Marcus Aurelius (121- 180AD) wrote: "Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present."
It strikes me that each of us has our own unique mix of focus on the present, the past and the future.
In my case I’ve always liked the cliché that the car windscreen is bigger than the rear view mirror…where we are headed is so much more important than what we have left behind in determining the next ‘present’ period. We are all affected by dreams, but we get trapped either by the regret for the past or in the routine of the present. The greatest pull on me I now realise is the pull of the future
Where do you live usually; past, present or future? Which time is the time you rarely visit in your head? You’ll possibly find it’s the time where you feel most pain. Bad memories from the past, anxiousness about the future, or hurt in the moment.
I’m not sure there is a right way to be, but I suspect understanding ourselves might help.