Many of us spend too much time anticipating our future. The problem, is the lens through which we view the future is very dim. It is hard to know the future, hard to predict with any certainty what will happen tomorrow. The real trouble is that we get our hearts set on things which are not assured. Getting our hearts (and our minds) overly committed to an unpredictable future can lead us to make some pretty bad decisions. Further, it can lead to a life of habitual frustration about things not turning out the “way they are supposed to be”, as if there was some promise made to us about what our destiny is.

I am leaving for a trip to the Dominican Republic tomorrow and I have a flight itinerary from our travel agency. To read the itinerary, you would think that the flight times (down to the minute) were some sort of guarantee. However, those of us that have ever done any traveling know that often that flight itinerary is just a bunch of wishful thinking. And many times as an international traveler you learn the hard way that you get to control a total of NONE of what happens when you are on the road. Flights get canceled, luggage gets lost, weather goes bad and the plans you made are only as good as the next immediate leg of your trip.

Early in my international travel career I had the privilege of flying with several very seasoned travelers. As a result, I learned a new rule about travel: “go with the flow”. From the time I leave the house, until the time I arrive back home (i.e “door-to-door”), I work very hard to simply take things as they come and enjoy the journey as much as I possibly can. Sure, I may end up stranded in an airport for hours on end. Perhaps running from one gate to another trying to make the next available flight. But, remembering that you don’t get to control what happens, but you do get to control your attitude and emotions.

The same applies to life. Planning is fine (and often necessary), but worrying about tomorrow and the things that you cannot control is pointless and leads to misery and frustration. Enjoy the journey. Live in the now, and don’t worry so much about tomorrow. Adjust to the constant ebb and flow of the river of life and try not to become frustrated when the journey takes you somewhere new. Often the best experiences (and restaurants) can be found down an alley you would not have gone down on your own.