The Trap of Overthinking the Future
A life philosophy for the uncertainty
As we walked through the National Park in Noosa Heads, Isak asked the group which route we’d like to take for the rest of the hike, but nobody could decide.
As we tossed up the options and their respective pros and the cons, we all became confused and ended up with no decision at all.
There’s a feeling of overwhelm that engulfs us when thinking forward.
It’s the overwhelm we feel when we’re trying to plan for the entire day, week, month, year or even the rest of our life — projecting forward and scanning every possible scenario.
Trying to figure out where your career will end up, for example, makes you feel lost and confused. Your brain becomes overwhelmed, and the progress halts for three reasons:
There are infinite possibilities, and your brain doesn’t know where to start
You don’t know the future circumstances and/or criteria (i.e. it might rain in 1 hour, or you might have different interests in 20 years)
It takes you out of the moment — something our souls do not enjoy
Isak felt the group’s confusion and realised he’d given us too much to think about.
It was like asking us what we wanted for dinner in 15 years.
He decided we would only pick the very next stop and decide the rest of the path when we got there — it was much easier to decide what we wanted in that moment than it was to map out the entire route.
He introduced me to a much better way to approach the future; one step at a time.
Crossing the Bridge When You Get To
“The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion.” —Thích Nhất Hạnh
When I try to think too far in advance, I don’t feel a positive energy, I feel frantic.
But when I decide to think one step at a time, I feel my energy relax. I’m able to make clearer decisions because I’m calm and I have sufficient information about the present moment.
It’s the beauty of the classic idiom:
Cross that bridge when you get to it.
We try to cross the bridge mentally before we’re there, but we don’t know what the bridge is made out of. We don’t know how long it is or where the loose planks of wood are — we don’t even know if the bridge is there to begin with.
Yet we panic about things that will go wrong and run ourselves into the ground trying to foresee the future.
But Isak’s lesson has helped me snap out of that feeling.
When it’s all getting too much, his clarity taught me to focus on each moment and decide that I can reevaluate at the next checkpoint.
It’s a beautiful lesson not just for day-to-day decision-making, but for the life experience in general.
I know what I want to do in the short term. I have 5-year goals and basic personal milestones I want to achieve, and I’m not going to let the future unknowns stop me anymore.
What if it doesn’t work?
What if I don’t like this path in 5 years?
What if global warming kills us all anyway?
What if I fail?
All these questions take me out of the moment and stop me from doing things I feel excited about — and that’s no good.
Maybe global warming will kill us all, or maybe there’s a technology that we can’t imagine yet that will change the trajectory of humankind.
There’s no way to know — so why should I fry my brain trying to think of this future possibility?
A science experience has a hypothesis, but many end up pivoting when something they didn’t foresee reveals itself.
And that’s the thing — there is always unknown.
You don’t know what the future holds, and that’s not what holds us back — it’s actually the key to enjoyment and clarity.
Submit to the unknown of the future and plan for what you currently know. There will always be an opportunity to reevaluate your decisions.
Perfection is the enemy of good — so don’t let future unknowns that prevent you from a perfect plan stop you from executing a good one.
And that’s really all I wanted to talk about.
It’s good to plan ahead for your life as much as you can — put your money in the right place, exercise so you’re not old and frail, and set yourself up for success in the future.
But when you feel the uncertainty of the future stressing you out, detach from it.
Focus on the next checkpoint, and reevaluate once you’re there.
I guarantee Isak’s lesson will give you more serenity, more clarity and more presence — and what a beautiful result that is.
Sincerely,
eren
Follow me on Substack and LinkedIn for short bursts of motivation and peace, and to follow along on my journey of creating the world’s best in-person mindset workshop.
Mr Eren, a great post. Fair to say I have done my fair go of 40-year planning attempts. Jealous of your Noosa escapade. Hope you're well up there in Brissy.
Awesome story man. I remember this stoic quote - "we suffer more in imagination than reality". It's the strength & also the weakness of our mind that we can think, but these it's more of a weakness as we want to know everything in advance, which is impossible. One step at a time is the best strategy.