An Absent Mind

Life is a blessing but it can be hard to find a balance between being present in the moment at the same time we're pursing goals and dreams. The movie titled, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is an interesting movie about a man who is increasingly lost in his own imagination until it ends up taking him on a big adventure, far away from his everyday, ordinary life of working in an office.

While it’s healthy to pursue goals and achieve accomplishments, it’s hard to know when to stop, slow down, and enjoy the rewards. Additionally, the goals are best when they’re rooted in something meaningful. If the primary purpose of accomplishing anything is to maintain self-esteem or feel valuable, then we will forever be left grasping at insatiable, selfish desires. These kinds of pursuits will not only waste energy on fruitless endeavors, but also take us away from enjoying what’s to be had here, in this present moment.

If I were to go through my old journals from my youth, and revisit the goals and dreams I had written at that time, I would find many dreams I would currently regard as completely vain. Many of my goals were focused on making myself look valuable in front of others or were a means to simply feel proud of myself. It’s not wrong to feel pleased about accomplishments, but if the entire purpose of the goal is to feel validated and smug, then such selfishness isn’t going to do much, if anything, to help the world be a better place.

Of course, many people couldn’t care less about altruistic and wouldn’t think twice about making the world a better place. Selfish desires, greed, and jealousy come easily and naturally to our instincts. However, greed, lust, and other related base instincts really don’t lead to any satisfaction, but instead bring us further from it.

We often don’t change our mindset until we experience the higher level of joy, happiness, and peace that results from doing something for others and making a contribution to improve the world. This type of shift is seldom made apart from a spiritual understanding and respect comes as a result.

While it may seem honorable to be ambitious and have a desire to improve, the world needs you now – your family and friends need you now. If you feel unhappy with who you are, then go and make the changes necessary, but avoid getting lost in dreams that serve no other purpose than to tell yourself, “Now I’m important.”

Dreams shouldn’t take us away from the present moment but should be lived in the present moment. Happiness isn’t a fleeting experience, and it’s not found in some far away place. The absent mind creates distance and stunts growth and the process of development in relationships. We would benefit from moving forward, while being mindful to keep our attention present to the experiences that come our way.

For further information, please check out: A Moment Last Only Once.