Time Orientation

Many people have their own ways of viewing past, present, and future orientations. They may agree and/or disagree with each orientation in their view. The first one is past-oriented, which basically means to be mostly concerned with the past. It can have both its positive and negative effect on one’s life. The next one is to be present-oriented which means to be in the moment. Basically it is when all of your concern is now and not worrying about the past or the future. The last one is to be future-oriented; having a mindset of the future. These are the people that are planning for years ahead, either for themselves or their families. Those are all of the aspects of each individual view of past, present, and future orientations. To be past-oriented can have its positive and negative effects on your life. For example, in the positive sense, you can reflect on a graduation day. For me it was an unforgettable day. It brings back nostalgic memories on how far I've come. Other societies may look towards the past for inspiration, motivation, guidance and direction. On the other hand, reflecting on the past can be as unpleasant. Most people have loved ones that passed away. They spend numerous months reflecting on the times they spent with that person. That can keep the person in a state that isn't productive. They can be deprived of their ability to cope with others. People may come up to them and they might just not speak to the person, even though it’s been months since the person passed. While some are able to distance themselves from the concrete reality of the immediate situation, with its temptations, while focusing on their obligations, contractual arrangements, and standard operating procedures. Those are all of the marvelous and unfavorable aspects of being past-oriented.

Present-oriented is to be focused mainly in the moment at hand. It ultimately is not worrying about the past or future. For example, a person may be focus in the present by worrying about their test they have that day (at school) or their job duties once they’re at work. They don't take in consideration of the long term effects. Just thinking on the present can hold you to that moment; you can't see what's beyond. Another example is that of young adults. They are more into the present, rather than being focused on the future. In addition, many of us will participate in activities that are fun now, but we don't really work hard for securing success in the future. Many societies that are present-oriented see the past as something that has passed and the future as uncertain to them. They also believe that what is done is done and that tomorrow may never come so they better just be focused on today. These people tend to be narrowly focused on what is rather than what might be, or used to be. Ultimately they prefer short-term benefits and immediate benefits. Those are all of the details on how other people view present orientation and how it is assessed.

To be future-oriented is to have a mindset in the future. These are the type of people planning for tomorrow, when their currently in the present. In my perspective, this is acceptable because the future should be planned. For instance, a father of two has a job as being a part owner of a fortune 500 company. Out of all the money that he makes, he puts 30% of his annual pay in a special account. He is thinking about his children's future; their schooling and how they should manage themselves (should anything happen to him). He is being productive in thinking about tomorrow and beyond. Others may view it as having a great deal of optimism about the future. They believe that they can understand it and can mold it into their own actions. They are more curious as to what the future holds, so they seek it. They are able to avoid temptations and distractions that are perceived as short-term inducements or time wasting, such as play and other consummator activities, when there is work to be done or tasks that are needed done. Much of their behavior is primarily an instrumental means to goal attainment. On the down side, the future-oriented person is unable to enjoy present, transient, consumable activities and experiences. Most of the time they are labeled as wasting time. They may have more difficulty than others when it comes to intimate relationships since they thrive on control and predictability. There are many aspects towards past, present, and future orientation. Present-oriented is to be focused mainly in the moment at hand. It ultimately is not worrying about the past or future. While present-oriented is to be focused mainly in the moment at hand. It is not worrying about the past or future. Future-oriented is to have a mindset in the future. These are the type of people planning for tomorrow, when their currently in the present. All of these are all suitable to focus on. It can be beneficial to one person and not the other. Most of them are to me, what about you?