Waiting for a Future I’m Already Experiencing: How I’m Missing My Life While I Wait for It
- Nina Ranieri
- May 12
- 2 min read
Time has started to feel less like something we live through and more like something we're always trying to get over with. From Monday to Friday, or from one school break to the next, I keep looking towards the next pause or moment of rest.
It becomes easy to fall into a pattern of constantly looking ahead. When you’re constantly looking forward, the present becomes something we're just trying to fast-forward through without really noticing it. We are not waiting for the future — we’re assuming that it hasn’t started yet.
For students, this pattern often shows up when waiting for a big test, a vacation, or the weekend after a stressful week. The mindset of “after this, I’ll be able to relax,” or “once this week is over, things will get better,” feels comforting — but it doesn’t last long. There will always be another deadline, another busy week,another Monday you have to go to class. And looking even further, this cycle continues:after graduation, there's college; after college there’s work.
If we keep waiting to enjoy our lives “until later,” we may never reach that later. Will you spend your teenage years waiting until retirement to have fun? By the time the future you’re waiting for arrives, you may have already missed your entire life.
This constant anticipation can lead to symptoms related to anxiety — restlessness, burnout, or emotional exhaustion. Moments you should be enjoying don't feel fun because you are already thinking about what comes next. Small but joyful moments get ignored because “you can only relax after this test.” Our routines and day-to-day aren't seen as parts of our lives but instead obstacles we have to get through. If we aren’t present in every moment, we lose track of what matters most.
The future you are waiting for has already arrived — you are living it. There's this idea that life finally starts when something external happens: graduating, starting a relationship, moving, or experiencing a glow up. But these milestones won't magically change your life.
You don’t wake up with a different reality just because you hit a milestone. These moments often pass quickly and nothing changes, because you are already focused on what comes next.If you are always looking ahead, you’ll likely overlook even your biggest achievements.
Instead, focus on what’s here and happening now. Enjoy the taste of your favorite meal. Spend time with a friend. Go for a walk. Your life is mostly made of these small moments, so you have to learn to enjoy them. As John Lennon said in his song Beautiful Boy, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” The best parts of life are what happens in between.Practice noticing what’s good right now, before thinking about what comes next. Your life is not the version you are waiting for — It’s the one you’re already living.
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