This Hack Will Let You Change The Future
A reflection on the power of mindfulness.
I recently came across an inspiring thought. The kind of thought that first seems as everyday practice, but as you begin to take it in, you realize just how much of a difference it could have on your life by just paying more attention to it.
“It is possible for us to touch the future in the present moment.”
In Thich Nhat Hanh’s “You are here,” he talks about the power of mindfulness, and how it can change our lives by developing a true presence; being here for yourself, the ones you love, and your surrounding society and environment. The book is filled with countless life lessons and should be mandatory reading for anyone who’s looking for a bit of a mind cleanse.
Everyday our minds are filled with thoughts and worries about the future — you try meditating for five minutes and you can hardly keep your mind from wandering off, constantly reminded with errands you need to run, text messages you forgot to reply to, and the fact that this is already taking too long. You get bored, you don’t give it a second chance, and for days on days your mind gets overloaded with information and stress. Life gets in the way, and you don’t get a chance to realize that when you have better control over your mind, you will have the power to influence your thoughts, and accordingly have a head that is clear and peaceful.
In reality, being mindful of the present allows you to seize control of the future. In a sense you’re eliminating the unpredictable and hopefully reducing the unknown (accepting the unknown is also discussed in the book). Planning is the most common example; you want to do something in the future, so you start planning for it today. Unfortunately, most of us will wait until the last minute to start planning and then we’re stressed out about planning itself, which really defies the whole purpose.
The quote mentioned above carries on like this:
“It is possible for us to touch the future in the present moment. The future is being made out of the present, so the best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present moment.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
Take this in for a moment. When you are mindful of the present, you can start making choices today that will impact the future. We, for some reason, choose to constantly run around chasing our own tails and somewhere within this roller coaster, forget to live. We don’t pause to think or appreciate the things around us, and then we wonder where all the time has gone.
Getting lost stressing out about life will get you nowhere. By grounding yourself in the present, without criticism or judgment, you begin to understand how “the future is being made out of the present” and that truly “the best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present moment.” You “touch the future” with the choices you make today.
So find a quiet place, focus on your breathing, and clear your mind. I too am new to this, but here’s to hoping that once we realize that our future is in our hands, we can begin to live a more peaceful present.
