The narrative that we have been fed throughout our lives.

If you get this done, then …

Once you’ve completed this, then…

You just need to get through this and then… 

You can celebrate after this…

It’ll be better after …

The commonality in the above statements is that they are all focused on the future.

It hints of a better tomorrow, a better season, a better situation after you’ve completed something.

I do see how it can motivate someone to get a task done with a pretty end in sight but I can also see how it removes us from the actual reality of life. 

This belief does not give significance to the present. In fact, it tells you to just get through whatever you’re doing now so that you’ll come out on the other side.

Is life just getting from one point to the other in sequence and continuously on an uptrend?

If that is what people believe, then it’s no wonder that people get disillusioned, disappointed and cynical when their own life journey enters a trajectory that isn’t continuously upwards.

How do you perceive your own life? What is your own definition of success?

Is it guided by what culture and society dictates? Wealth, Status and Social Mobility?

Or is it by understanding your own value system so that you’ll understand what truly matters to you.

Yes, making money is great but if you’re driven by new adventures and learning, will a high paying job with no room to explore and learn fuel you?

How do you determine how your life is going?

When will life begin for you?