About a year ago, I stumbled upon a memorable post by Justine Musk, which focused on the concept of the current self versus the future self – that is, who we are today and who we envision ourselves becoming in ten, twenty, thirty years from now. As a twenty-something, the future self is a hot topic in my circle of friends. It also seems to be the root of our anxiety, indecision, and occasional paralysis. Am I doing the "right" thing for my future? What "should" I be doing at [insert age here!]? What type of position am I in – personally & professionally – relative to my peers?
Sound familiar?
It's easy to forget that our current and future self share the same body, mind, and soul. That to realize our dreams down the road, we must start taking care of ourselves right now. We don't just shed our present identity at some later date – our angst, bad moods, bad habits, and feelings of inadequacy come along for the ride. So do our positive relationships, strength, joy, and gratitude.
Which brings me to my favorite excerpt from Justine's post:
Everything matters.
‘Everything’ has a way of breaking down into small things: small tasks, small choices. Small things have a way of adding up, and when we come into our future self, we come into a reckoning.
If we chose the cake or the apple, the walk or the television rerun, to pick up or put down the cigarette. If we shopped more than we earned. If we showed up in our relationships or neglected them for the more immediate thrill of whatever. If we showed up for anything at all. If we fought – fought hard – to build momentum. If we succumbed to the bullshit or figured out how, in our own way, to stand up to it. If we had the courage to admit our mistakes and tear down what we needed to tear down, in order to build something new, whole and right. If we chose the right person to be with. If we chose the right people to be around, to influence our views and habits.
If we chose to add value to others – and ourselves – or to subtract.
There is no grand aha moment, no point at which the fog magically clears. Our future self starts now. It's an extension of the very same person we are today. Do you like what you see?