[Algernon]

Originally Posted by Alex2007

Thinking about what you want your life to be like, can seriously distort your concious awareness and living at present moment.

Shakti Gawain addresses this in the chapter A Spiritual "Paradox" of her book Creative Visualization.

Sometimes people who have studied Eastern philosophy or are on a certain spiritual path feel a hesitation about using creative visualization when they first hear of it. Their conflict comes from the apparent paradox they see between the idea of "being here now," letting go of attachments and desires, and the idea of setting goals and creating what you want in life. I say apparent paradox because, in actuality, there is no contradiction between the two teachings when they are understood on a deeper level. They are both important principles that must be understood and lived in order for you to become a conscious person.

Let us imagine that life is a river. Most people are clinging to the bank, afraid to let go and risk being carried along by the current of the river. At a certain point, each of us must be willing to simply let go, and trust the river to carry us along safely. At this point, we learn to "go with the flow" -- and it feels wonderful.

Once we have become accustomed to being in the flow of the river, we can begin to look ahead and guide our course onward, deciding where the course looks best, steering the way around boulders and snags, and choosing which of the many channels and branches of the river we prefer to follow, all the while still "going with the flow."