Do You Think About the Future or the Past?

Posted byVanya Wryter ConsultingPosted inLifestyleTags:, , , , , , , ,
Daily writing prompt
Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?
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You can tell someone’s age by how much they think about the future or the past.

I’ve noticed that teenagers and people in their twenties talk about the future as if there is a lot of time ahead of them. They have post-secondary education goals, first career-related job discussions, and first romantic relationships. They ask questions such as: How do I start my career? How do I know if he likes me? How do I know if she’s my future spouse? Where should I travel? The world seems new and they want to try things out and explore it. Sometimes they act like they are invincible. They have memories of childhood, school, and first-time life experiences.

People who have reached middle age seem to talk equally about the future and the past. They realize they shouldn’t waste what time they have left. Either they are at the peak of their career and financial stability or they plan to get there soon. Their children are grown or will be grown. They are thinking about retirement plans. Fighting the aging process themselves while taking care of aging parents. Behind them, they have more memories and years than they did in their twenties. They remember friendships and romances that didn’t work out. They’ve been to weddings and funerals. They fondly remember what it was like to be young and invincible back when they didn’t hear of so many tragedies. Most importantly, they feel empowered by their life experience.

Seniors talk about the past a lot. They reminisce about how life used to be, how much things used to cost, and all the wonderful memories of the people they had known and the places they had been over the years. Their memories are like a finished book that they can open and read. They value the preciousness of time because the chances they had to accomplish what they could are mostly behind them. Seniors in their 90s and 100s value each additional morning because they don’t know how many more of them they have remaining.

So to return to the question, “Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past?” I think it depends on the individual, but certainly, your age affects how long the path stretches ahead of you and how far it goes behind you.

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153 thoughts on “Do You Think About the Future or the Past?”

  1. Alot of people think of the future but just regular procrastination instead of actually doing something.
    As for those thinking about the past, most of them end up being depressed which cost them their future as they end up sticking to the past rather than handing the real-time issues.

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  6. I don’t necessarily agree because I’ve always thought about the past as much as I’ve thought about the future. I tend to remind myself of things I’ve overcome, whether it is something I had difficulty learning during my studies, or a personal struggle. So whenever I face something difficult or annoying I remind myself of something similar that I mastered or overcame. It’s like a self-motivation tool for me and it does wonders for me.

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  7. I think about the past a lot. I think a lot about the future as well but after about 15-20 minutes of deliberating and allowing this question sink in, it’s the past I think about more, if but by a hair. I say that because I am a bit of an optimist and dreamer and this tends to have me thinking about the future and what I might do to get there. I’m not sure if I’d be lying to myself if I said that I think about them equally. The more I mull that over my mind slowly spirals and tries to find justification to lean one way of the other but again, I probably think about the past a lot. I think about things I have left unresolved, I think about where I went wrong in relationships, I think about about how much better of a son I should have been. I think about buying lottery tickets sometimes, but I never do. This is a good question. I probably should have just left a simple hello but my fingers came up with this ramble and if nobody minds, I’m going to wish everyone well. Thanks for the likes and visits.

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  8. I totally agree that age has something to do with our thinking. I am beyond 70 and my circle is mostly my age and each time we see each other, we talk of the good old days. I get to know some of my friends childhood only now

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  14. I think this is mostly true. Although, as someone who has ALWAYS a been the nostalgic sort, I used to think of my childhood days a lot while still in my early twenties. Peculiar sort that I am.

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  17. Great and insightful blog post Vanya. I enjoyed reading it and I can fairly say, yes, as a young man aged 24 I do think about the future because I believe what is coming is better than what is lost. I am not perfect because as young as I am, I make mistakes, I do some wrong when I know it is not okay and I try to do good.

    I guess we all make mistakes. Anyways, as 2024 has started I think and ponder about the future. Only God knows what lies ahead.

    Thanks for this eye opener of a post🙏

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  19. I’m only 56 but I look at the future. I’ve dealt with my past. I’ve lived a lifetime in my short amount of years in mountain highs and valley lows. The key was to use each step of the journey to learn and move forward. Doing so has allowed me to have the knowledge to give to others (such as my 93 year old neighbor) of my time and care as everyday is another blessing to create bonds, experience whatever is in front of you, make the most of every minute and then to share that Joy and Love with as much passion and with as many people as each finite 24 hour day will allow you to. Blessings and wisdom to everyone who reads this!

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  20. I tend to think more about the future because I’m approaching middle age, but I’m also reaching an age where things I grew up with are considered nostalgia, which certainly makes me think about the old days, as well 🙂

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  22. What an insightful blog post! I’m currently living with my 82-year-old great-aunt and she says frequently that she thanks God every morning for allowing her to wake up for another day. The way you worded her reasoning for that is so eloquent. Thank you for sharing your wonderful views on the topic.

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  28. I often find myself reminiscing about music and TV, as my blog definitely attests, but as a music reviewer I also love finding new music and keeping as up to date as I can. One of my favourite artists, Karmaa, is a rapper from Texas! In other areas of life, however, I definitely see myself rooted in the past and I feel as though it’s a habit I might do well to get out of.

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  32. Ohkay- just a thought, imagine if the roles were reversed, like what if young adults only thought about their past(that would prolly make the world more depressing ngl)
    And what if the elder people thought about future as if they had all the time in the world, i think that would make living more interesting haha, just saying~

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