The Future

 I have been much busier this semester than I anticipated. I have been able to push myself to new levels that I did not think were possible, but I have also found some new lows that I have had to work through. One of the things that I have used to keep me going is the future. When I was a kid I used to look forward to ice cream or seeing my best friend on the weekends now however it is thinking about getting an MBA. I caught myself one late night while having a conversation with my girlfriend. She asked me if I had ever stopped to think about what you have accomplished so far. I paused. I didn't have a good answer for her. After the call that night, I was restless and got a bad night's sleep. It was the only topic that I thought about for the next few weeks. I realized that all I had done was keep moving the goalpost. In my quest to achieve everything I wanted, I saw that I had neglected to give myself any credit for everything that I had done. I have always looked forward to the future, but now I also look back and respect the past. I was in the office one weekend and I had a conversation with my boss. I asked him what his regrets were and he said that he had taken more time to stand around and smell the roses. He continued to say that he wished that he had enjoyed the moment more and taken in the sights. This struck me at more of my core than I was ready for. I am only 22 and have a long road of work ahead of me, but I will try my best to remember his advice. I need to be more careful and be aware of all the exciting things around me and enjoy them. Life has felt like it has taken a long time so far, but everyone that I talk to says that it flies by more and more as one age. In my first post, I talked about how I look forward to seeing the squirrel as I walk to class in the morning, I need to do that more. I have been trying to be more present in my life and the effects have surprised me. It has made some of the more “mundane” things in life have a much happier feeling. Eventually, life will end, but until then I will think of the future but not let it own the present.

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