Being present while planning for the future is like tending a garden: you care for the plants that are growing now, but you also plant seeds for the next season. You are free to embrace what’s right here while also planting seeds for tomorrow. You can tend to today’s growth while nurturing tomorrow’s potential.
It is possible to be engaged where you are, while looking ahead, too. Both looking ahead and being right here hold value. You are allowed to move through being present to the moment and making plans––there’s room for both, and it’s okay if this looks different in different areas or stages of life.
Let this be a moment in your life where you decide to clarify and define what it means to be fully engaged in the present moment, at this point in your life. Start to explore what’s meaningful right here, without pressuring yourself to figure out what it’s all tied to. Because as you learn to practice gratitude right here, this is a way you’re learning to connect more deeply in a way that prepares you for what’s to come.
Consider the different aspects of your life where you have found yourself trying to be present while also thinking about the future. Ask yourself this question: “What small things am I doing right now that may contribute something more beyond what is easily noticeable?” Let this question be your first step in exploring the value of both being present and looking ahead. Reflect on how, even in the moments where you are just moving through the day, this is still a space where you can practice gratitude for all that you are learning and gathering here, and it’s okay to think about how that can continue to grow in the future, too.
You’re allowed to define what presence looks like for this stage of life.
Being present doesn’t have to mean stopping everything to “be in the moment.” It can mean staying engaged with what matters to you right now, even if that includes thinking ahead. – Morgan Harper Nichols
