And do you want to change it?
The future. If only we could look into a crystal ball and see what is coming to be better prepared for it. But is it true that we can’t see the future? There are ways to know how things will be based on the present.
The actions or inactions we take in the present will change the course of our future. It is a simple cause-and-effect equation. For instance, if I don’t work out and eat candy and potato chips every day, it is reasonable to assume that I won’t be winning any bodybuilding championships in the future.
Similarly, if I don’t take the time each day to feed my mind and well-being, it is safe also to assume that I will carry the stress I feel from one day to the next. Again, I’m not sure what you would think about this, but when I take stress into the next day, it chips away at my hope for the future.
It isn’t quite as dreary as dread, but it is close behind that feeling as if I am just not excited about the day ahead because it will be just like the last. You’ve probably heard the saying, “Same shit, different day.” We don’t have to live that way if we don’t want to.
How do we break the cycle?
The samurai likely had similar challenges in feeling optimistic about the future. After all, war could come to their front door at a moment’s notice. But I have found it interesting that many of them didn’t have a pessimistic view of the world.
They understood the importance of tanoshimi 楽しみ (pronounced tah-no-she-me), which could be thought of as a bright hope for the future. They practiced this concept through the many crafts they learned besides swordsmanship—art forms like poetry, calligraphy, bonsai, painting, and the tea ceremony.
By practicing these arts, they had something to look forward to the next day; the opportunity to get that poem to read just right or to practice the strokes of the kanji characters they did while engaging in calligraphy.
About two years ago, I shifted my thinking to be more thoughtful about my actions today to help me with the future. I started asking myself, ‘ What am I looking forward to?’
Having some anticipation for the future makes the current day’s tasks mean a little more. Am I doing activities to help me reach that future I look forward to? Or am I doing something that could jeopardize seeing that future come true?
This small change has had a significant impact on my mental well-being. It helps me break down some of the more significant daunting tasks into smaller bite-sized chunks to help me continually move toward the future I want. As a result, I am focusing more on what I want and less on what I don’t want. It seems like such a small thing to do, but it has an enormous impact.
The Anticipation
When I take the time to regularly ask myself questions about what I am looking forward to, I can also ask another critical question, ‘Am I anticipating any big changes in my life?’
Often big life changes bring a lot of stress and anxiety primarily due to the unknowns surrounding them. If I take the time to regularly think about the future and what I am doing today to realize that tomorrow, the significant changes don’t seem as scary.
Notice I didn’t say they aren’t scary but rather less scary. Big changes will always bring feelings and emotions you can’t fully prepare for. For example, moving across the country, getting married, having kids, and starting a new job are all significant changes people experience.
The more you can prepare mentally for these changes by doing things today to help you for those eventual events, the better off you will be in the long run. You will start thinking that each day is not like the last; it is simply another step in the direction that you want to go.
What types of things would I like to do more of?
If you could change one thing about yourself today, what would it be? What types of things are you not doing that you could do more of? It doesn’t have to be a colossal change unless you want it to be.
The more we can do the things we want to do that helps us start living the future we want, the more likely we are to experience that future. So don’t wait until tomorrow to start doing that one small thing; start today.
Be well, my friend, and if you’d like to pick up a copy of either of my books and learn more about the samurai culture, I have included the links below.
The War Within Us: https://amzn.to/3Kne8Qe
Always Improving: https://amzn.to/3OLjp60
I’ve been writing regularly for almost 2 years now. I have learned a lot and have improved my writing skills at least ten-fold. Some of that growth is a result of getting feedback from an editor on my first book. I’ve also gained insight from some of the comments that people leave. But one of the ways that I have been able to improve my writing is using Grammarly. It is a wonderful addition to my toolbox to help me write in the tone that I want to write in and gives me suggestions to improve the clarity of what I am trying to say. If you haven’t tried Grammarly before you can check it out by clicking on the banner or following this link: https://grammarly.go2cloud.org/aff_c?offer_id=182&aff_id=109198
Steve Beauchamp 