Can you predict the future?

Are you a prophet or a fortune teller? Would you describe yourself as someone with psychic powers who can predict the future? Sometimes, you might try to act like one by predicting bad things happening to you, such as making a mistake in front of a group or losing your job. You warn yourself, “Beware! Don’t go, don’t try, don’t bother, you’ll muck it up.”

This is just your survival instinct at work. You try to predict whether something wrong or dangerous might happen so you can be more prepared to stay safe. But what if you have too much anticipation? Would you see your future as doom and gloom, or view yourself as weak?

People often say, “You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” or “Leave tomorrow’s worries when tomorrow comes.” Did that help? Why are you still stuck imagining yourself failing?

Instead of telling yourself to stop thinking, which is like telling your instinct not to work, try focusing on predicting something good will happen, something you will do tomorrow. People call this “planning.”

When you plan something nice for yourself tomorrow, like going for a run or reading a book, you are more likely to do it. However, some may feel that even if they’ve made plans, they still struggle to commit to them and later feel regretful.

Remind yourself: you are not a fortune teller. You never know what will come up tomorrow. The point is, imagining actions that aligns with your goals and interests, is the first step of change. Without imagination, you wouldn’t even notice the options available to you when tomorrow arrives.

Your mind is a fairly good prediction machine, even if it’s not perfect. You can tweak it to work in your favour. Make yourself predict more positive things happening and more healthy activities you’ll be doing. Eventually, when the right timing comes, you’ll give yourself more chances to make choices that are meaningful and fulfilling.

Can I predict what I’ll do tomorrow? “I’ll notice one thing that I’m grateful for”.