Your Future is Under Construction

Each time I have a leisure trip planned, the excitement and anticipation builds the closer it comes. I start thinking about what I’m going to pack, looking at the weather forecast, and making other necessary arrangements in order to assure myself that everything is in order. I’m sure I’m not the only person like that. Generally, when we have something positive we are looking toward, that’s the way we feel. We’re excited! We can’t wait and can’t stop ourselves from looking at the calendar or at the clock, filled with anxious anticipation. That’s because we know what the goal is, especially if it’s a trip. The goal is to have fun! In other areas, it’s the same. We know what the expected end result is. To start that new job or get the keys to that new house. In such a case, it’s easy to allow anticipation to take over.

The goal is to have fun!

For those moments when the future is a little less clear, the anxiousness we feel isn’t necessarily associated with anticipation. Instead, it’s worry, fear, doubt, uncertainty, or maybe even a tinge of insecurity. Those are feelings that are hard to shake when you feel like you are held in suspense. Moments like this seem to only abate when the result becomes known. Either you discover you worried over nothing or it’s like worst fears realized.

Focusing on a positive outcome seems the most challenging when the outlook is hazy. When I was in school, I had no qualms about bubbling over with glee when I knew I aced the test. I mean, if it was an open book quiz, how could it go wrong? It was those moments when I wasn’t as sure. It took me longer to take the exam and I anxiously waited, envisioning worst grades possible, while waiting for the results. As they say, hindsight is 20/20, so I often wonder how different those moments would have been if I had focused my thoughts on “what if it goes right?” instead of all the ways it would go wrong. That was the problem. Where was my focus? Another saying is that we can’t see the forest for the trees and, for sure, I failed to envision a single positive when I was so focused on the negative. 

Have I mentioned my once love? Scary Movies. I’m sure I have and it’s because I’ve learned some valuable lessons from them. With the inevitable chase scene, there comes a character who looks behind them while they are running. This momentary shift in their focus almost always proves to be a tactical error as it  leads to, what? You guessed. A fall. It’s like when we are driving and for a split second we shift our focus and the car starts to drift. Such moments reveal why our focus is important.

Such moments reveal why our focus is important.

More than that, it matters what we focus on. In both those scenarios, not focusing on what was ahead led to further issues. Truth is, something we all have to come to terms with is that our past is something that we lack the ability to change. It truly is something we can consider out of our control. Whatever we said and whatever we did is done. Granted, we can take strides, with our future selves, to correct some not so good choices, but we can’t change the ones we made. With that in mind, it becomes increasingly important for a positivity mindset to learn to shift our focus. The term “forward thinking” comes to mind. In my line of work, this generally means thinking about the future and what choices we make in the present to get us there. Our spiritual journey is not that different.  We can’t let all the distractions around us send us a downward spiral. Many verses point to the necessity of keeping our thoughts positive. That’s where our peace lies. In so doing, we are able to tune out the distractions attempting to hijack our attention and keep our eyes fixed on God. What we do today lays the roadmap for our future. Rather than spend it consumed by past time, allow the anxious anticipation of knowing that God will come through to build up and propel you forward.

Stay Sunny!

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