Saturday 19 September 2009

Future Perfect

Our vision for the future might hold one of these two possibilities. We could be dreaming about some enjoyment that hopefully lies ahead, or worried about some looming hardship. Often the enjoyment in our lives is put on hold, we just need more time and money. We just have to work a little harder. Too many things can go wrong with this and we may not be able to do it later for various reasons. If we put off our enjoyment of life until later, it may take longer than we think, or it may never happen the way that we envisioned it.
We should not throw away our precious todays in anticipation of good times, not when we can have days of enjoyment and satisfaction now. Perhaps it's time for an examination of our style of life and our wants and needs, now and for the future. It is good to imagine a happy future and make plans for it but we should not put off the happiness we can have today. So why not live each day as if the future plans may not materialise.
"We are never living, but only hoping to live; and, looking forward always to being happy, it is inevitable that we never are so." - Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
Worrying over something that is going to happen will make our lives stressful and less happy. After examining an upcoming difficult or seemingly disastrous situation, if there is something that can be done to improve on it, do it. If not, and the event cannot or should not be avoided, then accept the fact and start thinking about something else. Worrying about it will not only be a total waste of time but it will increase anxiety, and things will seem even worse than they really are. "The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly." Buddha (BC)
I believe that we are the architects of our own future.You have the choice to choose your career, the country you live in, the friends you hang out with, how you go through life (half empty or half full), even the food you eat tonight and the music you listen to. I know that is not entirely true because there are people who do not have these choices, but in my opinion, as long as you have your health and your freedom, then you have all these choices available to you, even if it requires some time and work to get the means to be able to make the choice . Every choice you make right now has an impact on your future and the future of many others. Whether you want to accept this or not, it is true.
The thing with choices is that you will never know if a choice leads to success or failure until after the time. Even if the choice has the best chance of future success (like going to college to get a degree), success is not guaranteed. There is no sense in worrying about the outcome of a choice. Once you are able to accept this, then you are more free to make a choice and have the attitude of “I made this choice, and I am going to do everything as best as I can, and things will turn out the way they do”But…if you don’t know what you want, where your passions lie, then how can you make the right choices for yourself?
We all aspire to a happier life and certainly a happier future. To achieve this, we need to think positive, make choices and sometimes take risks.

9 comments:

Christina P said...

I agree that we shoudn't worry too much about the future. But I don't think we can plan our future like an architect who's planning a house or a building. The future is unknown. No one can predict it and no one can plan it. Only God.

Stefania said...

I tend to worry all the time about the future and I know this is wrong because it makes me feel a bit uptight. Sometimes, I worry about superficial things like the weather, my next holiday, what my garden will look like next spring and sometimes about more serious things like whether or not I will be able to put aside an x amount of money or my children's future.

Olga said...

I dont worry a lot about the future. Because no one know what will happen. I prefer to live in the present and enjoy the things I have now and if I worry I prefer to worry about present problems and try to find solutions. Also if I cant do something now, I hope I will do it in the future.

Katie said...

to me right now the future is black

Anonymous said...

Tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.

Constantinos said...

In the past, I used to feel a bit stressed out about the future developments of my choices. But I have recently learned to envisage the future in a positive way and that works. When you realy want to attain future goals, just stick to them, believe in them and they will materialize.

Lakis I said...

Up to a great extent we are the architects of our future depending on whether we make the right choices. But in order to plan a happy future, it is necessary sometimes to make sacrifices today and put off some of our enjoyment so that we can later enjoy a better quality of life.

Lisa A said...

The future is the result of what make it. I mean, if we only live for the pleasure of today, we must not expect great changes in life. Sometimes we have to make a sacrifice today so we live better days tomorrow.

sand dune said...

Hi Anastasia. Your blog brings to mind one of my favourite quotes:

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly."