I like sunshine and warm days. So my favorite day of the year is December 21 – winter solstice.  This day’s my current favorite because I am strongly future oriented. I know this is the darkest day of the year and from here on it gets lighter (and eventually warmer). Summer solstice is a bit depressing. The beginning of darker days. 

We all have time orientations and our lives are strongly influenced by them.

Time Orientation 

The three basic time categories are Past, Present and Future. Within these basic categories are seven subdivisions — refinements of the way we see life.

What’s your Time Orientation? 

Which of the following statements do you resonate with?

Past Positive

• It gives me pleasure to think about my past.
• Many of  my childhood memories are pleasant.

Past Negative

• Painful past experiences keep replaying in my mind.
• I often think I should have done things differently.

Present Hedonist 

• I tend to like the motto: ‘If it feels good, do it.’
• I often do things impulsively.

Present Fatalist

• Since ‘whatever will be will be’,  it doesn’t matter much what I do. 
• Fate determines most of my life.

Present Holistic

• I’m learning to not regret yesterday or worry about tomorrow.  I pay attention to the now.
• I practice mindfulness meditations. 

Future

• I believe that a person’s day should be planned each morning. 
• When I want to achieve something I set goals and figure out a way to reach them.

Future  Spiritual/ Transcendental

• Death is just a new beginning.
• Only my physical body will ever die. 

Some of these Time Orientations are quite helpful for us — others are not. Here’s what researchers have discovered.

The Most Helpful Time Orientations

Past Positive

•  Provides us a joyful foundation.

Present Holistic

• Gives us a healthy enjoyment of ordinary life.

Future

Is associated with:

• more education
• higher incomes
• healthier bodies
• greater respect from other

Future Spiritual/Transcendental 

• Anchors us in deep significance, a bigger view, and hope.

The Toxic Time Orientations

Past negative 

Present fatalist

•  With both of these orientations we are prone to depression.

The Mixed Bag Time Orientation

Present hedonist

• The helpful part:  Provides pleasure in being alive.
• The unhelpful part: A tendency towards addictions.

Designing a healthy time orientation

Good News: We are not stuck in our current time orientation.  These orientations are learned at an early age, but we can adjust them. 

Adjustment tools for the unhelpful orientations:

To lower Past Negative

• Work on re-framing the past. when you remember a negative event: find a positive message “I made it through” and apply it to the future: “this makes me stronger/resilient”.

To lower Present Fatalist.

• Recall the times in your past when your choices/ actions did matter. 
• Build a stronger future orientation by setting and achieving small goals.

To improve Present Hedonist 

•  Build a stronger future orientation by imagining a better future or by setting and achieving small goals. 
• Move towards Present Holistic by practicing mindfulness or savoring healthy moments.    

Adjusting the helpful time orientations 

The  adjustment challenge of Past Positive, Present Holistic, Future and Future Spiritual is one of balance. Too much of any one orientation can be detrimental to our life. 

My future orientation has been beneficial for me. It’s helped me do well in school, build a house, – get things done that require planning and follow through. But my future orientation is at a hazardously high level, crowding out my Present Holistic orientation. My life would be healthier and happier with a more balanced time orientation. 

A healthy time orientation is about balance. 

Soul Sculpting Project: Building a Healthier  Time Orientation

1. Invite God to join you.
2. Choose a time orientation would you like to increase? 
3. Do the project for that choice:

The Projects:

Past Positive: Spend 2 minutes remembering, viewing pictures, or  journaling, a positive time in your past. 

Present Holistic: B.E.S.T. Breath meditation  about  2 minutes

1- B          Inhale  –   Notice your Body 

• What is happening in your body?
• You might notice your muscles, heart-rate, posture, or the feel of your clothing?

                    Exhale

2- E           Inhale  –  Notice your Environment. 

• What is around you in the here and now?  Enter the present moment in this place.

                   Exhale

3- S            Inhale   –  Note that the Spiritual world surrounds you.

• There is more in the here and now than we can see with our eyes.     Look with eyes of faith. God is in this place with and in us.

                     Exhale

4-  T           Inhale  – Take another breath. . . .:

 Future Spiritual:  Take 2 minutes to ponder what you believe about the big picture future and God’s place in it? What happens when we die? Ponder, journal, draw, or talk with a friend.

Future:  For 2 minutes imagine, draw, or  journal your best possible future self.    Ideas: What are you doing, where are you, what is your body like, who are your friends, how are you connected with God? 

My Times are in Your Hand Ps. 31:15

I am currently happy with my level of Past Positive and Future Spiritual, but I am too high in Future and too low in Present Holistic. I am focusing my effort on raising my Present Holistic. I stop to savor more moments, I schedule time in beautiful places that call me to BE HERE NOW, I create reminder notes to enjoy the present. If I keep at it, maybe by summer solstice I’ll have another favorite day of the year.

Gratitude for the work of: Philip Zimbardo, John Boyd