Give your future self a chance to guide your actions
Within the body that we reside in, there are 2 of us. First is the present self that rules your body and controls your action on a day to day basis. The present self is the part of you that’s in the driver seat. Meanwhile, the second self, your future self, is waiting in the corner somewhere aware of all of the actions of your present self, just waiting to get into the driver seat. The problem with this picture is the fact that all of the messes that the present self gets into trickles down to your future self, causing your future self to choose to either clean up all of the present self’s messes, or leave it for the next guy.
Living only in the present will ruin your life
The problem with the present self, is the fact that the present self is selfish. It doesn’t care about what happens to the future self, it’s going to be long gone before the future self even gains control of your life. Then, when your future self becomes your present self, the same cycle continues. This is why it’s so easy to be lazy, or fall into the same bad habits that plagued your parents before you and your grandparents before them.
Your present self seeks instant gratification. Instant gratification is the desire to experience pleasure or fulfillment without delay or determent. In many instances, instant gratification is very beneficial, it can even keep you alive. For example, you are seeking instant gratification by eating when you get hungry. Your body senses the feeling of hunger, and then to get rid of the feeling of hunger, you eat. Eating keeps you alive, so therefore, in this instance, instant gratification is great.
The problem is when instant gratification overwhelms all of the other logical factors that can contribute to the betterment of your future self. When instant gratification overrules logic, instant gratification becomes a force for evil. Instant gratification is the thing that tells you to go straight to sleep, or go out to party after work, instead of building the relationships that will help you in the long run, or learn the skills that will help you get the big promotion that you’ve been wanting at your job.
The Equal Balance
In order to get all that you truly want in your life(success in your job, happy marriage,etc) you’re going to need to find the equal balance between your present self and your future self. The present self should still be in the driver seat, but it shouldn’t just ignore your future self, your future self has some things that it wants the present self to accomplish that will help both of your selves thrive during their allotted time. For example, your future self probably wants you to put away money for retirement, so that it can live a carefree life. However, your future self doesn’t want you to save every single penny you earn into your retirement fund, that’s just not logical.
Befriend your future self and make decisions together
Befriending your future self is no easy task. Imagine your future self as that kid in the corner who never talks. Your future self wants to speak up and say what’s on his mind, but you have to just invite him in. You have to start thinking about what he would want, so that he can tell you what he wants. If you don’t befriend your future self, you will ruin your life. Befriending your future self is important because you have to make decisions that are going to be great for both your present and future self You can think of your present and future self like they are in a marriage. In a marriage, people(hopefully!) make decisions together for the benefit of both parties. So don’t just befriend your future self, marry your future self and make all of your decisions together with your future self. From small decisions like whether or not to eat a doughnut, to huge decisions like whether or not to move, make the decisions that will keep both your present and future self happy.