Taylor Wallace
4y ago
Writing about my journey getting sober, building tech companies, and pivoting into a simpler life owning and operating dog daycares
Mindfulness for Creators + Career Obsessed Planners 101.
I've spent 10+ years in tech and finance obsessing over the present and the future.
And I believe the only way to find peace is to live in the here and now.
Here's how to do both at the same time🧵👇
Most self-help programs, meditation frameworks, and mental health hacks share the same advice: live in the present to reduce stress and anxiety.
That's hard to do when you're trying to pick the next great crypto bet or devise the next great Doritos commercial.
As Ram Dass said, “be here now, doing this now, now” and expand consciousness.
If you’ve practiced mindfulness, you’ll hopefully have experienced the power of the now. All we can ever control is what is happening at this moment.
If you've had any success, you've probably thought about the past (your own, and the world's) to make decisions today that lead to a future you imagined for yourself and the world...
AND...nearly all of the problems we think we have are based on the future and the past.
On some level saying “what if” represents a lack of faith in powers greater than myself. “Should have” is then playing God, an attempt to manage and control the most uncontrollable thing in the universe - the past.
Neither is wise or earnest.
If all I do is sit on the meditation pillow and absorb the present, I can’t solve any of the big problems in the world that need solving.
I won’t save any money, advance in my career, or learn from the mistakes of the past to build a better future.
I’ve worked in tech and finance, two fields where you attempt to learn from the past and plan, create, and profit from the future.
It's daunting to live in the present moment when you’re trying to harness history and potentiality.
I spend a lot of time in spreadsheets, looking at financial projections and past performance.
At that moment, I’m obsessing about the future and the past.
But actively - I’m here now, entering data into a cell, coming up with equations now, now.
You can find flow and immerse yourself in action that is ABOUT the past or the future. The action is happening now.
That’s not playing what-if or should have - that’s real and important present-day work.
I run marathons and triathlons. They require a TON of thinking about the future.
You don't get to 26.2 miles without a plan. So you find a program that spans over 16 weeks.
And you run every day, losing yourself in the present moment.
That builds to the finish you imagined.
Turn the past and the future into present moment actions.
Obsessing over "what if" or "should have" steals my current joy.
Reviewing past performance or writing down my goals IS living in the present moment.
So how do you live in the present while learning from the past and planning for the future?
You focus the past and the future on the data that lives in a single cell in a spreadsheet.
You turn planning and retrospection into current-day action.
If you enjoyed this, check out more of my writing at https://typeshare.co/taywall
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