Staying in the Moment While Planning for the Future
One of the greatest pieces of advice that I've ever received is to stay in the moment. We live in an extremely busy time. Everyone is always on the move, thinking about their next move, or actively planning a move, at all times. There is no rest, and because of that, it's easy to miss out on the everydayness of life (yes, I just made that word up, and I'm going to leave it there. It's cute.)
The trouble I have with this advice, though, is that staying in the moment can lead a busy bee like me to get stuck. I am the kind of person who is constantly working on something, and a lack thereof can make me feel like I'm in a rut. There is a fine line between being at peace and being complacent, and it can be hard not to fall into the latter.
The key is finding a balance between the present and the future.
I know, but how?
It's important to have goals, and to take steps everyday to achieve them. For example, if your goal is to save for a down payment on a house, then you have to be very conscious about your daily spending, because little purchases here and there can really add up. For an aspiring writer like me, the goal is to finish my first manuscript, so I have weekly word count goals that I set for myself (sometimes I break them up into daily writing, other times I cram it all into one mega writing session).
The point is to have a goal in mind and actively work towards it, but not get so caught up in the future that you envision for yourself that you miss out on your present.
80% of the fun in reaching a goal is the journey.
The people you meet, the lessons you learn, the challenges you overcome, they're all a major part of why the accomplishment itself feels so amazing! Don't take the journey for granted. It becomes a permanent part of your story and shapes the person that you will eventually become, but don't get so caught up in the moment that you disregard your future.
Balance is such an important part of life, yet it's so difficult to achieve. I'll leave you with a quote that helps me when I'm feeling like I'm failing both ends of the spectrum:
"Hold tightly to the dreams of your heart, but hold loosely to how they're going to come true"
The key is finding a balance between the present and the future.
I know, but how?
It's important to have goals, and to take steps everyday to achieve them. For example, if your goal is to save for a down payment on a house, then you have to be very conscious about your daily spending, because little purchases here and there can really add up. For an aspiring writer like me, the goal is to finish my first manuscript, so I have weekly word count goals that I set for myself (sometimes I break them up into daily writing, other times I cram it all into one mega writing session).
The point is to have a goal in mind and actively work towards it, but not get so caught up in the future that you envision for yourself that you miss out on your present.
80% of the fun in reaching a goal is the journey.
The people you meet, the lessons you learn, the challenges you overcome, they're all a major part of why the accomplishment itself feels so amazing! Don't take the journey for granted. It becomes a permanent part of your story and shapes the person that you will eventually become, but don't get so caught up in the moment that you disregard your future.
Balance is such an important part of life, yet it's so difficult to achieve. I'll leave you with a quote that helps me when I'm feeling like I'm failing both ends of the spectrum:
"Hold tightly to the dreams of your heart, but hold loosely to how they're going to come true"
Comments
Post a Comment