I am actually doing this week

Step 1: Look at the past without beating yourself up

Before we plan anything, it helps to see the trail behind us.

Grab a sheet of paper, a notes app, or SiteContent. Answer a few questions about your affiliate journey so far.

• What have you actually finished inside WA so far?
  Training, lessons, Bootcamp phases, classes watched, content published.
• What did you start but never really complete?
  A niche that fizzled out, a half built site, a series of posts that stopped, an email list you never really used.
• Where did you see even a small win?
  A comment, a click, a tiny commission, a post that ranked, a blog that got good feedback here.

The point is not to judge it. The goal is to see it.

Your past is data, not a verdict.

Step 2: Define a future that is specific, not vague

“Make more money” is not a target.
“Be successful” is not a target.

Inside WA, we need futures that are clear enough to work toward.

Try questions like these:

• Twelve months from now, what would make you say “this was worth it”?
• How many posts or pages do you want live on your site?
• What kind of income would feel meaningful, even if it is not “quit your job” money yet?
• How many hours a week do you realistically want to give this?

Write it like you are talking to your future self.

For example:

“In November 2026, I have one main site with 120 solid posts, a small email list that I email once a week, and I am earning an extra 300 to 500 dollars a month that is growing slowly but steadily.”

You do not have to show this to anyone. It just needs to be honest.

Step 3: Fix the now by shrinking it to one week

This is where most of us get stuck.

We have a past full of attempts.
We have a future we daydream about.
But our weekly activity is built on “when I have time” and “I will try to”.

Let’s fix that.

Take the future you just wrote and ask:

What would a serious but realistic week look like if I was actually on my way there?

Inside WA, that might look like:

• publishing one new post
• improving one older post
• completing one or two lessons
• leaving a few meaningful comments
• working on one offer, page, or opt in

Now write it as a clear, seven day plan. Not a wish list.

Example:

• This week I will publish one 1500 to 2000 word post.
• I will update one older post with better headings and a clearer call to action.
• I will complete two lessons from the training I am in now.
• I will spend 15 minutes a day inside WA learning or connecting instead of scrolling random social feeds.

Nothing here requires “more motivation” or a perfect life situation. It just asks you to treat the present as a place to work, not a hallway between the past and the future.

How I am using this in my own journey

For me, a lot of this ties into my From 0 to 100K journey.

I have a very clear future in mind.
I have a very detailed past full of attempts, lessons, and “I would do that differently next time” moments.

The part that really matters is what I choose to do this week:

• Which article gets written.
• Which WA post gets published.
• Which ad gets tested.
• Which offer gets a clearer link or better explanation.

When I keep this simple three part lens in mind, I stop asking “Will this work?” and start asking “Did I do what I said I would do this week?”

Most people underestimate what one focused year can do, but they also overestimate what they can do “some day.”

Some day is built out of seven day blocks.

A simple challenge for anyone reading this

If you feel a bit scattered, behind, or unsure where to focus right now, try this:

1. Write three short paragraphs:
2. • One about your past here.
   • One about your future here.
   • One about this week.
2. Keep it private or share it in a WA blog if you want accountability.
3. At the end of the week, come back to the “now” paragraph and ask:
   “Did I live this, or did I just write it?”

You do not need a perfect plan to change your direction.
You just need one honest look at the past, one clear description of the future, and one simple week that actually lines up with both.

Question for you

When you think about your own affiliate journey:

• What is one thing from your past you want to learn from, not carry as guilt?
• What is one clear thing you want for your future?
• And what is one action you can commit to this week that moves you closer?

Share it in the comments if you are comfortable. Someone else here might need to see that they are not the only one rebuilding their “now.”