The luxury of the present

I just got an email from a friend of mine.  She's in her early twenties and just finishing her degree.  She was frustrated at how hard this year had been; she felt that because she lacked a vision for her life, she had floated through the year, without passion, purpose or drive.

It's true, having a clear vision can inspire us and give us all the energy we need to transform that vision into reality.  But it's a luxury we don't always have.  Sometimes, we have live life without the benefit of an inspiring vision.  Where's the gift in that...?

If we knew our future, I suspect that most of us would have one of two reactions.  Either we'd be so excited by that future that we would be unable to concentrate on putting the foundations for that future in place right now.  We'd want to be out there living it. Now!  And by failing to put the foundations in place, we could jeopordise that exciting future.

Or, we may utterly intimidated by that future vision.  It may seem far too big, far too brave and far too wonderful for us.  And so, we may shy away from making decisions that would bring us to that future.  Decisions that, had we taken them with no foreknowledge, would have easily brought us, step by step, to living that big, brave, wonderful life.

Living in the present can be seen as a luxury. 
It allows us to focus on this very moment, free of distraction. 
It invites us to make decisions that are based on our intuition, our passion, our excitement for the sheer joy of revealing ever more of who we are.