And so too, we must gaze off into the hills to decide which one we want to climb, eyes firmly fixed on the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.\u201d \u2015 <\/em>Seneca, On the Shortness of Life<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While there are clearly downfalls of each approach to time, our cognitive functions have evolved over the millennia to provide us with a huge degree of insight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, each perspective can be extremely useful in specific situations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each and how to best harness our perception of time to become well-adjusted, effective little humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re more of a reflector, you can use this view of the past to inform your current situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As humans, we\u2019re nothing if not pattern producers, living out the same cycles of purgatory ad infinitum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When reviewing the past, such lines in the sand are easily observable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By reflecting on our past, we can improve our decision making<\/a> in the present. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Like the Hollywood cliche of a protagonist realising she\u2019s always fallen for bad boys, we can choose another match for better results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As Albert Einstein (might have) said,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n By recounting our past, we become aware of what we must change in the present to improve our lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps this is why journaling has been shown to improve health and wellbeing… <\/p>\n\n\n\n Documenting previous events provides a more accurate, impartial and unbiased history, serving as a template of what needs to be changed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the benefits of reflection, spending too much time in the past may be ill-informed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While it can benefit current decision-making<\/a>, accounting for the actions that led to specific results, it\u2019s too easy to become mired in an endless feedback loop, second-guessing alternate courses of action and endlessly re-enacting situations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve all been in arguments, where later we\u2019re still thinking about what we should<\/em> have said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While past behaviour can act as a signpost, the cons of this mindset can outweigh the pros. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By remaining in the past, it becomes easy to play the victim, blaming our current predicaments on prior events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve been treated badly or endured a troubled childhood, pinning your current circumstances on the past can make it hard to initiate the positive action needed to change the present. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this way, looking back must be let go, cut loose, if we’re to take control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In such situations, it\u2019s vital to recognise two things…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Firstly, by trawling the past, we disempower ourselves, losing control. When blaming our upbringing for where we are today, the power needed for behaviour change is gifted to shadows from the past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s easy to let this happen because it\u2019s the comfortable option. Changing ourselves is hard, while blaming the world is easy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Secondly, the past only exists within our heads. It\u2019s a fantasy created by a rickety memory, blank spots and cracks conveniently covered by a self-serving story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We invest huge capital in invented fictions, squandering our energy on fantasies which never provide a good return on investment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The present moment is the only moment we truly have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every second that ticks by is recognised for an instant before it too slips, unrecoverable, into the void of the past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By investing more in the present, we know we\u2019re on firmer ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While there are many dangers of living life in the present, there’s another, far healthier way of indulging in the present, and that\u2019s through mindful awareness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The present moment, after all, is where life ultimately unfolds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Presence provides a direct link to reality, a hardwired route to unfiltered experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you ascribe to Buddhist philosophy, you\u2019ll know that directing attention in this way is the first step on the path to enlightenment, or at least psychic liberation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Living in the moment counteracts the lure of our thoughts, providing profound realisations in mind and consciousness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Such insight brings peace. We become more responsive to the moment, adaptable to the situation and enjoyable to be around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People who are overly invested in the present tend to do what feels good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For humans, with their evolutionary impulse to save energy for survival, this normally results in the path of least resistance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s to say indulgement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you realise that all the yesterdays are no more and all the tomorrows are unknown, it can encourage present behaviour which values pleasure over progress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After all, if you\u2019re not even sure you\u2019ll be around next year, why not maximise your enjoyment of life now? <\/p>\n\n\n\n On the surface, it seems like a reasonable argument, but with disastrous consequences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The reality is that our longevity is unknown, and those juicy burgers that feel so pleasurable in the present may return to cause us a great deal of future pain when we look in the mirror. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Such tiny daily actions<\/a> are often extremely slow to take effect. Eating an unhealthy lunch today likely won\u2019t kill us, but compound a poor diet of many months and years and the result is unavoidable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Having a micro concept of the present doesn\u2019t allow us to account for the consequences of our actions, enabling a nihilistic mindset. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Such is the tendency to frequently defer pain to our future selves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is also a vital space to inhabit in order to plan our lives. After all, big goals require significant investment, and it\u2019s only by gazing at the map that we can plot our path backwards and determine our actions today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While it\u2019s not always necessary to have absolute goals, a direction of preference is advised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Such forecasting needn\u2019t be complicated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We evolved into prediction machines, after all, protecting ourselves from the myriad of survival threats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A perfect picture of the future isn\u2019t necessary, rather one that guides our current behaviour in positive ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s vital to play the long game here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Research suggests that those who tend to be more future-orientated are more successful in terms of wealth, health and relationships because they\u2019re willing to invest in these areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You see, in any positive change, there\u2019s a significant time lag<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What we work on today might not bear fruit for years to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In a world that’s been sold six-minute abs and get rich quick schemes, it\u2019s the people who persist that prosper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, when making decisions, it pays to weight future results over present gain. <\/p>\n\n\n\nPerceptions of time<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Mental time travel deconstructed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Reflector benefits<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Reflector problems<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Indulger benefits<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Indulger problems<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Gazer benefits<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"timetabling](\"https:\/\/bloomsoup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/timetable.jpg\")
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