How to not fear the future that is about to happen or will happen? How to get rid of the troubles of past setbacks?
"Living in the moment" is a very popular concept, probably meaning that when you eat, you think about eating, when you walk, you think about walking, when you play chess, you focus on playing chess (instead of thinking about winning), and when you study, you focus on studying. Then you will be a happy person.
There are various experts on Zhihu who talk about "living in the moment" as if it were divine, with such clear concepts and smooth logic, making a simple thing so complicated.
They say: let go of the past, remove unrealistic expectations, let go of the obsession that troubles you, focus on what you are doing now, and you can achieve "living in the moment."
To be honest, I think these answers are very empty. Many thoughts and obsessions are not something I can just let go of by saying so. If it were that simple, would I still search for "how to live in the moment" ?!
Later, I forgot where I encountered a concept called "living in the future." That is, when you are trapped and confused by the present (or when you are worried about the past or future), take some time to imagine yourself a few years from now. What kind of person do you hope to be at that time? Then, return to the present, and consider yourself as that future self, learning, working, and living according to that standard in advance.
So, I tried it, imagining the future, then returning to the present, living as my future self. It's amazing how many distractions and worries instantly disappear, and the road ahead becomes much clearer.
Therefore, imagine the future, return to the present, let the future live in the present, and let the present live in the future. Become your future self in advance, how exciting!
Here are a few examples:
- Afraid of public speaking? Then imagine yourself as someone who can effortlessly tell a great story, bring his composure and confidence to the present, and become him in advance.
- Afraid to ask a beautiful lady for her contact information? Then imagine your future self. (Maybe you can also imagine her as your future girlfriend, or even wife 😄), and then you can eliminate fear and realize how simple it is to ask for contact information.
- In fact, courage can be advanced to your future self, and the reward you can give to your future self is that he arrives in the world ahead of time.
Looking at it from a different perspective, the most powerful ability our human brain possesses is imagination—it is an existence that cannot be bound by time and space, and this is our secret weapon for progress.