Trying to live in the here and now

The other day I came across a great quote by Emerson in which he said that "We are always getting ready to live but never living." My personality seems alot like that quote. For me it seems like the future is always looming ahead of me....tbis is when you respond, "Well no shit it is!" I think we aspire alot of times to do better or look forward to that moment when someday we are "better." Sometimes I think I lose sight of the fact that a worthwhile life is one in which we're living in the here and now. I want to learn from my past but at this point I dont want to let the "future" exist as common thought...thats all it is...thoughts. I think it should be a major goal to start putting together collections of "here and now" moments for my life. Planning ahead is helpful, dont get me wrong their, but look at two of its numerous definitions:

1. A scheme, program, or method worked out beforehand for the accomplishment of an objective: a plan of attack. (worked out beforehand...how can you work out what hasnt happened beforehand)

2. In perspective rendering, one of several imaginary planes perpendicular to the line of vision between the viewer and the object being depicted. (imaginarey???hmm)

I guess my point is that plans never go exactly according, they just don't. We can plan all we want, but when it alcomes down to it the big common missing link to staying on your path has to do with your purpose. A purpose driven life doesnt necessarily dictate your future, it more or less serves as your present guideline for your here and now moments. If your purpose is to be happy than you should be smiling now. Notice how I didn't say "happier."... Which would connotate a past and future self. Be happy. Be happy. Be happy...its that simple. We become so goal oriented and comparative with everything we do that we forget what we are actually doing. Today I had an athlete come in and train. Athletes come in to get better...they think, "man someday I'm going to be this big time scholarship player and I'm going to run a 4.3 40 yard dash." Its that goal, that goal, that goal, that drives us. Your so obsessed with that goal that you lose fact of where you are. People want to think about the goal and the journey to get their. How does a pilot fly in the dark or in the middle of a storm? They have a purpose in the air and thats to fly the plane, it isnt to land the plane. Thats way to far ahead...plus you cant see the runway. So what do you do to get their...you pay attention to where you are at. You use your values and principles that are with you in the here and the now. No matter which way you want to look at it the plane is going to land. Pilots wont look ahead to far. They have faith that if they stick to their here and now moments, the plane is going to land when it is supposed to. So question yourself, What are you doing right now? Did you remember thinking about that when you were a kid. No. You went out and played and fell asleep and ate and you just went out and did and you didnt necessarily think. You lived in the here and now. You were flying your own plane and you had a certain blind pilot faith.