Oh the joy, the sheer delight of planning. Doesn’t your heart skip a beat at the thought of it? No, then read on!

For a successful lifestyle, planning is of major importance. Whether you’re planning a wedding, buying a house, changing jobs, or trying to figure out what preschool or college your child is going to can be stressful. Looking ahead can lead to anxiety and over planning.

Wisdom is setting goals for what you want in the future. Living in the here and now, step by step, helps you accomplish those goals. The tension is in your motives, lifestyle, and trauma related issues that can stop you in your tracks or turn you into a zila.

Day-to-day anxiety can come from focusing too much on the future. It may stem from concentrating on situations that are out of your control. If you struggle with being a micromanager, it’s even harder.

A fascinating and informative article from Greater Good Magazine called How Thinking About the Future Makes Life More Meaningful states:

“Mindfulness is all the rage these days, and for good reason. Focusing on the moment can improve our well-being, foster compassion, and help our relationships. What about going beyond the present moment? Yes, thinking about the future can trigger anxiety—but a growing body of research suggests that it can also make our lives more meaningful”.

The article suggests four approaches that prospecting or thinking about the future makes life more meaningful:

• Helps us make more prudent decisions
• Motivates us to achieve our goals
• Improves psychological well-being
• Makes us more kind and generous.

All four ways contain Biblical principles:

• In Matthew 25: 2-13, Jesus teaches in the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the five who planned for the future are prudent and the five that didn’t were unwise.
• Proverbs 21:5 says “The plans of the diligent certainly lead to advantage, but everyone who is in a hurry certainly comes to poverty.” NASB
• 3 John 1:2 Exhorts “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” NASB
• 2 Cor 9: 9: Paul teaches, “Just as the Scriptures say about the one who trusts in Him: Because he has sown extravagantly and given to the poor, his kindness and generous deeds will never be forgotten.” The Passion

Abundance and Scarcity Mindsets outlines worldviews that either help or harm your ability to make wise decisions. Responding from a poverty mindset or one set on a future and hope determines the outcome.

So, when you feel distressed, maybe it’s because you’re worrying about the future. Noticing if your chest and shoulders are tight and holding your breath in challenging times tells you you’re anxious or frightened. So, Breathe Deep and do something you enjoy, such as Flying a Kite in the Face of Destruction, which grounds you in the here and now and allows your inner child to come out and play.

What steps do you need to take to quit focusing on future circumstances you can’t control? What worldviews do you need to change or put in to place? Maybe you just need to take time to play.