Past, Present, Future: How I Use Time to Shape My Life

Time moves whether I pay attention or not. Every second, the future becomes the present, and the present slides into the past. That simple motion gives me a way to think about my life. My past is everything that has already happened. My present is the only place I can act. My future is still unknown. The longer I live, the bigger my past becomes, and the more material I must learn from. ⁠⁠⁠⁠​

The flow that never stops

I picture time as a conveyor belt. What was out ahead of me a moment ago was suddenly under my feet, and the ground behind me is growing with every step. The past always grows. The present never stands still. The future keeps arriving and changing shape the moment it gets here. This is true for people, families, cities, and countries. It is also true for the small things I do every day. ⁠⁠⁠⁠​

What the past is for

I cannot edit the past, but I can study it. My past is a library of lessons. If an approach failed me before, I try not to repeat it. Doing the same thing again and expecting different results wastes time and energy. Instead, I ask what I can learn, what I can change, and what I should stop. The goal is not to erase mistakes. The goal is to get smarter because of them. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​