What's Important Now (WIN)
Focus only on the present moment. The future takes care of itself.
What's Important Now (WIN) is a present-moment focus practice that prevents the mind from dissipating energy on past regrets or future anxieties. McKeown draws from Larry Gelwix, who coached the Highland High School rugby team to 418 wins with only 10 losses over 36 years by asking his players one question continuously: 'What's Important Now?'
The framework operates on two levels. First, it keeps execution focused on the current play rather than rehashing the last mistake or worrying about the final score. Second, it keeps strategy focused on your own game rather than your opponent's game, preventing the distraction and imitation that comes from external comparison.
McKeown connects this to the ancient Greek concept of kairos (the qualitative experience of the right moment) versus chronos (the quantitative measurement of time). Living in kairos means being fully present and engaged in what matters right now, rather than fragmenting attention across past and future. The practical application is to ask 'What is important now?' repeatedly throughout the day, using it as a mindfulness trigger that reconnects you to the essential task in front of you.
- Asking what is important right now is a mindfulness trigger that repeatedly reconnects you to the essential task amid competing distractions.
- Focusing on your own game rather than your opponent's prevents the imitation and reactive strategy that erodes competitive identity.
- Past regrets and future anxieties both consume energy that belongs to the present action.
- Full presence in the current play is not a soft skill but a performance multiplier that compounds across an entire game or project.
- Pause and Ask the QuestionMultiple times throughout the day, stop and ask yourself: 'What is important now?' This interrupts autopilot mode and the tendency to drift toward whatever feels urgent or whatever you are anxious about. Let the question ground you in the present moment.
- Release the Past and FutureWhen you notice your mind replaying a past mistake or rehearsing a future worry, acknowledge it and return to the present question. You cannot change the past play. You cannot execute the future play. You can only do what matters right now.
- Focus on Your Game, Not TheirsWhen you notice yourself comparing to others, imitating competitors, or reacting to external pressures, use the WIN question to refocus on your own essential priorities. Playing your opponent's game divides your focus and undermines your strategy.
- Make WIN a Continuous PracticeDo not treat this as a one-time exercise. The question works through repetition. Like Gelwix's rugby players who applied it constantly throughout every game, make 'What is important now?' your default response to distraction, anxiety, or overwhelm.
Coach Larry Gelwix used the question 'What's Important Now?' as the core philosophy for Highland High School rugby. Players were trained to apply it constantly: during every play, during practice, during moments of pressure. They focused only on the current play and their own game, never on the opponent's strategy.
What's Important Now (WIN) is a present-moment focus practice that prevents the mind from dissipating energy on past regrets or future anxieties. McKeown draws from Larry Gelwix, who coached the Highland High School rugby team to 418 wins with only 10 losses over 36 years by asking his players one question continuously: 'What's Important Now?'
The framework operates on two levels. First, it keeps execution focused on the current play rather than rehashing the last mistake or worrying about the