Your Future Self Will Thank You if…

Somewhere ahead is a stronger version of you who is grateful you didn’t quit today.

I am grateful I __________ when I was _________.  And I am glad that I ________ when I was __________.

Even when I failed, I learned and use that knowledge today, even if it is what not to do, or knowing what happens when I do this.

Imagine receiving a letter from yourself ten years from now.  It probably wouldn’t thank you for choosing the easiest path.  It would thank you for beginning, persisting, learning, and taking care of your health.

When you aren’t feeling motivated today, think about your future self – the person you are becoming.  

Today’s discomfort is temporary. 

The capability it builds may last a lifetime.

Don’t outsource all your physical movement

Modern life has become very convenient, and our bodies are paying the bill. 

We buy devices to save a bit of effort.  We hire people to do lots of things for us.

People may wonder why I cut trees and do the maintenance chores I do if I can hire someone to do it.

The answer is I’d rather get exercise doing real work than going to the gym and lifting weights.  I do that too, but I’d rather lift real things in real situations that require all kinds of movement, and get the satisfaction of having accomplished something.  I also get to be creative and keep my skills up.

At times I love what I am doing.  Cutting up a dead tree that fell in the woods…  At times I realize I am doing it for no other reasons than to stay healthy and be physically strong.  It’s also good for me mentally.

Do I like to take an escalator or sit in a comfy chair while someone else is mowing the lawn?  Sure.  But I realize what a life of physical ease can do to me, and I keep that away with physical work, or workout.

Afraid of change?

“People are usually afraid of change because they fear the unknown.  But the single greatest constant of history is that everything changes.” – Yuval Noah Harari.

Protectionist laws and regulations.  NIMBY.  Incumbents.  Rejecting difference.  Your fears of going backward.  You.  The system.  Habits.  

There is a lot of resistance to change out there and it is baked into our society because we inherently fear it.

Be smart, but don’t let it hold you back from something wonderful and good.

Change is how we got here, and how we will get to someplace even better.

Three ways to learn something

1) School of Hard Knocks – Expensive.  Takes a long time.  Hurts.

2) Through the experience of others – Cheaper.  Faster.  Easier.

3) By teaching and sharing with other people – You get clarity and deeper understanding when you have to organize it and communicate it to others.

What is one skill you must learn extremely well to take you to the top?…to where you want to go?

HOW are you learning it? 

1, 2, or 3? 

2 and 3? 

The person nobody sees

You build your character during the moments nobody will ever see – and it holds up your identity.

Private standards eventually become public results. 

Keeping small promises to yourself strengthens you for larger accomplishments.

When it’s go time, the person that people see is the flowering of the person they don’t.