27 Jan Ask Your Future Self What You Want Today
You ever experience that moment when you’re lying in bed at 3 AM and thinking about all your regrets and mistakes? Cringe.
Maybe you got an awful (yet hilarious for others) tattoo one boozy spring break. Or maybe it’s something you can still fix today, like regretting not learning Spanish when you were in school.
At one point in time, we were our past selves. You may have envisioned yourself following a certain career path, but instead, you drifted along – impassive – as if life would do the work for you. But rarely, do we ever end up where we thought we would.
While the future is uncertain, we can still adopt the right habits and mindset to plan for our futures. People often focus on where they want to be or what they want in life. However, what we should seek to answer is who we want to be. After all, the only person we can truly rely on is ourselves.
So, the question is, what can you do today that your future self will thank you for?
Define Your “Why”
Each morning, the alarm on your smartphone goes off; the blaring sound is like nails on a chalkboard. You think about throwing it against the wall but remind yourself phones now cost a month’s worth of rent.
Every day we have the ability to make a conscious choice about how we act, behave, and show up – at work, in your relationships, and in life. It’s easy to become complacent or find yourself caught in a monotonous and motionless routine.
The key? Find what drives you. What are your beliefs? What inspires you? Is there a cause you stand behind? Know who you are, what you value, and what you stand for.
Whether it’s traveling more, starting your own YouTube channel, or changing careers, it’s important to invest in the things that’ll bring you pride and joy as you go through life.
Remember, life’s short.
Why not make every moment matter?
Having a purpose is powerful; it’s ultimately what fuels your passions.
Stop eyeing your Waze app like it’s going to give you the exact directions for finding your “why.” You have to look inside yourself.
When you take time to peel back all your layers and discover what truly drives you down to your very core, it’ll light a fire inside you. Those flames are where you draw strength from and they’ll provide the light needed to guide you along the way.
You want to look back when you’re older and smile at the choices you made and the memories you created.
Invest in Yourself
While life can be (majorly) chaotic, when you’re older or choose to retire, you’ll want to feel appreciative of the decisions you made in your youth – both financially and personally. You better believe your future self will look back on you with contempt if you choose to be fiscally irresponsible. You don’t have to make a lot of money or be dead set on getting rich, you simply have to be smart.
While you want your future self to be grateful for stepping outside your comfort zone or chasing your dreams while you’re young, you also want your future self to enjoy life too. Maybe the older version of you wants to write a book, see the Northern Lights, or give your grandkids the opportunity to live their best lives. And in order to do that, you need to invest in yourself.
If your employer doesn’t offer a 401K, open your own retirement fund. Each month, deposit money into that account – whether it’s $50 bucks or $200. On average the market doubles every 7 years, so you can do the math and calculate where you’d like to be financially when you retire.
Have trouble budgeting? Try the Mint app. No excuses.
From a personal investment perspective (and quite frankly, for your own sanity), incorporate meditation into your daily routine. It helps with anxiety, stress, and mental clarity. And when that little voice inside your head – you know, the pain in the ass one – tries to discourage you, keep persisting until you find your peaceful, happy place. Try Headspace, it’s a guided meditation app and I’ve found it incredibly useful.
Create Your Life from the Inside Out
I love this quote from Earl Nightingale – it’s an elegant and thoughtful way of communicating what I want to say:
“It’s so easy to forget ultimates in the rush and hurry of daily life, especially for young people. So often, we’re merely responders, so to speak, simply reacting to stimuli, to rewards and punishments, to emergencies, to pains and fears, to demands of other people, to superficialities. It takes a specific, conscious effort, at least at first, to turn one’s attention to intrinsic things and values. Perhaps seeking actual physical aloneness. Perhaps exposing one’s self to great music, to good people, to natural beauty, and so forth. Only after practice do these strategies become easy and automatic so that one can be living totally immersed in his or her river.”
When you boil it down, there’s one undeniable truth we can’t escape: it all starts with what’s on the inside. Because ultimately, your outer world will become a reflection of your inner self. Your attitude and how you project yourself is what your surroundings will reflect back onto you.
So, what is your inner self craving? To backpack through Europe? To start a clothing line of graphic tees? Whatever spark you find inside yourself, now’s the time to do it. Otherwise, when you’re older, you’ll look back on your life with regrets.
Find Your Own Definition of Success
Media – whether online, on social networks, or in print – have been bombarding us with what success looks like. Unless you’re good-looking, rich, thin, and powerful, you aren’t successful.
So, for all us ordinary, average folks, guess we’ll never achieve success.
Ha. Let’s be real. There are tons of people who have most, if not all, of the above-listed things and guess what? They’re completely miserable.
Moral of the story: live by your own definition of success. What goals, life milestones, skills you want to learn, etc. would make you feel like you’ve achieved something big?
Invest in experiences and opportunities that’ll last a lifetime. Remove yourself from the present and ask yourself, when you reminisce about your 20’s or 30’s, what kinds of things would you want to do that will help you leave behind a legacy or fill your mind with unforgettable stories to tell your grandkids about?
You Can Choose How You React to Things
Look: life, is completely random. It can throw anything at us whenever it feels like it. However, what life can’t control, is how we choose to let things affect us. It’s a conscious decision. Wallow in self-pity? Feel gratitude for all that you do have? Let it motivate you? Spiral down a dark hole? It’s up to you.
There are scores of amazing quotes from Nelson Mandela, who was wrongly imprisoned for 27 years. When he was released, he had two options: choose anger and bitterness OR free himself from the shackles.
He said, “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”
Brilliance. He knew that if he walked a dark path filled with hate and rage, that he would forever be trapped within his prison cell. But, because he chose to let it go (clearly an inspiration for Elsa before her time), he was truly free to live life to the fullest.
The lesson here is to embrace positivity and immerse yourself in new experiences. Maybe your future self would be cheesin’ hard if you hiked the Appalachian Trail. Or maybe, they want you to record the music you make. Sure, it may be a hobby, but it’s a keepsake you can look back on with pride.
Make Effort a Habit
I really feel like everyone reading this should know this by now, but I’m going to say it anyway. It’s simple math. If you put 50% effort into your work, you’ll see 50% of the results.
For many, putting forth an immense amount of effort towards something that doesn’t yield instantaneous results can be tough or even a deterrent from pushing forward. Yes, we live in a society that thirsts for instant gratification.
But what sets true winners apart from others, is their ability to give it their all day after day. Instead of overlooking trivial, mundane, or straight up aggravating tasks, leaders are relentless in pursuing their goals – and that means even doing the dirty work.
Your efforts today are something that will follow you through your lifetime. If you’re into the arts, why not share your paintings with the world or audition for that musical you love? Imagine the satisfaction you’ll feel when you’re gray-haired and full of irreplaceable memories – don’t let your future self down.
Always Strive to Gain Perspective
Why do you think the elderly are so wise? Experience! Perspective seeking is a journey. And not always an easy one. But it is our responsibility to open our eyes to new cultures, experiences, and worldviews.
I’ve found it incredibly captivating to invest in other people’s stories. By seeking their knowledge, perspective, and companionship, you’ll find that new opportunities naturally begin to blossom for you. For me, my grandfather has some pretty wild stories of war, the mafia, and his adolescence – it’s fascinating.
Open your horizons. You never know just what you may find.
Never Stop Learning
On a similar note, when it comes to learning, you want to be like my niece on Christmas morning or a kid in a candy store – absorb everything around you. In this instance, it’s okay to be like the seagulls in Finding Nemo.
Every person on this earth has their own set of unique talents and gifts. Learn from them. Learn what to do. Learn what not to do. Keep growing. Find a mentor, connect with friends pursuing other career paths, take online courses, ask your boss to teach you a particular software – whatever gets your heart thumping with excitement, go after.
Carry as much knowledge as you can and take it with you everywhere you go – it’ll be incredibly fulfilling to look back on your life with satisfaction, knowing you did everything possible to soak up all you could.
If Somethings Not Working, Change It
As Albert Einstein so famously said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” In other words, if you continue to follow the same behaviors and actions you’ve always done, then you can expect the same results. Change your rules. Change your approach. Change your environment.
Sometimes it’s a toxic relationship – friend or partner – that needs to go. Either way, you have the power to define your life and your circumstances. Are you on an epic adventure? Is your life a hilarious sitcom? Are you dancing your way through life? Understanding how you define yourself and certain facets of your life will help alter what they ultimately mean to you.
Changing how things are represented in your mind, will transform the way you experience all life has to offer. The most important part of the journey is doing the things your future self will thank you for – whether that be getting married, learning to play an instrument, being actively involved in your community, or taking the plunge and starting a new company.
Live without regrets.
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