(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.

Posted by roy on February 7, 2010 at 04:11 PM in Personal | 5 Comments

Related Entries

Comment posted on February 7th, 2010 at 11:09 PM
i definitely have that future-thinking problem. I start to focus so much on the future I kind of forget the present and that in turn kind of jeopardizes my opportunities. There's no point in dwelling in the past because you can't change it, I think it's important to plan and yet focus on the future so that you act in accordance to that plan to attain that future you desire. Certainly it sounds easier said then actually done :/
Comment posted on February 7th, 2010 at 11:10 PM
i meant focus on the present* so that you can act in accordance to your future plan* oh geez :/ can't type haha
Comment posted on February 7th, 2010 at 10:39 PM
holy crap sir, i'm working on a short story that deals with that exact issue! Anyway, that Buddha guy is pretty smart, I like him a lot. Jesus is pretty good too.
Comment posted on February 8th, 2010 at 09:00 AM
actually, Yoda coined it first a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away.
Comment posted on February 7th, 2010 at 05:04 PM
I agree!

Want to comment with Tabulas?. Please login.