Does that focus on the future automatically distance me from the present moment? Sometimes when I'm feeling stuck, as I have been for some time now, I immediately latch on to the next viable idea I come across. I concentrate on the future to relieve the discomfort of existing in the liminal space of transition, the space between identities, paths, partners, or jobs. At other times, however, this ability to see future possibilities has been healthy and positive, allowing me to reach major goals. Instinctively I know that in this case I should move toward the idea, because it feels so exciting just thinking about it, and because a lot of factors are aligning right now.
This continues to be an inquiry for me. In my observation, people who have a strength of presence tend to be less productive, i.e. have less "output" in the world, than those of us who are future focused. It feels like a direct trade-off, except for perhaps the Dalai Lama and Pema Chodron.
ReplyDeleteSo, for the rest of us, how do we balance wanting to manifest big visions with becoming more present to our current realities? My relationship to this conundrum has not shifted much since I wrote the original blog post 10 years ago. And I have seen my own output decrease significantly and in direct proportion to becoming more present. But perhaps it's more about quality vs. quantity, and being more present is creating greater output in quality even though the volume has decreased? I'll be curious to see how this seeming conflict between presence and manifesting visions unfolds over the next decade!