(Today I'm working on an important presentation, so obviously I'm writing long rambling posts)

One more passing thought:

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. - Buddha

Tying in with the Barbara Hall quote in my last entry, another major shift in my thinking over the past two years is not focusing so much on the future.

I've seen two ways that focusing on the future leads to bad decision making in my life: (1) I have made bad decisions, thinking that the forward-thinking decision making would justify the compromise in my present-thinking state. It didn't happen. (2) It gets me thinking that I can control the future. I can't. Humans are pathetic by nature - I can't control the future, and any type of thinking that leads there seems is futile. That's not to say act like a jackass and stop planning for the future - I believe that if you act in goodness, it will have positive future ramifications, although you won't know what they are.

When you make plans, understand they can and will be broken. None of us know which path we need to take for discovery and self-realization - there will be false starts and lots of circling around. But a focus on the present is what's important - take action today instead of constantly "planning" to do something about it.

The present is all that matters. Soak it in and enjoy it.