These are the ‘worlds’ we live in:
The World Past;
The World Present;
The World Future;
The World Feared;
Fantasy Worlds.
Where do most people live the majority of the time? Would it surprise you to hear – all over the place? Research has shown that most people’s attention span, for the largest part of the day, is not anchored in any of these ‘worlds’ but run all over the place. They would think about something that happened in the past, only to have their reminiscence interrupted by something that requires attention in the present, which is soon sidelined by a takeoff to tomorrows list of to-do’s and goals, only to make a quick landing on the world of fear and worry, and off we go to a bit of fantasy relief. Of course, these places are not visited in any particular order or even in an ordered sequence. Point is, we, by and large, don’t settle down anywhere for any extended period of time.
So is that a good or bad thing? Well, that depends on your travel pattern (in which world do you spend the bulk of your time); and your travel itinerary (what do you focus on while you are where you are).
To elaborate:
The best world to make your home base is the present. We cannot change the past, control the future, what we fear and worry about rarely happens, and as wonderful as your fantasy world may be, making it the world where you spend the greatest part of your day will be detrimental to your prosperity, and possibly even your relationships and health.
So for your home base, choose reality, as for your travel itinerary:
Visit the Past only to take lessons from it, or to replenish your joy in happy memories.
Imagine the Future only long enough to make your short-, mid-, and long term plans.
Do not make more than a brief stop on the world of Worry. Quickly guestimate the probability of the feared outcome actually happening and if you feel it realistically has a good chance of happening, then use your time to develop a plan of action, should it happen, rather than just continue to sight see the feared situation.
When on your home planet of the Present, focus on what is good and positive in your life, focus on what needs to be done.
As for the world of Fantasy, whether it is your own imagination, video games, books, or movies – make sure that whatever you choose, its impact on your life is in some way positive. And it can be: you can solve problems in your imagination, learn about yourself, overcome fears and negative emotions; you can develop skills with video games; and a good book or movie can be a good stress reliever.
If you don’t take control of your travels, you leave your travel plans to your brain, which will haphazardly drag you from one place to the next as an external or internal memory trigger is activated. And all too often these triggers are based in the negative and the feared. Leaving your brain in charge of your travels will invariably lead to an unhappy life, an unfulfilled life, and one that is far less productive and fruitful than it could have been.
If a happy, fulfilled, and productive life is your goal – become your own travel agent.
Travel well, fellow sojourner,
Reen