The result of predicting the future (IM 568)

We often spend days predicting how our actions will shape and impact our future, and most of the time we are wrong. Then we spend the rest of our days worrying about those actions and regretting that our predictions did not go our way.

There is an irony in trying to control the future by sitting in a small room, having conversations with peers, or overanalyzing simple thoughts. To me, this approach is just insane. We act as if we can dictate every outcome through pure mental exertion.

What if, instead of fretting and fuming, we simply did our best in the present? We should let the future take care of itself because, even if we plan for it, the future is going to take care of itself anyway.

Focusing on the current moment is the only way to build a foundation that lasts. When we direct our energy into the work right in front of us, we stop wasting our mental capacity on variables we cannot influence. The best way to manage what comes next is to execute with excellence right now.