Idealisation of the future

Fleeting moments..

I told myself nearly a year ago that I’ll get my own blog up and running. I was pumped, wrote a post and it stopped there. This is me getting to what I promised myself I’ll do..Bear with me 😊.

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I read “Stillness Is the Key” by Ryan Holiday over a year ago and one of the theme’s of the book stuck with me - living in the present moment. Since then I’ve come across a lot of content online especially those who preach Stoicism and of meditation enthusiasts.

I can’t speak for everyone but I can speak for myself and those around me. As humans we tend to idealise the future and place a huge emphasis on the moment that “may come”. If there is a moment in the future that I desire, I subconsciously imagine myself in that moment and all the positive emotions I believe I’ll have. I’ve got an example below.

I haven’t been in London for 2 and half years as I’ve been in Sydney. In that time my sister got married and had a baby (Isaac). I had a trip planned a month ago and for the last month I’ve been anticipating spending time with her and Isaac. I imagined how it would feel having his little hands grip my finger, seeing him in the flesh for the first time and having a small baby human cuddling my shoulder. I experienced the moment I so yearned for and I was thrilled. Was it the exact way I pictured it ? No. My mind wandered, I thought of the past, I thought of what I’ll be doing tomorrow and what it’ll feel like to see my friends. Its always about the next thing..

I think one of the foundational principles to navigate through life is to live in the moment as much as you can.

• How would you breathe if you believed this was your last day on earth?

• How would you chew your favourite meal if you knew you’ll never eat again?

Our time is finite. We truly have no idea how long we have. Every moment fleets us. Time can feel slow when we’re in it but the next thing you know, you were celebrating New Years 9 months ago. Living in the moment allows you to absorb and feel a moment that you will never get back. A moment that could be your last. I aspire to practise what I preach. I aspire to feel as much as I can. When is the last time you felt the way the keys on your keyboard interacted with your fingers?

There is no idealised future (I don’t want to seem like I’m taking away from goal setting or building), there is a moment we may experience and that moment will be experienced by the way we have programmed ourselves to experience that moment. I think of a weekend trip I’m planning for February. I’m telling myself it may or may not come. I aim to enjoy it is as I enjoy every moment. I aim to not think of the past or future when living it. I aim to truly absorb it.

The future is only as good as we choose to react and feel to the future. The future is as good as what we do in the now for the future we aspire to have.

I hope you liked this post. Feel free to tweet me your feedback or if there’s anything else you would like to chat about. @hippiefounder