Past-self Actions, Future Dividends

Press the sync button for past, present and future selves and goals

Hello again dear readers. I hope your dreams and goals come true, especially when you stop dreaming and take action. :)

Goals are hard. Following up each day to reach those goals is even harder. But what is the alternative? Stagnation. Which can lead to self-pity…

Here’s a unique way to think about the challenge:

Imagine you’re having a hard day, and you get home to find that someone has left dinner for you. It’s exactly what you wanted. Lasagne! Or maybe green curry, or tacos.

What good fortune. Some thoughtful person predicted that you might want a meal right right about now, and made sure you had one.

Of course, this thoughtful benefactor could be you, just earlier. Last night, your past self recognized the value a ready-made meal would have for tomorrow’s after-work self, so he left one for you in the fridge.

Now imagine that your past self didn’t only prepare a meal for you last night, but wrote a book a few years ago. Not only do you have dinner waiting for you, but you also receive royalty payments, enjoy increased clout in your industry, and have the skills and confidence to write more books. You’ve inherited much more than dinner from your forward-thinking past self.

When we think this way, that your past self is the perfect and only true assistant to help you reach your goals, then we may find some relief in creating the right conversations with the self who can make your tomorrows bright. You.

In thinking about the future though, we have a limited set of mental tools at our disposal. So much of our brain is focused on the needs of the here and now that over-riding those urges and choosing a longer-term goal takes on-going effort and commitment. Regardless of our intent, and our perfect past self, we face some of the following:

• changing our goal before even starting

• weighing the goal versus other options and feeling confused

• taking steps and then pausing

• generally procrastinating (and not taking any steps)

• feeling the goal is too far away

• realizing that your goal affects others in a way you didn’t predict

• thinking that you need more feedback and maybe re-set the goal

• achieving the goal but realizing it wasn’t quite what you expected

When it comes to facing the unknown, such as planning to relocate for retirement, or even something more mundane — like hanging those awesome photos you had framed — we have to create a way to trick the short-term impulsive brain.

Since it took me 40 years to finally move to a foreign country, perhaps I’m not the best one to give advice. But it’s not really advice that I’m discussing — it’s your brain and the conversations we have with ourselves.

And then there’s conversations gone wrong, that can’t be undone. Regret.

You might think, well if I just start meditating then my past self and my present and future selves will all be in harmony. And anything will be possible.

Maybe.

Having learned something during my 40 year procrastination, I’d say this — there ain’t no time like the present.

Later,

Neill