New York, NY – I hear a lot of talk about the future. I can scarcely check my Facebook or Twitter feeds without reading a bold prediction about our collective future. I have no shortage’s of sources that are willing to tell me what service, what application, what trend, what movement is going to change everything and finally make life worth living. I am so enthralled about this not so distant utopian future I almost forgot about my nagging present. Yes, that’s right the present. Remember that thing that is happening right now, even as you read this, yes that is the present. The present doesn’t quite get the attention that the future does and when you think about it that might be where we are falling short. I am making a concerted effort to dedicate myself to the present and here are a couple of reasons.

We suck at predicting the future

There has been an explosion of so-called Futurist, who define themselves as having the ability to identify trends and use that to extrapolate information on the future. These observations or predictions are then sold to brands, marketers, agencies that are all seeking answers to better package and sell us stuff. Unfortunately, we suffer from several biases that make future prediction almost impossible. We usually do not process the correct variables in order to draw reasonable assumptions on the future. This happens all the time in predictive models i.e. we get the wrong output (the future) because we use the wrong input (perceived present). This can be disastrous, as proven by recent news highlighting flaws in the economic model that had been used to justify incredibly wrong-headed austerity policies throughout Europe. Incorrect inputs resulted in broken economic models and subsequently broken economic policy. The results of which are still being felt throughout the world.

As much as we are future focused we routinely wrongly base predictions based on the belief that our present reality will remain static. This means that the way things are is the way they shall remain so we can make predictions based on that “sameness”. By assuming our present behavior will dominate in an uncertain future landscape is a sure fire way to miss the boat.

Finally, the future is not dictated, but rather it’s a metamorphosis of multiple variables. Very rarely is there a guru, top-down predictive nature to the future rather it bubbles up from the bottom. How many music sites and blogs were predicting the rise of Americana influenced folk rock bands like Mumford & Sons, The Lone Bellow and the Lumineers before it exploded commercially? It seems obvious now because of their ubiquitous success but in reality that was built in small venues, fan by fan before anyone mainstream even thought about it. What seems like an obvious shift toward “authentic musicianship” was really a movement from communities of fans who simply loved the music.

Being present is living

“It’s being here now that’s important. There’s no past and there’s no future. Time is a very misleading thing. All there is ever, is the now. We can gain experience from the past, but we can’t relive it; and we can hope for the future, but we don’t know if there is one.” ― George Harrison

This quote says it all. Our future obsession robs us of the mindshare it takes to appreciate, focus on and exploit our present. The present is where our relationships live. The present is where our passions are. The present is where our knowledge is built. We create a healthy and vibrant present by paying attention to these things instead of projecting them into an unknowable future. When we embrace our present we are truly living because we are getting the most from where we are at the moment. This is not to imply that the future is not important. The future is vitally important not only for us but for ensuring a healthy natural and psychological ecosystem for next generations. By self-actualizing our present we begin to take a responsible and empathetic worldview.  Each act in our present shapes the future we wish to see. Increasing our focus on the present ensures a more predictive future.

“For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained. A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away… to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. ” – Yoda

The present requires a mindfulness that can’t be achieved if one is perpetually looking forward. In fact, mindfulness and the present are linked together. Attention to detail, focus on becoming proficient at a skill or craft are all dependent on mindfulness. This is more of a challenge now than ever. We are one click away from constant distraction. We are often engaged in one way conversations describing what the future will look like and guaranteeing success if we merely listen to X, Y or Z. The reality is more complex and hence it requires our absolute attention and focus. If we care as deeply about our future as we claim then we need to do the heavy lifting with our mindfulness. It’s not as sexy to talk about the present but it’s a hell of a lot more necessary than the future.