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I’m looking for a word or phrase for someone who does not think about things far into the future. They may only see what is possible in the immediate future, say a year or so, but they do not consider what could happen in 5 or 10 years.
asked Jun 24, 2015 at 2:44
7
A short-sighted person would be a person who does not see far into the future.
answered Jun 24, 2015 at 2:56
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I think parochial is a possible word substitute.
parochial
pəˈrəʊkɪəl/
adjective
Having a limited or narrow outlook or scope.
«parochial attitudes»
(Ref)
answered Jun 24, 2015 at 2:58
Short-sighted is probably the best answer, but if you want something more formal, perhaps «improvident»: not having or showing foresight; spendthrift or thoughtless.
answered Jun 24, 2015 at 2:58
1
Does thinking about the future, it will change the future? No, it does not change the future but increases your stress. If you want to do something for your future, then you must improve your present. Find here the best motivational quotes about future thinking that will help you to not think too much about the future and focus on your today.
Future thinking quotes to avoid thoughts for future
Read the below inspiring future-thinking quotes to avoid the thoughts of the future.
1. “The future depends on what you do today.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
2. “Stop longing. You poison today’s ease, reaching always for tomorrow.” ― Robin Hobb
3. “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt
4. “Whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, it is the only time we have.” ― Art Buchwald
5. “You have a future only when you have no present, and when you have a present, you forget to even think about the future.” ― Robert Walser
6. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift… that’s why they call it present.” ― Master Oogway
7. “The future starts today, not tomorrow.” ― Pope John Paul II
8. “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” ― Mother Teresa
9. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.” ― Bill Keane
10. “We may be living past and future lives at the same time we are living this one.” ― Doug Dillon
Motivational Quotes about future thinking
11. “If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present.” ― Roy T. Bennett
12. “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” ― Corrie Ten Boom
13. “No amount of regretting can change the past, and no amount of worrying can change the future.” ― Roy T. Bennett
14. “Don’t lose today by worrying about tomorrow!!!” ― John F. Herbert
Final Words: I hope you liked the above Bright Future Quotes to avoid overthinking of the future. Don’t forget to mention the best line that you liked most from the above lines in the comment box below.
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Quotes source: Goodreads
Enjoy reading and share 84 famous quotes about Not Thinking About The Future with everyone.
But if you think about a practical implication of enriching your life and giving you a sense of being part of a larger cosmos and possibly being able to use this [gravitational waves] as a tool in the future maybe to listen not just to black holes colliding, but maybe listen to the big bang itself, those kind of applications may happen in the not too distant future. — Brian Greene
I stopped thinking about it after trying to figure out what are the lessons learned, and there are so many. After I had basically sorted that out, I figured it’s time to really look at the future and not at the past. — Kalpana Chawla
I also came to see that I should not worry about tomorrow, next week, next year, or next century. The more willing I was to look honestly at what I was thinking and saying and doing now, the more easily I would come into touch with the movement of God’s Spirit in me, leading me to the future. God is a God of the present and reveals to those who are willing to listen carefully to the moment in which they live the steps they are to take toward the future. «Do not worry about tomorrow,» Jesus says, «tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own» (Matthew 6:34). — Henri J.M. Nouwen
When I think about the future, I’m not necessarily arguing it’s going to be better or worse. I’m just saying it’s going to be different. — Chuck Klosterman
The bottom line for housing is that the concerns we used to hear about the possibility of a devastating collapse — one that might be big enough to cause a recession in the U.S. economy — while not fully allayed have diminished. Moreover, while the future for housing activity remains uncertain, I think there is a reasonable chance that housing is in the process of stabilizing, which would mean that it would put a considerably smaller drag on the economy going forward. — Janet Yellen
America, you know, they always separate people because of race. They’ve been able to convince, ‘The niggers are coming.’ You know, the diversity that America has is so special. It’s starting to really become a cool thing for young people. Not only because there are more mixes of people, but because people are more open-minded about each other. So I think in the future, America has a great, great opportunity, and mostly because of hip-hop. — Russell Simmons
I couldn’t see the end of the corridor, so I stared at the entrance. The ship was a magnificent piece of living technology. Third Fish was a Miri 12, a type of ship closely related to a shrimp. Miri 12s were stable calm creatures with natural exoskeletons that could withstand the harshness of space. They were genetically enhanced to grow three breathing chambers within their bodies. Scientists planted rapidly growing plants within these three enormous rooms that not only produced oxygen from the CO2 directed in from other parts of the ship, but also absorbed benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. This was some of the most amazing technology I’d ever read about. Once settled on the ship, I was determined to convince someone to let me see one of these amazing rooms. But at the moment, I wasn’t thinking about the technology of the ship. I was on the threshold now, between home and my future. — Nnedi Okorafor
For perhaps the first time in public, he used the neutral ‘Africans’ instead of the pejorative ‘Kaffirs’. The change in language reflected a deeper change in his way of thinking about the world. When he first came to South Africa, Gandhi had pleaded for Indians to be distinguished from Africans, whom he then considered ‘uncivilized’. Now, fifteen years later, he brought all races within a single ambit. They all had similar hopes, and would one day have the same rights. In the future, Indians and Africans would be absolutely free men, mingling with Boers and Britons in a nation where one’s citizenship did not depend on the colour of one’s skin. — Ramachandra Guha
Real life is about reacting quickly to the opportunity at hand, not the opportunity you envisioned. Not thinking and scheming for the future, but letting it happen. — Conan O’Brien
Let-go means no competition, no struggle, no fight … just relaxing with existence, wherever it leads. Not trying to control your future, not trying to control consequences, but allowing them to happen … not even thinking about them. Let-go is in the present; consequences are tomorrow. And let-go is such a delightful experience, a total relaxation, a deep synchronicity with existence — Rajneesh
Most people are prisoners, thinking only about the future or living in the past. They are not in the present, and the present is where everything begins. — Carlos Santana
At Pixar, Toy Story 2 taught us this lesson — that we must always be alert to shifting dynamics, because our future depends on it — once and for all. Begun as a direct-to-video sequel, the project proved not only that it was important to everyone that we weren’t tolerating second-class films but also that everything we did — everything associated with our name — needed to be good. Thinking this way was not just about morale; it was a signal to everyone at Pixar that they were part owners of the company’s greatest asset — its quality. — Ed Catmull
We don’t always know the details of our future. We do not know what lies ahead. We live in a time of uncertainty. We are surrounded by challenges on all sides. Occasionally discouragement may sneak in to our day; frustration may invite itself into our thinking; doubt might enter about the value of our work. In these dark moments Satan whispers in our ears that we will never be able to succeed, that the price isn’t work the effort, and that our small part will never make a difference. He, the father of all lies, will try to prevent us from seeing the end from the beginning. — Dieter F. Uchtdorf
I have no vision of any future, maitrakh. Not yours; not even mine. I was just thinking about children. Trying to imagine what it’s like to try to raise them. Wondering how much of their character a family can mold, and how much is innate in the children themselves.» She hesitated. «Wondering if the evil in a family’s history can be erased, or whether it always passes itself on to each new generation. — Timothy Zahn
One of the things that is most striking about the young generation is that they never talk about their own futures, there are no futures for this generation, not any of them and so naturally they never think of them. It is very striking, they do not live in the present they just live, as well as they can, and they do not plan. It is extraordinary that whole populations have no projects for a future, none at all. — Gertrude Stein
If the restrictions on the work of my party and on me personally are not removed in the very, very near future — that is in a matter of days — I think the United States should start thinking seriously of sanctions. This is really about as bad as it has ever been. — Aung San Suu Kyi
Surely the mitochondrion that first entered another cell was not thinking about the future benefits of cooperation and integration; it was merely trying to make its own living in a tough Darwinian world — Stephen Jay Gould
We’re not even thinking about (the postseason) right now. We’ve been in a slump, so we’re taking things day by day. We aren’t looking to the future because we haven’t addressed the present. — Cartier Martin
I’m not planning on giving my kids any of my wealth. They know when their education is over, I’m pushing them out of the nest. The bird you see dead under the nest is the one who didn’t think about the future. — Kevin O’Leary
I don’t think too much about the future. Not because I’m hiding my head in the sand but because I figured out that whatever the future was going to be, the thing I had to do was to quiet my mind and open my heart and do what I could to end suffering. — Ram Dass
The purpose of thinking about the future is not to predict it but to raise people’s hopes. — Freeman Dyson
What is important for me is playing cricket and not thinking about how my Test career is shaping up. I am not into future planning and all. I am concerned about my present and not the future. — Suresh Raina
Colin was beginning to be afraid( … )of the future, of the possibility, suddenly glimpsed, that his life might end like this. Like most young people, he’d always assumed, without ever really thinking about it, that regret, waste, failure lay in wait for others, but not for him. Now( … )he realized, for the first time, that he was not exempt, that this, unless he took steps to avoid it, could happen to him. — Pat Barker
I’m convinced that this anxiety running through my life is the tension between what I «should be» and what i am. My anxiety doesn’t come from thinking about the future but from wanting to control it. It seems to begin whenever I smuggle into my mind an expectation about how I or others should be. It is the tension between my desire to control the world and the recognition that I can’t. «I will be what I will be» — where is the anxiety in that ? Anxiety is the recognition that I might not reach the rung on the opinion ladder I have just set for my self. I fear death most when I am about to exceed what I believe others think of me; then death threatens to cut me off from myself, because «myself» is not yet. — Hugh Prather
I love going to the river not only to enjoy nature, but to think about the Los Angeles River’s place in our city’s history and to envision its great place in our future. — Eric Garcetti
Until the age of twelve I thought I was gifted with the power to shape the future, but this power was a crushing burden, it manifested itself in the form of threats, I had to take just so many steps before I got to the end of the sidewalk or else my parents would die in a car accident, I had to close the door thinking of some favorable outcome, for example passing a test, or else I’d fail, I had to turn off the light not thinking about my mother getting raped, or that would happen, one day I couldn’t stand having to close the door a hundred times before I could think of something good, or to spend fifteen minutes turning off the light the right way, I decided enough was enough, the world could fall apart, I didn’t want to spend my life saving other people, that night I went to bed sure the next day would bring the apocalypse, nothing happened, I was relieved but a little bit disappointed to discover I had no power. — Edouard Leve
Smart tech investor thinks about: a) future product roadmap, b) bottoms-up market size & growth, c) talent and skill of team. Essentially you are valuing things that have not yet happened, and the likelihood of the CEO and team being able to make them happen. Finance people find this appalling, but investors who do this well can make a lot of money. — Marc Andreessen
I really don’t spend time thinking about the past. I think about the future. I’m not stopping. — Harold Prince
The intellectual content of religions has always finally adapted itself to scientific and social conditions after they have become clear … For this reason I do not think that those who are concerned about the future of a religious attitude should trouble themselves about the conflict of science with traditional doctrines. — John Dewey
I am still not taking my «career» in music for granted. It is constantly surprising that it works. Generally my thinking about the future has this assumption of an impending apocalypse. — Phil Elvrum
Materialism is not fundamentally an economic problem, but a cultural one … a spiritual issue. It runs to the depths of our souls, and, for this reason, needs to be understood less in terms of budgets or fiscal cycles and more in terms of where we locate the sacred, of where we search for meaning and transcendence, and of how we think about justice, equality, and the future of our world. — Robert Wuthnow
He kind of hit on me in that stoned state.» I put down the bowl. «Said he and I were gonna be some sort of post apocalyptic hook up buddies.» «He was high.» «What if I told you, not now, but down the road I was thinking about it?» «I would tell you that you are grief stricken and not thinking clearly.» «Okay.» I extended the pint to him. «And if I said I was thinking that way about … you down the road.» «I would say you are being very wise and thinking of the future.» He smiled. — Jacqueline Druga
Start small, think big. Don’t worry about too many things at once. Take a handful of simple things to begin with, and then progress to more complex ones. Think about not just tomorrow, but the future. Put a ding in the universe. — Steve Jobs
For me, I look at the faces of my kids and I think about the future that is going to await them and whether they’re going to not just have the financial resources to be prepared for the challenge, but whether they’re going to have the strength and the stamina to live healthier, longer lives so that they can see their kids and grandkids. That’s the legacy I hope to see, and it can have nothing to do with me and I’d be perfectly happy. — Michelle Obama
I was not thinking about the world. I was not thinking about history. I was thinking about my body’s small, precise, limited, hungry movement forward into the future that seemed at every instant on the verge of being shut down. — Wayne Koestenbaum
I think we’re in a very exciting time — visually, I think we are. I’ve not got a crystal ball. I’m not saying I know what the future is at all. In some ways I’m getting quite pessimistic about the future, but in other ways I think it might get better. We are moving into very big changes. — David Hockney
Life is to be experienced, not fought against, run from, or engaged halfheartedly. Though we may wish to make changes in the future, to be conscious is to be with an experience as it’s unfolding, rather than thinking about how we would like to change it. Taking charge of our life so that we alter the quality of our experiences in the future comes after an experience. — Shefali Tsabary
I don’t want to worry anymore thinking about the future. Mi Rae … ‘Mi’ meaning not yet. ‘Rae’ meaning coming. Why should I decide on the present, thinking about the future that’s not here yet? I won’t do that anymore. — Yoon Mi-rae
Sometimes it’s not about making a ton of money in one night, just to spend the rest of your life waiting on the next payday. You will fare better investing time, planning, strategic thinking in order to secure a stable, fruitful future. — Carlos Wallace
The reason I’m interested in alternative worlds and near-future settings is that it allows us to look at our own limitations in our worldviews. These settings allow me to explore how our world might evolve if we allow individualistic kinds of success to remain our primary value. I’m not trying to be overly bleak, and I don’t feel bleak or sad about our world. I want empowered and educated people who understand a lot about the world’s challenges to strive to be noble, rather than cynical. I think we still need more champions out there. — Jennifer Phang
All those people who are chained here thinking that their reputations matter and this little shit matters are so freaking shortsighted. Dude, what matters is that you’re happy. What matters is your future. What matters is that we get out of here in one piece. What matters is finding the truth of our own lives, not caring about what other people think is the truth of us. — A.S. King
Money are very difficult to think about. So, we think about money as the opportunity cost of money. So, we at some point went to a Toyota dealership and we asked people, what will you not be able to do in the future if you bought this Toyota? — Dan Ariely
I think the misconceptions, there are certain people that are fixed in those with those beliefs, and been in those for twenty-five years, you’re not going to change them … What you’ve got to do is basically talk to the future about what you want to with the country. — William M. Daley
Don’t think I should be in the business of making big pronouncements about where we are now, but I would say that dissatisfaction is as acute now as it was then. What’s different, and what I think we can learn from these people, despite their abundant folly, is that we’re not using the future as the organizing principle for our critique. — Christine Jennings
There are genocidal tendencies that are at the heart of the human potential, and I think if we don’t talk about it, we’re not preparing ourselves for a better future. — Laszlo Nemes
Whenever your heart starts to be anxious about the future, preach to your heart and say, ‘Heart, who do you think you are to be afraid of the future and nullify the promise of God? No, heart, I will not exalt myself with anxiety. I will humble myself in peace and joy as I trust this precious and great promise of God — He cares for me.’ — John Piper
The only thing that can save us as a species is seeing how we’re not thinking about future generations in the way we live. — Erik Erikson
I hope we will not live in the past. People who live in the past don’t have very much future. There is a great tendency for us to lament about our losses, about decisions that we have made that we think in retrospect were probably wrong decisions. There is a great tendency for us to feel badly about the circumstances with which we are surrounded, thinking they might have been better had we made different decisions. We can profit by the experience of the past. But let us not spend our time worrying about decisions that have been made, mistakes that have been made. Let us live in the present and in the future. — Ezra Taft Benson
Good historians, I suspect, whether they think about it or not, have the future in their bones. Besides the question: Why? the historian also asks the question: Whither? — Edward Hallett Carr
Every second you spend thinking about what you don’t want in your life is a second denying focus and energy from getting what you do want. Every minute you worry about what’s not working is a minute drawn away from creating what will work. And every hour spent reflecting on the disappointments of the past is an hour stolen from seeing the possibilities that your future holds. — Robin S. Sharma
I work for perfection, for perfection’s sake. I don’t care what the external reasons are. And it’s much more like a ballerina on opening night. You’ve done what you’ve got to do. When you go out, the purpose is to turn a perfect turn. You are not thinking about the future of the company, you are not thinking about your future, you’re not thinking about the critics, it is you and the perfect turn. — Story Musgrave
I’m not much for sitting around and thinking about the past or talking about the past. What does that accomplish? If I can give young people something to think about, like the future, that’s a better use of my time. — Arnold Palmer
Suppose I grant that pigs and dogs are self-aware to some degree, and do have thoughts about things in the future. That would provide some reason for thinking it intrinsically wrong to kill them — not absolutely wrong, but perhaps quite a serious wrong. Still, there are other animals — chickens maybe, or fish — who can feel pain but don’t have any self-awareness or capacity for thinking about the future. For those animals, you haven’t given me any reason why painless killing would be wrong, if other animals take their place and lead an equally good life. — Peter Singer
Hostage? She’s holding me hostage. She has my guts in her hands. I don’t care about the company, I care about her. She’s my life, do you understand? Have you ever loved a woman? Have you ever held her at night so tight because you couldn’t sleep thinking something might happen to her? Have you ever built a future around a woman? Ever thought of every tomorrow, every year, every decade with her? Dreamed of your old age holding her hand? I can only function with her in my life. I can only breathe if I know she’s there. I gave her my fucking soul and she threw it away. Months ago, maybe years ago. She made a decision to throw me away. She’s prepared for this divorce, and I’m swinging in the wind. Raw. With nothing. No defenses. Now what am I supposed to do?» I stood and threw my coat over my shoulders. «This is not about money. It’s not about some publishing company. Not for me. If I don’t do this, I have no chance of recovery. I’m as good as dead.» ~Adam — C.D. Reiss
Money is very difficult to think about. So, we think about money as the opportunity cost of money. So, we at some point went to a Toyota dealership and we asked people, what will you not be able to do in the future if you bought this Toyota? Now, you would expect people to have an answer. But people were kind of shocked by the question. They never thought about it before. So, the most we got was people said, «Well, if I can’t buy this Toyota, if I buy this Toyota, I can’t buy a Honda.» What is this thing? What is this value of price? Very hard to think about it. — Dan Ariely
One of the reasons I think people are increasingly nervous about U.S. debt is because they think that we are not actually digging ourselves out of the hole, but instead are digging ourselves into a deeper and deeper hole and will not be able to pay it back because we’re not actually creating the new technologies that will enable us to pay back and the money somehow is not really being invested in the future or in progress. — Peter Thiel
We’re talking about should we increase taxes? Why not put a tax on carbon emissions. It would raise a lot of money, it would reduce the environmental damages in the future, it would solve so many problems, and it would be a much more constructive thing to do than to think about raising the income tax. — Robert F. Engle
When we think about the future of the world, we always have in mind its being where it would be if it continued to move as we see it moving now. We do not realize that it moves not in a straight line and that its direction changes constantly. — Ludwig Wittgenstein
If you do not think about the future, you cannot have one. — John Galsworthy
Personally I like the slow burn; I don’t think there is anything wrong with it. When I think about the movies that were most effective on me as a viewer I think of the original Haunting and the Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, the Sixth Sense, the Others. These movies are not over the top at all, they are movies that rely on good story telling, good acting, good premise, good exposition and I want to stay true to that in future projects. — Oren Peli
What if believing was not about the good in the world? What if people had faith not because of what some superior being could do for them but what they could do when the light of something bigger than any one individual awakened within them—for the sake of others? If evil had been here since the dawn of time, maybe goodness was also here. Maybe, his mistake was thinking it was about him, his own future, his own soul, and not about this: the world needed the good that was in him. — G.P. Ching
Think about our dilemma on this planet. If the expansion of consciousness does not loom large in the human future, what kind of future is it going to be? — Terence McKenna
In difficult times, people too often lose the ability to face the future optimistically. They begin to think about their tomorrow’s negatively. They forget that the tough times will pass. They concentrate on the problems of today rather than on the opportunities of tomorrow. In so doing, they not only lose the potential of today, they also throw away the beauty of tomorrow. — Robert H. Schuller
In your diary, you quoted old Jiko saying something about not-knowing, how not-knowing is the most intimate way, or did I just dream that?
Anyway, I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I think maybe it’s true, even though I don’t really like uncertainty. I’d much rather ‘know’, but then again, not-knowing keeps all the possibilities open. It keeps all the worlds alive. — Ruth Ozeki
Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but from wanting to control it. — Kahlil Gibran
If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, How much will I enjoy the cup of coffee, what else could I not do in the future because I buy this cup of coffee? — Dan Ariely
There are some groups that for years and years have not gotten the rights that the majority of human beings have, and it’s important to continue to draw these parallels so that when we think about our future we can change some of the lives of people who love differently than we do, look different than we do, who come from a different class. It’s all about bringing awareness to how important it is to be accepting of people, and there will be oppression if one group thinks they’re more important or superior. — Janelle Monae
I think we should do better next week, better the week after, and better right throughout the course of our government. Sometimes in parties these things happen, but it is not acceptable and I do believe that what people now want to do is to debate the future — about policy — and I think the issues about what Tony Blair will or will not do are going to be left to Tony Blair — Gordon Brown
If we [American nation] are only thinking about tomorrow or the next day and not thinking about 10 years from now, we’re not going to control our own economic future, because China, Germany — they’re making these [clean energy] investments. And I’m not going to cede those jobs of the future to those countries. I expect those new energy sources to be built right here in the United States. — Barack Obama
There are two kinds of people: one who goes on thinking about the future, not bothering about the present at all. That future is not going to come, that future is just a fool’s imagination. I don’t think about the future. I am a totally different kind of person. I don’t think about the future at all, it is irrelevant. — Rajneesh
I suddenly felt that it was all the same to me whether the world existed or whether there had never been anything at all: I began to feel with all my being that there was nothing existing. At first I fancied that many things had existed in the past, but afterwards I guessed that there never had been anything in the past either, but that it had only seemed so for some reason. Little by little I guessed that there would be nothing in the future either. Then I left off being angry with people and almost ceased to notice them. Indeed this showed itself even in the pettiest trifles: I used, for instance, to knock against people in the street. And not so much from being lost in thought: what had I to think about? I had almost given up thinking by that time; nothing mattered to me. If at least I had solved my problems! Oh, I had not settled one of them, and how many there were! But I gave up caring about anything, and all the problems disappeared. — Fyodor Dostoyevsky
I’m focussing on what I haven’t attained, not what I have. A lot has come to me early. I don’t want to get consumed with that. Winners live in the present tense. People who come up short are consumed with future or past. I want to be living in the now. My goal is to play one full game in the now, but I haven’t even gotten past the first inning yet. I start thinking about where my mom is or if my dogs have been fed. The average human has 2,000 thoughts a day. The really accomplished have 1,500 because you can focus longer. I need to learn how to focus longer. — Alex Rodriguez
My way of thinking is to create a situation where we rally everyone together and create peace and pardon people, to not forget about the past — because we need to learn from it — but to mainly think about the future. — Michel Martelly
Is there a notion of hope (and of our responsibility to the future) that could be shared by believers and nonbelievers? What can it be based on now? Does an idea of the end, one that does not imply disinterest in the future but rather a constant examination of the errors of the past, have a critical function?
If not, it would be perfectly all right to accept the approach of the end, even without thinking about it, sitting in front of our TV screens (in the shelter of our electronic fortifications), waiting for someone to entertain us while meantime things go however they go. And to hell with what will come. — Umberto Eco
The past is already past. Don’t try to regain it. The present does not stay. Don’t try to touch it from moment to moment. The future has not come. Don’t think about it beforehand. — Layman Pang
Nothing dates faster than people’s fantasies about the future. This is what you get when perfectly decent, intelligent and talented men start thinking in terms of space, rather than place, and about single rather than multiple meanings. It’s what you get when you design for political aspirations and not real human needs. You get miles of jerry-built platonic nowhere infested with Volkswagens. — Robert Hughes
We cannot create blueprint for future society, but it is good to think about that. It is good to have in mind a goal. It is constructive, it is helpful, it is healthy, to think about what future society might be like, because then it guides you somewhat what you are doing today, but only so long as this discussions about future society don’t become obstacles to working towards this future society. Otherwise you can spend discussing this utopian possibility versus that utopian possibility, and in the mean time you are not acting in a way that would bring you closer to that. — Howard Zinn
How do we meditate? It is not thinking about the past or future. It starts with being present. — Ilchi Lee
We live in the moment. We’re not thinking about the future right now. We’re not thinking about the past, you know. We’re living in this moment right here and it’s a sweet moment to live in. — Dwyane Wade
The more you observe life in relation to yourself the more you will see the fact that you are hardly ever correct when you think about something in the future. The future exists only in imagination; and that is why, no matter how hard you try to imagine it, you will not be able to predict the future with total certainty. — Barry Long
For I am inclined to believe that my beloved Arthur of the future is sitting at this very moment among his learned freinds, in the Combination Room of the College of Life, and that they are thinking away in there for all they are worth, about the best means to help our curious species: and I for one hope that some day, when not only England but the World has need of them, and when it is ready to listen to reason, if it ever is, they will issue forth from their rath in joy and power: and then perhaps, they will give us happiness in the world once more and chivalry, and the old medieval blessing of certain simple people — who tried, at any rate, in their own small way, to still the ancient brutal dream of Attila the Hun. — T.H. White
I have been thinking that the crux of happiness matter for me is whether or not I am in the moment, in the flow, at one with what is happening and I am doing. Otherwise, I’m lost in worry, and anxiety about past and future, plagued by what Buddhist meditators call «comparing mind,» comparing what is to other so-called possibilities. — Lama Surya Das
We are fighting the greatest war the world has ever seen, and our likely future is death and ruins, and you are thinking about a women you love, instead of making battle plans. If this is what love can do to a man, perhaps you were better off without it.
He smiled to himself. I do not believe that, he thought. — David Gemmell
As I watch him, a sudden recognition comes over me: Tonight, I can be anyone I want … maybe being happy only means living in the moment, appreciating the exact moment you’re in and not thinking about the worries of the future. — Laura Fitzgerald
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Dwelling on the past or focusing on the future can make you lose sight of your present life. This can make your life quickly pass you by without enjoyment of the present. If you find yourself focusing too much on past events or trauma, or worrying about the future, there are some methods that can help you learn to live for today.
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Express your feelings about the past. Whatever past event you focus on, you may need to express the feelings you have associated with the event, whether good or bad, before you can move on. There may be experiences in your past that were hurtful, but there also may be good memories as well. Getting out your pent up emotions, whether good or bad, can help you let go of the past and focus on the present.
- Talk to a friend, family member, or counselor about your feelings.
- Try writing down your feelings about the past. You can journal or write a letter to someone that hurt you (just don’t send it!).
- Even if you’re dwelling on good memories, it can cause you to lose connection with the present. You may find yourself romanticizing the past or longing for things to be the way they were, instead of focusing on how to improve your present life.
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Forgive and forget.[1]
Focusing on who to blame for past hurts can spoil the present. Instead of dwelling on who has caused you pain, forgive them. Focus on present events and leave behind any blame or hurt you feel. If there is someone in your past that has hurt you, choose to forgive and forget. Festering in the pain doesn’t harm the person who hurt you and it will cause you to stay in the past.- If you have to, write the person a letter or talk to the person about how her past actions. You don’t have to send the letter, but it will help you stop blaming her for the past and help you move toward the present and your happiness.[2]
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- If you have to, write the person a letter or talk to the person about how her past actions. You don’t have to send the letter, but it will help you stop blaming her for the past and help you move toward the present and your happiness.[2]
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Focus on happy things. If expressing your feelings about the past has not helped, focus on happy things. You can’t change the past or worry about the future, so don’t dwell on it. Think about happy things happening right now.[3]
- If you find this hard, create a touchstone for yourself. For example, create a happy place that you can think that connects with your current life, such as your favorite reading place in your backyard. If you find yourself thinking too much about your past or worrying about the future, imagine the happy times you have there, or even picture yourself in that comforting place.
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Block your memories. If all attempts haven’t worked, try blocking or pushing aside your memories. This can help you get over bad memories with enough time. Plus, pushing the bad memories far enough into the back of your mind will help them bother you less. Envision yourself pushing the worries behind a door and locking it. Giving yourself a mental image will help, especially if the memories or worries are strong.[4]
- Studies show that suppression is a possible and learnable skill that can help you get away from memories or break from your past. The more you do it, the better at it you will get. Every time the bad memories come up, purposefully move them to the back of your mind. Train yourself to forget about the event and make a conscious effort to move your mind past it.[5]
- Studies show that suppression is a possible and learnable skill that can help you get away from memories or break from your past. The more you do it, the better at it you will get. Every time the bad memories come up, purposefully move them to the back of your mind. Train yourself to forget about the event and make a conscious effort to move your mind past it.[5]
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Work through your anxiety about the future. Whenever you’re having anxiety about the future, remind yourself you can only change what is in the present and focus on it. Put together a list of things that you can focus on instead that are rooted in the present. Think about the book you are in the middle of, what it must feel like to be in Hawaii this time of year, or any other scenario to keep your mind off the future. Focus on what is possible instead of things you can’t change.[6]
- If you’re having a hard time, make yourself physical reminders of the things in the present that you love and can focus on. Keep a copy of the book you’re reading with you. Print a picture of the place you most love to spend your time and look at it when you need to ground yourself.
- It may take some practice to come up with ideas and instances that don’t trigger your worries about future events. Just keep at it and you’ll get it right eventually.[7]
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Get help. If these methods have not worked for you, you should seek help in order to get over your past, worry less about the future, and focus on the present. Look for a mental health professional in your area. You can ask for referrals from your doctor or ask your family and friends. You can see many different kinds of mental health professionals, such as counselors, therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. They are trained in suggesting coping skills to help people become more productive or constructive within their daily lives by focusing on the present.[9]
- Never be embarrassed to ask for help. Your mental health is very important and you should not feel strange about seeking help. It is very common and these professionals are there to help.[10]
- Never be embarrassed to ask for help. Your mental health is very important and you should not feel strange about seeking help. It is very common and these professionals are there to help.[10]
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Recognize that trauma is different from painful memories. Trauma causes psychological and physiological effects similar to anxiety and intense fear in present time – as if the trauma never ended. Bad memories bring up painful emotions such as sadness and guilt, but they do not alter your perceptions the way that acute trauma does.
- Trauma must be dealt with in its own way and usually requires professional assistance.
- It can sometimes take years for the symptoms of trauma to surface. You may have nightmares, disturbing thoughts, depression, phobias, anxiety, or flashbacks because of a traumatic event.
- Healing from past trauma can be a slow process, and it may be difficult to stop thinking about it for a while. Just trust that if you keep working on it, things will get better.
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Seek help from a group or mental health professional. Look for a counselor or program that specializes in trauma. You are in charge of your recovery, and how and when it will take place. However you decide to pursue treatment, your program should offer these essential things:[11]
- Empowerment: Your recovery is an opportunity for you to take back control. While guidance is important, you must be in charge of your healing. If your counselor suggests something that feels wrong or you’re just not ready to do, you don’t have to do it.
- Validation: Your experience may have been minimized or dismissed over the years. Your group or counselor can validate what happened to you and how the trauma has shaped your life.
- Connection: Experiencing trauma can be extremely isolating. Talking with others and sharing your story with people who understand can help you start feeling connected again.
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Confide in someone you trust. Talking about what happened to you is an important part of healing. Choose someone patient, kind, and someone who knows that what happened to you is serious. Someone who responds with things like, «Just don’t think about it anymore,» «Forgive and forget,» or «That’s not so bad,» is not an appropriate person to talk to.[12]
- You may need to talk about your trauma over and over – make sure the person you are talking to understands that this is important. Getting it off your chest one time is good, but you will need to keep re-visiting and talking about it.
- If there’s no one in your life you feel close to or trust, reach out to someone in your life that you really like. Ask them to do something fun and, if that feels good, invite them to do something else in the future. Spending time with this person can help you begin to form a close relationship.
- Be aware that talking about trauma with someone can cause them vicarious trauma, in which they experience symptoms of trauma from listening to your story of trauma. Try not to be offended if your friend can not listen to your story everyday. Family and friends are a great place to start, but if you are needing more support, a trauma counselor is trained to avoid vicarious trauma.
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Make a list of ways you can take care of yourself. It can be hard to think of ways to comfort yourself when you’re having a difficult time. Write a list of things that make you feel better and post it in a prominent place so you can reference it easily. Some possibilities include:[13]
- Do something creative, like painting, drawing, woodworking, needlepoint, or other crafts.
- Get some exercise. It doesn’t have to be intense – you could just go for a walk around the neighborhood. Or try running, swimming, playing a sport, dancing, hiking, or anything else that gets your body moving.
- Play with children in your family or a pet. This can have a very calming effect, which can make you feel better.
- Sing quietly or sing at the top of your lungs. Fill your lungs with fresh air and belt out your favorite tunes.
- Wear something that makes you feel good. Put on your favorite shirt or some jewelry that you enjoy wearing.
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Become aware of your surroundings. Stop rushing through life and letting your mind get stuck in the past. Instead, take in everything around you, whether it is feats of nature or man-made creations. Make a conscious effort to pay attention to each aspect of your present life.[14]
- For example, take a walk and look at everything around you. If you are outside, look at the trees, the ground, and all the scenery. Feel the air on your skin. If you are inside, pay attention to the color of the walls, what sounds you hear from others in your area, or how the floor feels under your feet. This will help you stay focused on the present and be mindful of your current surroundings.[15]
- For example, take a walk and look at everything around you. If you are outside, look at the trees, the ground, and all the scenery. Feel the air on your skin. If you are inside, pay attention to the color of the walls, what sounds you hear from others in your area, or how the floor feels under your feet. This will help you stay focused on the present and be mindful of your current surroundings.[15]
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Slow down. People often speed through life as they rush from one moment to another. Make yourself slow down and enjoy everything you do, even if it’s boring. For example, pay attention to your actions when you get a snack. Grab a handful of grapes and consciously look at them. Notice their shape and size. Eat one and pay attention to the flavors. Enjoy the burst of sweetness on your tongue and the sustenance the fruit is giving you.[16]
- It’s okay not to be thrilled with everything that happens to you every day. If you are doing a project at work that you don’t like or have an obligation you don’t enjoy, that’s okay. Instead of rushing past it, think about what you are doing each day and experience it.[17]
- It’s okay not to be thrilled with everything that happens to you every day. If you are doing a project at work that you don’t like or have an obligation you don’t enjoy, that’s okay. Instead of rushing past it, think about what you are doing each day and experience it.[17]
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Change your routine.[18]
One way you can get stuck in the past without knowing it is to get stuck in a routine. Maybe you do the same thing the same way every day or at the same time every week. While routine can be comforting, it can make you feel stuck and forget about the present all together. Instead, change up your routine. Walk a different way to the bus stop or drive a different way to work.- Even making subtle changes can help you break out. Change what you eat every day. Incorporate newly learned words into your vocabulary every day. Anything that can make you take notice of what you do on a daily basis will help you live in the now instead of the past or future.[19]
- If you don’t want to or can’t change your routine, become more mindful of your actions during your routine. Take note of how the oatmeal you eat every morning tastes or what the trees look like out the window on the way to work.
- Even making subtle changes can help you break out. Change what you eat every day. Incorporate newly learned words into your vocabulary every day. Anything that can make you take notice of what you do on a daily basis will help you live in the now instead of the past or future.[19]
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Pay attention to calm moments. There are points in almost every day where you might have to wait for something. You could be in line at the supermarket or waiting at a red light in your car. During these moments, resist the urge to look at your phone and instead notice things around you. Become mindful of your surroundings instead of wasting time grumbling about how you wish the line was shorter or the light would change.[20]
- These are great moments to take in simple, small things in your present life. Avoid using your phone to pass the time. Instead, look around you at other people in line or in cars around you. Smile at someone or strike up a conversation with the person behind you in line.
- Keep trying things until you find the best way for you to stay in the present moment.[21]
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Leave yourself a reminder. In order to keep thinking about being present, especially when you first start, you may need a reminder. Tie a string around your wrist, paint one nail a bright pink color, or wear your watch upside down. Let the object serve as a reminder.
- Every time you see the reminder object, take a few seconds to focus on the sounds, smells, and sights around you. Take stock of how you feel and what you are doing. This will help you stay focused on your current situation and not dwell on the past or future.[22]
- Every time you see the reminder object, take a few seconds to focus on the sounds, smells, and sights around you. Take stock of how you feel and what you are doing. This will help you stay focused on your current situation and not dwell on the past or future.[22]
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Focus on the task at hand. Instead of mindlessly doing something, take the time to do something well. Let yourself be drawn into a writing assignment for school, a project at work, or your chores around the house. Engross yourself to the point where the thoughts of the past and the future fall away.
- This is easier if you don’t multi-task. Multi-tasking can make you lose track of what you are doing and start thinking about other things, such as finishing the tasks or moving on to a different one.
- Try doing things slower. This will help you focus your attention on your actions in the present.[23]
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Meditate.[24]
One of the best ways to focus on the now is to meditate. The goal of mediation is to push everything else aside, including fears about the past and future, and focus on the exact moment you are meditating.[25]
- Start by taking deep breaths in and out, focusing on the action. Push everything else out of you head and focus on the sound of your breathing. Eventually, everything else will fade away.
- Complete mediation takes time and practice. Don’t give up if you don’t experience that «zen» moment immediately, or even after a few months. Keep practicing and you will eventually begin to reap the (major) benefits of meditation.[26]
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Article SummaryX
To quit dwelling on the past, let yourself express any pent up emotions you have about past events and forgive people who have hurt you so you can let go. You can’t change the past, but you can focus on happy things in the moment. Try imagining yourself in your favorite place, like your backyard, any time you start thinking about bad memories. If you have anxiety about the future, write a list of tasks or ideas that you can focus on right now, like the book you’re reading. For more tips from our Social Work co-author, like how to get help and deal with past trauma, keep reading!
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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 457,870 times.
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- If you do not think about the future, you cannot have one.
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<01>
Если Вы не думаете о будущем, у Вас его не будет. Galsworthy (Голсуорси).
Англо-русский словарь цитат, пословиц, поговорок и идиом.
.
2011.
Смотреть что такое «If you do not think about the future, you cannot have one.» в других словарях:
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Англо-русский перевод IF YOU DO NOT THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE, YOU CANNOT HAVE ONE
Если Вы не думаете о будущем, у Вас его не будет. Galsworthy (Голсуорси).
English-Russian aphorisms, русские афоризмы.
Англо-Русский словарь афоризмов, русские афоризмы.
2012