Welcome, 2022!

We are once again at the start of a New Year. It seems like the perfect time to make plans and look towards the future. And I must admit, I am an avid planner. So much so that I caught myself thinking about where my Christmas tree would go next year. Oh my gosh, I haven’t even taken down this year’s tree yet. So, this got me thinking, how might my planning for the future impact my ability to be present?

Thinking about the future is necessary. During coaching conversations, we like to ask individuals to visualize the future they want. Future thinking supports ambition, planning, and success. It helps us envision possibilities and identify our preferable outcome of what we want for ourselves, relationships, and situations. Those future insights support our goal setting in the present by considering questions such as: How will I arrive at that future? What is my first step? What changes do I need to make now?

So, if it is so beneficial, what’s the problem? The challenge is when we become over focused on the future, we miss out on or don’t fully appreciate what is occurring in the present.

Let’s consider the stereotype of a successful CEO who is too busy for family and friends. Now consider your own life. Do you constantly think of the next thing(s) you have to do (future) while you are engaged in an activity? Are you able to be present during interactions and activities, or is all your busyness (future activities) distracting?

Your response, and more importantly, your vision of how you want to be with others, will let you know if you need to spend more time focused on the present.

I believe a balance of presence and future visioning is necessary. The scales will sway back and forth due to the level of importance and perceived impact, which is to be expected. 

Take a moment to consider:

Remember, we can’t change what we don’t notice. 

Rasheeda Coston, Director of Coaching (rascos@pakeys.org)

Barb Willier, Coaching Coordinator (barwil@pakeys.org)