The path to Tranquility (summer)
79. Creating a better tomorrow with actions
Tomorrow is only a day away from today, it doesn't seem far, and we often
place our hopes on tomorrow. However, when today becomes yesterday, and
tomorrow becomes today, we find that everything today is created by us
yesterday. At the same time, we also find that cherishing today is far
better than waiting for tomorrow. Life is full of possibilities, and we have
the power to shape life. Therefore, if we have a beautiful vision for
tomorrow, we can start to realize it today and create a better tomorrow with
actions.
A better tomorrow is not an extension of the past, but something new we create. If we recall past situations and project them into tomorrow, it is equivalent to dreaming. In fact, no matter how persistent we are, past situations cannot be reproduced, so we cannot reach the tomorrow in our dreams. Even if we look forward to it very much, this dream cannot become a reality, and the more we look forward to it, the more likely it is to turn into regret.
For example, when we are unhappy, we may think: "It doesn't matter if you are unhappy today, just be happy tomorrow." However, this way of thinking will only trap us in procrastination, and we will not take action to change our emotions, which reduces the possibility of being happy tomorrow. Furthermore, we have no control over what happens tomorrow. We may not wake up tomorrow, so this procrastination will only waste time and create regrets.
The essence of life is the possession of time and space, so our most precious property is today. If we give up today for tomorrow, then we are ignoring reality for illusions, which is not worth it. Expectation is our desire to control the world, and it is also a disguised form of waiting. When we pay too much attention to our subjective assumptions, we may ignore the changes in the objective environment. So we should also let go of expectations.
Today may be the last day of our life. If we don’t seize today, we will not only miss today, but we may also lose the opportunity to wait for tomorrow. Study hard, work hard, or sing and dance to our heart's content, we can do anything today as long as it is good for the body and mind. In this way, a better tomorrow will become today more quickly.
Waiting is sometimes inevitable, but passive waiting may cause us to lose valuable opportunities. Passive waiting means that we are in a state of confusion, accompanied by hesitation and anxiety, and lack of grasp of reality. This kind of waiting also makes us lose the sense of control over time and makes us feel that time passes very slowly. If we must wait, we can use the time we wait to increase consciousness. For example, when waiting for the arrival of our lover on a date, instead of looking around anxiously, we can think about how to develop the relationship and so on. This is an active form of waiting.
Active waiting does not mean recklessness, but it does mean that we have the courage to act. We can be prepared and ready to act when the opportunity arises. As long as we wait proactively and act courageously, we can achieve success today. Even if we fail today, we will not feel that time was wasted, but will feel that we are one step closer to success. By creating the possibility for ourselves to succeed, we won’t be discouraged by today’s failures.
Moreover, every action is a learning and exercise, and a necessary building block for tomorrow's life. It also means we have opportunities to grow. When we learn new skills, it is not only learning, but also exercising willpower and patience, and making consciousness more complete. And observing our own growth today, we will also feel happy and have more strength to move forward. This inner joy is more important than external success in shaping who we are tomorrow, and will make us more mature and resilient.
The external environment is constantly changing and may become unfavorable for survival. But when we have mature consciousness and tenacious perseverance, we can overcome most difficulties. Unlike our distant ancestors, we respond to our circumstances with awareness and reason rather than coincidence and habit. Therefore, to make tomorrow more secure, we need to start today to raise awareness, exercise our thinking, and develop the ability to adapt to the environment.
In fact, even if we could spend our whole lives waiting for tomorrow, we don't have enough reason to wait. Because what can always come is today, not tomorrow. If we feel we have a goal that we must wait for, then we should consider whether there is really a reason to wait. For example, we may feel we must wait for an ideal partner before we can develop an intimate relationship. But the ideal partner is not someone we can wait for, but someone we cultivate through interaction in the process of participating in social activities.
Therefore, we should cherish today and create a better tomorrow with actions today. Set some small goals for our daily life, focus on achieving them, and let them become the basis for big goals. For example, write a learning experience every day, and eventually compile it into a book. Or practice a song in multiple small sections, and finally play a complete song. As long as we make full use of time, we can grow every day. If we create some small joys for ourselves every day, it will accumulate into a real sense of happiness. When we are full of actions instead of waiting today, full of creation instead of fantasy, then, our tomorrow is likely to be more fulfilling and satisfying.
80. Sincerely entrusting ourselves to the universe
