Throughout my life, I was taught by many people to 'deal with the here and now.' They meant well, but I wondered if they really thought about what they were preaching to me. Would dealing with the here and now help me deal with life's unpleasant surprises that seem to come out of nowhere? Time goes by so fast, it doesn't even feel like a year has gone by to me. That's why I believe it helps to think ahead. Having a plan helps build a 'pathway' to the best life you want for yourself.

Life is a pathway, but we don't know where this path leads us unless we look in the direction the path is taking us. Thinking ahead will help us scan the possibilities of our destiny. I believe strongly that the more a destiny is overlooked, the more difficult it will be to accept. How many times have we asked ourselves 'why did this happen to me?' The reason we have all probably said this was not because 'shit happens' but because we didn't pay close enough attention to how our choices in the past would affect our present and future.

Thinking Ahead is not only a mental process, it's a physical process. Therefore, Thinking Ahead can be as simple as scheduling our college classes at the earliest time possible. Thinking Ahead is not about forgetting the past or ignoring the present, it's about improving the future. Thinking Ahead is like looking at an ocean and although unable to tell what's on the other side, we know enough to dodge the big shark in the middle.

Thinking Ahead is not only opening your mind, it's expanding it. Thinking Ahead enables you to prevent situations that will be harmful to your relationships. Thinking Ahead will not just help you overcome your fears, it will help you seek them out, or even prevent them before they mess with your goals. Thinking Ahead is using the main ingredients of time (past, present and future) to your advantage. Thinking Ahead not only empowers you, it protects you.

With that in mind, write down a list of how you view all your relationships and then how you would like to view them. Write about what things will probably be in the way. For each 'what if' concept, examine the likelihood of the event occurring. Give yourself as much time as you need, but make your goals significant to your own happiness. If you think you need one week to work on not being lazy, that's fine. If you think you need one year- that's okay too.

Check back over your list once in awhile to see not only how you thought, but if you thought ahead.

© Sam Leonard
Life Channels Staff Writer
All Rights Reserved

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