“Be mindful of the future… but not at the expense of the moment.”

– Qui-Gon Jinn, a fictional character in the Star Wars saga

Image from ompuertoviejo.wordpress.com

I’ve noticed recently that many people get ahead of themselves, living far too often in the future. See if any of these scenarios apply to you:

You are constantly thinking about the upcoming weekend.
You find yourself frequently envisioning your next vacation.
You can’t wait to retire from your job—which may be many years away.
You often anticipate your next job or promotion, or the one after that.
You can’t wait to have that next new suit, car, or bigger home.

Although I am a big advocate of having goals that spur all of us on to achieve better futures, I see far too many people missing out on the daily activities that make their journey worthwhile.

EXERCISE:

How would being mindful of the present provide you more satisfaction in your personal and professional life, as you pursue your goals and visions for the future?

“Don’t stumble over something behind you.”

– Seneca, Roman Stoic philosopher

Where do you live? I don’t mean your country, city, or state. Ultimately, we all live in our thoughts, regardless of our physical location.

With this in mind, how often do your thoughts go to past events and experiences that were negative and upsetting? As humans, we have the ability to instantly travel back in time, to revisit and yes, stumble over these same events along with all their limiting feelings.

Exercise:

Imagine that you are born with a factory-installed time machine with three settings: past, present and future. How can you, through greater self-awareness and intentionality, limit your negative journeys backwards to maximize your experiencing of the present? Perhaps you could venture forward from time to time into the delightful possibilities of the future!

The Quotable Coach

Tag Archives: presence

“Be mindful of the future…”