Taking the long view: the power of living with the future in mind

I wear contact lenses to correct my near-sightedness. Without them I can’t see clearly more than a few feet in front of my face. For too long I lived like I didn’t have contacts to correct my vision – blind to the possibilities of tomorrow – and I know I’m not alone. While we can’t see what the future holds (nor would we really want to), living without considering the possibilities of the future isn’t wise.

Taking the long view is choosing to continue down a worthwhile road knowing you can’t reach the destination today.

Here’s an example of how this has played out in my life:

My interest in healthy eating began in high school. My parents were regularly trying new diets to improve their own health. I participated in various parts but mostly still ate like a teenager. Then, in college, with the fear of the freshman-fifteen looming large and food choices suddenly all my own, my interest in eating well grew.

In that season I managed to avoid the stereotypical weight gain, but my eating habits were far from strong or consistent. If, at graduation, you’d told me to start eating the way I do today I would have been overwhelmed and unmotivated. You want me to pattern my eating based on where I’m at in my cycle? Make quinoa a staple? Eat more like a hunter-gatherer than a 21st century supermarket shopper?? No way. I cannot make all those changes.

Yet, in the years since I’ve made slower, smaller adjustments and tried new things to arrive where I am today. (And, by the way, I wasn’t intentionally taking the long view at the outset – imagine the progress if I had been more purposeful!)

Looking back at the various iterations of my eating habits is almost comical. Early in our marriage, my husband and I would meal prep together before the start of the work week. Now, cooking for that long at one time (with two toddlers in the house) sounds like a form of torture. Over the years we’ve experimented with a vegetarian diet, spent a good amount of time trying out mediterranean eating and researched anti-inflammatory meal plans. I’ve read a couple of books, tried plenty of recipes online and built a rotation of meals to fall back on.

Staying curious about what worked best for us led us to where we are today. Eating well has become a lifestyle rather than a fad or diet. But that could not have happened overnight.

That’s the power of taking the long view.

We humans, at least in my North American context, tend to overestimate what we can accomplish in one year and at the same time neglect to imagine how much we could achieve in five or ten years with some intentionality and focus.

It’s early January as I write. Tis the season of resolutions, ambitions and dreams. So, I ask: what worthwhile path have you determined to start or continue down knowing the road is long and perhaps even winding?

Taking the long view is in many ways an act of rebellion. It is counter cultural. The microwave and instant messaging are now old technologies, yet their impact remains. Our world doesn’t like to wait, and the façade of overnight success tempts even the most disciplined among us. This year I’m regularly reminding myself to take the long view – to stay curious, to lean into growth even when its comfortable (because it often is) and to continue down the worthwhile road.