How To Strive For The Future While Enjoying The Present
It's a bit daunting to write a single blog post that combines two topics which both could fill entire libraries. Striving for the future is synonymous with purpose and meaning. Plenty has been written about that. Meanwhile, enjoying the present is looked at as the cliché, but true way to live the good life.
In this post, I won't go deep into either topic. Instead, I'll talk about how it's possible to do both. You see, most people view striving for the future and enjoying the present as mutually exclusive.
I can either buckle down and grind my teeth while I work towards a future goal, or I can stop, smell the roses, and just enjoy where I'm at. Right?
Wrong.
In fact, that's not at all how it has to be. I'm here to tell you can absolutely have your cake and eat it too when it comes to striving for a better future and enjoying the present moment.
Somewhere along the lines, perhaps due to the overcrowded sea of influencer voices, the popular opinion has become, "work your ass off for X number of years, and one day it'll pay off." This is dangerous messaging. If you're a regular reader of this blog, I'm sure you can guess why.
The reason it's dangerous is because it uses the present moment - which is the only moment we ever have - as a stepping stone for the future. This is problematic because life doesn't happen in the future. It can only ever happen in the present. That's how it's always been, and that's how it'll always be.
I encourage you to stop and think about that for a second. It's not something to take lightly.
To use the present moment as an ends to a means is to completely miss life. Period. This is why people have midlife crises. This is why elderly people regret not doing more when they were younger. This is why we can all look back on certain years of our lives and wonder what we even accomplished.
This is because we've been using the present moment as a stepping stone for the future, while completely forgetting that it was all we ever had.
You see, it's completely possible to be fully grounded, fully present in the now, while you work towards specific goals.
In fact, not only is is possible, but you're more likely to achieve whatever goal you set out for since your concentration in the present moment will be fuller. The more present you are now while working towards your future, the less distracted you'll be, ultimately moving you along quicker towards your goals.
It's a win-win to be grounded in the present, while working towards future goals. You enjoy more now, and you'll likely get farther in the future.
So how do we do both?
Most people are familiar with achieving things. This is a science that's well documented all over. Set your target, do some research, and surely you'll find a blueprint from someone who's done it.
When it comes to presence and enjoying the process, that's where your work really comes in. While there are many ways to practice presence, one I'm fond of is practicing non-resistance.
With non-resistance, whatever's happening right now, you can ask:
What is my relationship to it?
Am I resisting it?