Future

There is a wise proverb that states that "We cannot go back and make a new start, but we can start now to make a new ending."

Many of us live in the past. We let past mistakes limit how we view ourselves. We let past experiences and disappointments outline just what we can and cannot do.

The truth of the matter is that we cannot affect those. They are history for a reason.

Years ago, Tony Robbins was faced with a difficult decision.

He was failing in many areas of his life and, even though he had studied numerous success systems, he just did not believe that he could achieve anything in his life.

At this point, an old friend came round to see him and was shocked to see how Tony was living. He realized that Tony had great potential and was disappointed that Tony was not fulfilling it.

This meeting changed Tony's life because it was then that Tony decided that he would take control of his life.

Imagine you are walking down the road in New York City and see a homeless person on the street. There is a large chance that his or her thoughts are about mainly about the near future, maybe towards the next hour.

Imagine that you carry on walking and see a hot-dog stand. Chances are that the hot-dog stand attendant’s thoughts are mostly tending towards what will happen today.

Imagine then walking into a shop. The chances are that the salesman’s thoughts are largely focused towards this week.

Imagine then meeting the owner of the shop. Their thoughts will mainly be focused towards the next month or so.

The Danish Philosopher Soren Kirkergard once said that life is something that must be viewed backwards and lived forwards.

Many of us choose the opposite, we view life forwards and live life backwards.

By living backwards, we act today as we did yesterday and the day before, ensuring that we rarely grow and change.

By viewing life forwards, we forget to look back at the vast library of experience we have so far gathered and do not utilise our greatest teacher.

Many people live their lives in the past. They find their source of happiness in days gone by.

Others, however, live their lives in the future. They find their strength in what is to come.

To do this is to rob yourself of the only thing that you truly possess. This great possession is the moment that you are in at present.

Theodore Roosevelt gallantly advises us, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

The only place to live is in the present.

We live in the Information Age. We live in an age in which we know more today than we ever did before.

Throughout history, people have believed that the only thing that is needed is knowledge. The belief has always been that any problem can be resolved with more knowledge.

The truth, however, is that knowledge is not enough. It is merely potential power.

The true power comes when you know what to do and you actually do it.

In an age where knowledge surrounds us and is accessible at the click of a button, it is no longer the greatest commodity.

There are three types of people in this world.

The first type are past-dwellers. This group of people believe that their best days are behind them. They live for their memories.

The second type of people who live in the present. These people live for the moment and hence their actions and motivations are based entirely upon the present moment and how to maximise it.

The third type are future dwellers. These people are motivated by their ambitions. They know in their mind what their future is and are looking forward to making it real as soon as possible.

Since the Second World War, Japan has become one of the most modern hi-tech countries in the world.

However, what is more surprising is how Japan holds on to its strong heritage and its past.

One way that Japan does this is by rebuilding some of its temples every 20 years.

This process fully uses traditional skills and methods that were used when the temples were first constructed, with the simple objective of ensuring that those skills are passed down through generations.

In a globalised world where cultures and people are becoming more uniform, it is important that each culture retains its identity.

There is a Sanskrit poem that says:

"Each today, well-lived, makes yesterday a dream of happiness and each tomorrow a vision of hope. Look, therefore, to this one day, for it and it alone is life."

What can you do today to make it well-lived?

Most of us live in anticipation. We live in the belief that all of our prayers will be answered tomorrow.

When tomorrow comes, we will again say that our prayers will be answered the day after!

The best use of today is one from which both the past and the future will benefit.