Future Tripping

“Most people are trying to avoid a bad future that hasn’t even happened yet.” Peter Crone

One of my favorite movies from the 80’s was “Back To The Future”

In this 1980s sci-fi classic, small-town California teen Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is thrown back into the 50’s when an experiment by his eccentric scientist friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) goes awry. Traveling through time in a modified DeLorean car, Marty encounters young versions of his parents (Crispin Glover, Lea Thompson), and must make sure that they fall in love or he'll cease to exist. Even more dauntingly, Marty has to return to his own time and save the life of Doc Brown (cited from google)

This got me thinking about what would have happened had Marty not intervened? The obvious outcome would be that Marty doesn’t exist, resulting in no movie. Maybe Marty’s parent’s path was destined in another direction? Maybe through divine timing, they would have gotten together regardless of Marty’s meddling? Perhaps Doc Brown’s contract in the jungles of space and time called earth was up? Maybe through some miracle, Doc would have survived? All I do know is that the future is uncertain. I have to admit I have been spending way too much time there lately. Wondering what consequences my decisions today will bring tomorrow? Wondering what jacked up stuff I did in the past will follow me and for how long? Wondering when things are going to change? While I am keenly aware all this is FUTILE, I find myself trapped on the hamster wheel of yesterday projecting those activities into the future. When I spend my time future tripping, what I am really saying is I lack being content with today.

According to the National Science Foundation, an average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. Of those, 80% are negative and 95% are repetitive thoughts. Most people are addicted to their history and spent the rest of their lives trying to compensate for it. Our fight or flight survival mechanisms in our brain has us constantly analyzing the landscape and trying to figure out the future. This is why most of the population is stressed out. Frankly, it’s exhausting. If we don’t take charge to create our future, our brain will do it for us by using evidence from the past. Although this sounds contradictory, what is really means is things won’t change until we change today, by living in and loving TODAY. Does that make sense?

Here are a few tips that may help stifle future tripping:

The present moment is all we have control over.
Everyone’s in such a hurry to get to a future where they are not in a hurry. A common theme is “I’ll be happy when_____” When I have a new house, I make more money, I lose 10 pounds, I meet the man of my dreams, my job changes, I move to a more desirable location etc. Make now the primary focus of your life and see how things shift.

Change the code of your subconscious programming
Our brains are like computers or iPhones. We can clear our cookies or update our software on those devices, but rarely do we do it to our own subconscious programming and conditioning. If something’s not operating smoothly, it needs an update. You can identify these programs because they cause pain, suffering or feelings of lack. Once identified, try listening to some self-hypnosis recordings on the subject matter, or seek the help of a professional like myself!

Staying present reduces stress
If all we have is now, we aren’t anywhere but here. Doesn’t that sound delightful?

Tomorrow is not guaranteed
This year brought this topic to the forefront with the amount of people we lost due to Covid-19, or who left us way too early in their lives. Since tomorrow is not guaranteed, live today as if it’s your last day on the planet – EVERYDAY you have.

Life is what happens while you are making other plans
Oh God – as a Type-A planner in recovery, this one is particularly challenging. Life rarely pans out the way we planned it. So why plan at all?? OK maybe that’s not entirely realistic, but plan with the plan that the plan may shift at any moment.

The present moment writing about staying present to create a bright future has been fun.
I hope this has served you as it has for me. After all, it’s an Inside-Project.

“There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday, and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.” – Dalai Lama