Planning vs Present Moment

[Ayla]

Well into my own self actualization journey, I have been put in front of a dilemma, and a pretty structural one at that: how to live my life in the new context?

I have been taught to plan my life, to make routines, to invest in my future, etc. But from my  own experience, I noticed that life can only be lived in the present moment. Being guided into what is the next step. It has been difficult to switch this paradigm and to fully remain present to what is, simply because of the deep programming . 

What is your experience with this?

[JeffR1]

Hi Ayla. My experience of present moment thinking is that you still plan for the future and remember things from the past, it's just that you don't get hooked in by those thoughts (the monkey mind).

Like you, I plan my life, establish routines and invest in my future; being in this physical world, one has to do certain things (work, pay bills etc) and this will involve planning for the future. 

As your photo of the steps suggests, you can't control the outcome of anything, so trusting (being present) is all you can do. If your plans don't work out the way you hoped, so be it.

To me, present moment thinking is accepting everything as it is in this exact moment and not trying to control how things will turn out. Letting go of thoughts of control, worrying about the future or trying to influence outcomes takes you away from the pleasure of just Being!

PS: You may have heard this: 'Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Live today as a gift of God, which is why we call it the present!' Bill Keane

[Ayla]

I actually USED TO plan, have routines, etc. 

Not any longer. 

I do have the privilege of being my own boss, which helps. That can change, or not...

What I've noticed is that when we have no plans, the flow of Grace how i like to call it, comes with something even better, even more inline with my personal evolution. It is not always comfortable for the Ego still lurking, but it brings the light of consciousness upon the exact spot I still need to work on in order to remove the said Ego 

I also must add that everything that is "good" for me comes in naturally, through the same flow: meditation, eating, sleeping, go into nature, etc... No forcing and no planning is there. It just arrives and I just follow. 

 

[AnonJohn]

Jeff, I love that response. Here's a few extra upvotes. However, I want to hear more about this "you can't control the outcome of anything," claim. I don't understand. When a moment presents itself, we can take action to influence that moment, therefore we obviously have some control. Care to elaborate?

[JeffR1]

Thanks for like and extra upvotes AnonJohn; much appreciated. Mmmm, where to start? What can I use as an example? I used to believe in the concept that the only thing I could control is my current thought. Now, Leo and others are saying I cannot even control my thoughts. This then brings up the question of 'who am I?'.

Okay, let me go out on a limb here. Let's say I'm a test cricketer, facing an incoming fast paced ball. I line it up and in my mind I say 'I'm going to hit this for a six!'. Just as the ball hits the grass, it slices off slightly. I quickly account for the new trajectory, lean in slam the ball with the sweet spot of the bat. The ball flies off high and I start running (confident I've hit a six). As I'm running and the ball is speedily heading into the stands when a seagull swoops down and gets hit by the ball. The seagull is wounded (but recovers), but the ball falls to the ground and I score just one run!

I was confident I was going to hit a six; I mean, I even compensated for the new trajectory, but alas, all I scored was a single run. I thought I could control the outcome, or maybe even influence it, but in reality, I couldn't control anything.

Long bow? Perhaps? But, I've actually seen footage of a MotoGP motorcycle racer racing towards the finish line around a bend at 300kph and that's exactly what happened - a seagull flew in at him and he head-butted it!

So, what control do I (and what is the 'I' really?) have? None. This, for me, has been a release in so many ways. If I can't control outcomes, I can either accept or resist. Acceptance is easier, less stressful and leaves me more open to receive all the present moment has to offer. I can let go of outcomes I expect or want. If I resist, I struggle and life is a more difficult experience. I remember a saying 'what you resist, persists'!

In short, accepting I have no control, releases me to just Be!

 

[AnonJohn]

Okay, I understand. Goals are really just attempts to influence the moment, but they may or may not succeed. Sometimes we feel like we have control of the moment, but we really do not. Thanks Jeff!

[Karmack]

Nice response JeffR1, I liked that. It was interesting.

[Emil]

9 hours ago, JeffR1 said:

Hi Ayla. My experience of present moment thinking is that you still plan for the future and remember things from the past, it's just that you don't get hooked in by those thoughts (the monkey mind).

Like you, I plan my life, establish routines and invest in my future; being in this physical world, one has to do certain things (work, pay bills etc) and this will involve planning for the future. 

As your photo of the steps suggests, you can't control the outcome of anything, so trusting (being present) is all you can do. If your plans don't work out the way you hoped, so be it.

To me, present moment thinking is accepting everything as it is in this exact moment and not trying to control how things will turn out. Letting go of thoughts of control, worrying about the future or trying to influence outcomes takes you away from the pleasure of just Being!

PS: You may have heard this: 'Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Live today as a gift of God, which is why we call it the present!' Bill Keane

This is a great break down Jeff, I really appreciate this. I didn't understand the topic when Leo discussed it at such a profound level until you broke it down like this with the examples.

[twosees]

@AnonJohn that lightbulb revelation doe!  

2 hours ago, AnonJohn said:

Okay, I understand. Goals are really just attempts to influence the moment, but they may or may not succeed. Sometimes we feel like we have control of the moment, but we really do not. Thanks Jeff!

@JeffR1

[twosees]

Now I can detach from the plans?  won't worry as much when they don't work. Just accept and tweak.

[FindingPeace]

The example above is a good one. I have a slightly different take on the control / free-will concept.

The thing that has bothered me for years is this business of 'probability' and statistics. We like to think we have control within a fairly 'predictable' envelope of probability. However I came to a realisation recently. There is only ever one outcome from an event - that's the outcome that happens. And nothing can change that. We think that chance plays a part. That things are 'uncertain' or even certain.

If I flick a coin you think that there is a 50/50 chance of a heads or tails. There isn't. There's a 100% chance of the one outcome that it will be. The outcome that occurs is the only one that was ever going to occur. And if we had a complex enough simulation we could predict it.

There is no chance, no probablity. In fact everything that happens is certain. Everything that happens could be predicted if we had a simulation complex enough to do so. Every decision you make, thought you have, action you choose. Nothing is random, or chance, or choice. It just seems that way. Everything is an effect of a preceeding cause. Or, every cause has a cascade of effects. Reality is just a chain-reaction of cause-and-effects. It is only to our brains, our minds that it all appears to be chaotic, or even predicable or controllable.

We are all on a linear path through life. Everything we 'choose' and every action is and was always going to be. From the moment you were born, this moment in time right now, reading this, and everything that led to this point, was always going to 'be'. And everything from hereon will also be what it will be and can be no other way. We just can't see it yet. It always makes me laugh when I hear people or catch myself thinking "what if I had done something differently?" - but I can't. It went the way it went. It was always going to go that way, because it did. There is no "but I could have made a different choice" - you didn't, you made the 'choice' you made. End of. And the future will play out in the same way.

We're on a ride. It seems as if we're driving, but ultimately we're not. We're just responding to cause-and-effect from one moment to the next. We're caught up in a chain-reaction that started when reality started and will end only when reality ends.

Food for thought...

[Yang Noctus]

I simply believe control is an illusion, control is something like living in the Matrix, So you can be in control of your life, but therefore you're using an illusion to manage illusions. In my opinion control is a tool of the ego to maintain a state of security, because (most of us) humans, have a hard timing living in uncertainty, but once we let go of control and become okay with uncertainty, we are free. Letting the flow of life take us wherever we need to go, ofcourse we can still steer a bit, but we won't paddle up against the current (resistance). Once you are ready to surrender, you will experience true freedom.

Carpe diem & Carpe noctem

Mathieu

[Empty]

On 7/2/2016 at 6:09 AM, Ayla said:

Well into my own self actualization journey, I have been put in front of a dilemma, and a pretty structural one at that: how to live my life in the new context?

I have been taught to plan my life, to make routines, to invest in my future, etc. But from my  own experience, I noticed that life can only be lived in the present moment. Being guided into what is the next step. It has been difficult to switch this paradigm and to fully remain present to what is, simply because of the deep programming . 

What is your experience with this?

Hi Alya. greetings from Morocco. 

I have just finished reading as well as summuring the boosk "Mind Power" by John Kehoe. There is  a chapter on it called contemplation and concentration where the author is advicing on being both concentrated on the moment and not forgetting to plan ahead. To give you a clear example, you can concentrate and  be at the money during the day ( when you are at work, home, working out, with people..ect). Contemplation, on the other hand, is best done before sleeping. It is good to live in the moment and plan at the same time, I think. 

[GeorgeLawson]

"Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most." - Buddha

Edited February 12, 2016 by GeorgeLawson