The usually accepted thinking, is that the past shapes our present. We look into history to understand who we are. We even have a maxim in digital communications that goes “the best prediction of the next sample, is the immediately prior one”. All of these are logic and have elements of truth. However, if you want to change things, you have to believe that the present is shaped by the future.
One analogy that helps to understand this logic is sailing.
I am by no means a good sailor, if I would be out at sea alone, I’ll probably just drift away with the current. Whenever I have gone out to sea on a sailboat, I have mostly relied on friends who are experienced skippers, but still, I have been on a few outings.
Out at sea, the wind can blow in almost any direction. And on a given day, even when we may want to sail in different directions, the wind will blow only in one.
The way a skipper brings the boat to its destination, is with intent. With the tiller, the pilot points the boat in the direction they want to sail. Then, the sail is adjusted, according to the wind’s circumstances, to an angle that delivers power in that direction. Tiller first, sail second. Intent first, circumstances second.
The tiller points to the future, the sail deals with the present. The future shapes the present.