The Thing You Are Going To Do

~~~


It isn't so much the thing you've done
That should occupy your mind;
It is better far to look ahead
Than it is to look behind.
Let others praise your accomplished work,
If they will, but as for you,
It isn't so much the thing you've done
As the thing you are going to do.

When you've finished a task don't think it is time
To take an unlimited rest;
Just think of the work that is coming next
And how you you can do it best.
A finished job, if its been well done,
Is a pleasant thing to view,
But always the most important thing
Is the thing you are going to do.

So look ahead, and make your plans
For whatever may come to hand;
Then start with a will to do the job,
And do it as you have planned.
You've a right to be proud of the thing you have done,
If it's done well, it is true,
But the thing on which you should keep your mind
Is the thing you are going to do.


~ found in the book "God's Ideal Woman" by Clifford Lewis ~