“Are you the kind of person who dreams of the future?”
I was caught off guard by this one-line, rhetorical question in a book that I have been reading recently. The book is about food, but this question made my mind spin off about so much more.
“Yes” I thought. Yes, I do love dreaming about the future, and I catch myself doing it all the time – more than I probably should.
Future Me is Awesome
Quite honestly, future me is awesome. He has things together physically, mentally, and spiritually – personally and professionally.
Future Me has learned new languages. He’s built shelves for my daughter and a garden for my family. This guy has released a solo album and even written a book! He probably even has a cabin somewhere to disconnect and quietly reflect for a period of time each year. Future me is known, loved, and respected by all – not in a famous way, but a humble way I’d hope.
Then I thought about how sad it is that I am so far away from this sort of mirage version of myself. Although Future Me is supposedly Me, it seems that I will never catch up with the guy. This is because I am always dreaming up new stuff that he has done that make him more awesome than me.
What separates me from Future Me?
What Separates Me from the Future
Well, a few things. I came up with three quickly as I sat with my book open in the Walmart parking lot.
Time
Time. Sure, I can’t record an album at the snap of my fingers. It will take real work to write more songs, rewrite old ones that are really bad, learn how to record, learn some mixing/mastering, and then put out a product that is decent enough to be listened to in one continuous sitting.
Time seems like an obvious answer, but it is a weird thing that I have thinking about since finishing the book, Laurus. In this book, time shows how it can compress and expand in crazy ways. At times it holds us linearly, and still other times, it moves in circles or spirals.
Yes, time separates the past, present, and future, but it is also the same thing that threads through them all. What makes it move?
Discernment
What if I had time on my hands? If I could compress it to reach forward then slow it down to seem longer? Then would I put in some work and accomplish something great?
Even if I had endless time, would I want to put in the effort for these “feats”? I need to discern. “Do I really want to be this kind of guy?”
This is where discernment is key. I need to ask myself honestly: Why does this guy know foreign languages? Is he called to know them to serve his vocation in life? Will this skill help his family, or the world in some way? If not, is it a pride thing? Is this like when the same guy learned to juggle in 7th grade, where it started as a fun mental challenge, then a puzzle to be solved, and developed into hours of practicing something that would only be cool for a few minutes at a social gathering?
Intention matters, especially when so much time will be devoted. Does the intention justify the time allotments required to meet the ends?
What are those ends? Is this a hobby to keep the old brain fresh, or is this a passion that will be worked into my identity?
Likely, my list of differences between Future Me and me can and should be narrowed down to a few genuinely good desires. However, this will take some time and reflection in itself.
Action
Lastly, action. The thing that separates me from this man is now, the present moment. I like to dream of the future because it is so easy. It is not easy to take action.
I have realized that books provide me more long-term happiness than tv and movies; therefore, I’d rather be well-read than well-watched. Future me is a reader. Thus, the thing that separates us is a verb, to read. Future me is a writer, so the thing between us is to write.
Inaction creates a wider gap between present and future. If each task completed has a time value and an actual time taken to complete, completed action can actually work to fill that gap. This compresses time and allows you to reach what was once getting further out of sight.
Earning Hours
In a construction environment, this concept is called “Earned Hours”.
Let’s say a machinist is given an hour to make 4 parts on his machine, or 15 minutes per part. He would earn 1 hour for each 4 parts he makes. This guy works very diligently, and is able to turn out 5 parts each hour. Then, after 4 hours, he has actually earned 5 hours! He has managed to compress 5 hours into 4. Crazy!
What actions allow me to do this? Maybe the cavity that I just got filled tells me that I was behind on my “earned hours” for flossing. I would not recommend saving time in the hygiene area, but maybe in the time spent between tasks? Could I plan better? This would mean less time wasted wondering what to do so I have less transition time.
To summarize, things need to happen to fill the gap of inaction. Newton tells us that action is required for those things to happen.
Now What, 2021 Me?
Maybe it is just a convenient time to be having these thoughts, but I think I have given myself a New Years Resolution.
Less thinking of the reactions I hope for, and more of the action.
Laziness and acedia can be sneaky vices, but they can be combatted with the virtue of diligence.
If I feel a slight urge to read a book, write, or pray (any prompting toward a Good that God would desire for me is likely the Holy Spirit), I will try my best to follow that immediately. Often, this prompting will be followed by something else in me that urges me to check my phone or email (distractions likely from myself or even evil). In those moments, I hope to keep this in my mind, that I can be future me now. Only, this version will be even better because he won’t be just imagined.
How are you separated from Future You?