Today, it's about one month left before I leave my home to travel to the other side of the world (literally). My plan is to live my dream of seeing and exploring the wonderful island country of New Zealand, where I will be backpacking for at least a few months.
A lot of people ask me why I'm doing it - why would I just drop everything and travel to the other side of the world now, without having any kind of security back home?
And yes,those people have a point; I have no job, very little money, no connections, no place of my own and no education above high school level. I have basically no "security" as some people would see it.
Securities keep you safe - and tie you down
But while most people see all this as something that's holding me back, I see it as the very opposite: Without all these things tying me down, I am completely free to go anywhere, and do anything I want.
That's because securities work in two ways; they keep you safe from falling, but they also keep you from reaching the sky. Granted, it can be nice having some security in life - without it, you would never feel safe. But securities such as having a steady job and owning a house also ties you down, leaving you unable to do certain things, such as traveling the world. Sure, you'll probably never go hungry or cold in your life, but you also won't be able to live out any adventurous dreams you might have.
The future is uncertain
I believe you should live out your dreams today, because you never know what tomorrow might bring. What if I, for instance, were to get really sick in a few years, or suffer some kind of accident that leaves me crippled? Then I wouldn't be able to travel the world as I've always wanted. So why risk not being able to do it at all in the future, when I have the perfect opportunity to do what I want right now?
It makes me sad to see a lot of people today build up their securities early on in life (getting a job, starting a family, getting a nice house etc.), only to spend the rest of their lives being tied down by these things. They might tell themselves that they'll just go to college, or work for a couple of years, and then they'll be able to do exactly what they want. And there's nothing wrong with that - if everything goes as planned.
However, with most people, everything doesn't go as planned. It can be anything from illness, to getting a girlfriend, to even a stock market crash - but something will most likely come in their way if they wait too long. And then they'll look back on their past and wish they'd done everything they wanted, while they still could.
So, will you live your dreams today, while you still can? Or are you going to let life tie you down before you get a chance to?
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The Dangers of Excess, and the Fear of Loss
"The things we own, end up owning us" - Tyler Durden
The more things we have, the more we worry about losing them. This can be quite the curse for a lot of people, whose fear of losing what they have can take over their lives and control how they act and live.
But we shouldn't let fear of loss affect us. Instead, we should be happy that we have that fear, since it means we're lucky enough to have something worth losing. If we're afraid to lose something, it means we're glad that thing is in our lives, and we should be happy about that, not worried about losing it.
Another reason not to worry about losing what we have is that we've gotten along without it just fine in the past. We may be afraid of losing our homes, our jobs or even our partners. But that's when you have to remember that you've gotten by without those things before - the only difference now is that you've gotten used to the luxury of excess.
The luxury of excess
You've gotten used to living a certain way, with everything you have now. You've long since left behind the life where you didn't have these things. And that's why it would hurt so much to lose the things you have now and revert back to where you used to be. The higher you climb, and the more things you gather, the more afraid you'll be to lose it all.
But behind all this excess, there are the basics that are enough; your body, your mind, and your gathered knowledge and experiences. Anything you have over that is purely excess, and more than you need. Sure, it's nice to have more than that (and probably necessary too), but my point is that you shouldn't worry about losing something above this level, because as long as you still have these basics, you can always get back what you lost.
Interactive Example
Let's have a little example. Imagine yourself having a luxurious castle. How would you feel right now if I told you that your castle had suddenly been taken away from you forever? You probably wouldn't feel very strongly about it.
But let's say the same thing happened to your current house, or apartment. You would probably feel a bit more devastated about losing that, wouldn't you? Strange.. Why is that?
Well, to explain it, we'll have to imagine that our lives are made up from different levels, which we get used to over time. Say that you're on level 10 right now, which represents your life as it is at the moment, with everything you have. You've probably gotten used to this level, and accepted the things you have right now as part of your life. You're happy that you've climbed up from the previous levels, and never want to go back down there.
Now let's bring the castle back into the picture. That's level 11, a level which you haven't climbed to yet. You haven't left level 10 behind you, and since you haven't done that, it didn't hurt at all when you fell right back to it when you lost your imaginary castle.
But if you were to lose your apartment, you would be devastated, since it would mean you would fall right back down to a level which you've left behind long ago. It would mean losing the level which you're so accustomed to by now.
You've gotten used to the higher level, and therefore, it will hurt so much more to fall back down to a lower one. This is one of the main contributors to the fear of loss that a lot of people experience.
Living on the Basic Level
Therefore, to get rid of the fear of loss, you need to change the way you look at things. You need to see it as if you keep living on the very simplest level, where you take only your body, mind and experiences/knowledge for granted. You should treat anything above this level as excess.
And since it's excess, and you're already at the most basic level in your mind, losing these things wouldn't cause you a lot of pain. That way, you won't have to be so afraid of losing what you have, and your fear of loss will be far less severe.
Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't care about anything you have, or treat them lightly - far from it! You should be grateful for what you have, and appreciate how lucky you are to have it. You just shouldn't let the fear of losing what you have control you or the way you live.
The more things we have, the more we worry about losing them. This can be quite the curse for a lot of people, whose fear of losing what they have can take over their lives and control how they act and live.
But we shouldn't let fear of loss affect us. Instead, we should be happy that we have that fear, since it means we're lucky enough to have something worth losing. If we're afraid to lose something, it means we're glad that thing is in our lives, and we should be happy about that, not worried about losing it.
Another reason not to worry about losing what we have is that we've gotten along without it just fine in the past. We may be afraid of losing our homes, our jobs or even our partners. But that's when you have to remember that you've gotten by without those things before - the only difference now is that you've gotten used to the luxury of excess.
The luxury of excess
You've gotten used to living a certain way, with everything you have now. You've long since left behind the life where you didn't have these things. And that's why it would hurt so much to lose the things you have now and revert back to where you used to be. The higher you climb, and the more things you gather, the more afraid you'll be to lose it all.
But behind all this excess, there are the basics that are enough; your body, your mind, and your gathered knowledge and experiences. Anything you have over that is purely excess, and more than you need. Sure, it's nice to have more than that (and probably necessary too), but my point is that you shouldn't worry about losing something above this level, because as long as you still have these basics, you can always get back what you lost.
Interactive Example
Let's have a little example. Imagine yourself having a luxurious castle. How would you feel right now if I told you that your castle had suddenly been taken away from you forever? You probably wouldn't feel very strongly about it.
But let's say the same thing happened to your current house, or apartment. You would probably feel a bit more devastated about losing that, wouldn't you? Strange.. Why is that?
Well, to explain it, we'll have to imagine that our lives are made up from different levels, which we get used to over time. Say that you're on level 10 right now, which represents your life as it is at the moment, with everything you have. You've probably gotten used to this level, and accepted the things you have right now as part of your life. You're happy that you've climbed up from the previous levels, and never want to go back down there.
Now let's bring the castle back into the picture. That's level 11, a level which you haven't climbed to yet. You haven't left level 10 behind you, and since you haven't done that, it didn't hurt at all when you fell right back to it when you lost your imaginary castle.
But if you were to lose your apartment, you would be devastated, since it would mean you would fall right back down to a level which you've left behind long ago. It would mean losing the level which you're so accustomed to by now.
You've gotten used to the higher level, and therefore, it will hurt so much more to fall back down to a lower one. This is one of the main contributors to the fear of loss that a lot of people experience.
Living on the Basic Level
Therefore, to get rid of the fear of loss, you need to change the way you look at things. You need to see it as if you keep living on the very simplest level, where you take only your body, mind and experiences/knowledge for granted. You should treat anything above this level as excess.
And since it's excess, and you're already at the most basic level in your mind, losing these things wouldn't cause you a lot of pain. That way, you won't have to be so afraid of losing what you have, and your fear of loss will be far less severe.
Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't care about anything you have, or treat them lightly - far from it! You should be grateful for what you have, and appreciate how lucky you are to have it. You just shouldn't let the fear of losing what you have control you or the way you live.
4 Foolproof Ways to Exponentially Improve Your Awesomeness
There are countless ways in which you can improve your awesomeness, from hitting the gym to reading more books. But whichever ways you choose to do it, there are some that are far better than the others. These stand out from the rest by not just increasing your awesomeness, but also improving and speeding up your entire process of becoming awesome.
Because of this, these ways will make your awesomeness grow exponentially, meaning that your awesomeness will grow faster and faster the more awesome you get at them. To give some examples, here's a list of some of the things that will help you improve your awesomeness exponentially.
#4: Reading
Arguably the best way to take in information, reading is one of the most important skills to be good at today. Every day you are forced to use this skill, which is why it's so important to be awesome and constantly improve at it. Being able to read at a high speed with a high understanding is therefore essential to being awesome. But being able to read fast has another huge advantage for those pursuing awesomeness.
You see, part of developing your awesomeness means effectively taking in and processing information, and the faster and more effectively you can do this, the faster you will be able to learn new things and grow your awesomeness. Therefore it is important to constantly train your reading skills, from reading comprehension to reading speed.
#3: Physical Exercise
Exercising is a must for developing any awesomeness. You need to maintain a strong body that is capable of withstanding the strain put on by your awesomeness, which has already been covered in a previous post. But besides making you stronger, faster, more durable etc., continuous exercising has another amazing benefit; it will give you the energy you need to develop your awesomeness in general.
It's simple; the more you exercise and keep your body in shape, the more energy you will have, which means you'll have more energy to put into developing your awesomeness. And this, in turn, will lead to faster and greater results in the long run.
#2: Training Your Mind
Basically, training your mind means developing all your mental abilities, as well as changing and improving your mindsets. This involves anything from training your self discipline to changing the way you look at the world.
This all comes with a whole host of awesome benefits. Aside from becoming more awesome the more you train your mind, you will also improve your overall process of becoming more awesome in general. For instance, with a stronger self discipline, you will be able to devote more of your time and energy towards things that matter, such as studying awesomeness, and with a different mindset, you'll find it easier to change the way you live and act.
#1: Social Training
One important area of life that people often forget is the social part. Becoming more socially awesome is equally important to training your body and mind. This is why it's so sad to see that hardly anyone puts down any effort into developing their social awesomeness, such as their leadership abilities or their communicative skills.
Social training is actually a vital part of becoming awesome, since part of awesomeness is being able to control your social environment the way you see fit. Therefore, it is crucial for anyone trying to reach awesomeness to take control of their social life and start training until he is completely in control of his surroundings. And, just as with the other things on this list, you'll only grow faster and faster the better you get at social awesomeness.
These are all examples of ways which will help increase your awesomeness exponentially the more you train them. There are many more ways like these, which will be featured in an updated post in the future. In the meantime, start training your awesomeness today!
Because of this, these ways will make your awesomeness grow exponentially, meaning that your awesomeness will grow faster and faster the more awesome you get at them. To give some examples, here's a list of some of the things that will help you improve your awesomeness exponentially.
#4: Reading
Arguably the best way to take in information, reading is one of the most important skills to be good at today. Every day you are forced to use this skill, which is why it's so important to be awesome and constantly improve at it. Being able to read at a high speed with a high understanding is therefore essential to being awesome. But being able to read fast has another huge advantage for those pursuing awesomeness.
You see, part of developing your awesomeness means effectively taking in and processing information, and the faster and more effectively you can do this, the faster you will be able to learn new things and grow your awesomeness. Therefore it is important to constantly train your reading skills, from reading comprehension to reading speed.
#3: Physical Exercise
Exercising is a must for developing any awesomeness. You need to maintain a strong body that is capable of withstanding the strain put on by your awesomeness, which has already been covered in a previous post. But besides making you stronger, faster, more durable etc., continuous exercising has another amazing benefit; it will give you the energy you need to develop your awesomeness in general.
It's simple; the more you exercise and keep your body in shape, the more energy you will have, which means you'll have more energy to put into developing your awesomeness. And this, in turn, will lead to faster and greater results in the long run.
#2: Training Your Mind
Basically, training your mind means developing all your mental abilities, as well as changing and improving your mindsets. This involves anything from training your self discipline to changing the way you look at the world.
This all comes with a whole host of awesome benefits. Aside from becoming more awesome the more you train your mind, you will also improve your overall process of becoming more awesome in general. For instance, with a stronger self discipline, you will be able to devote more of your time and energy towards things that matter, such as studying awesomeness, and with a different mindset, you'll find it easier to change the way you live and act.
#1: Social Training
One important area of life that people often forget is the social part. Becoming more socially awesome is equally important to training your body and mind. This is why it's so sad to see that hardly anyone puts down any effort into developing their social awesomeness, such as their leadership abilities or their communicative skills.
Social training is actually a vital part of becoming awesome, since part of awesomeness is being able to control your social environment the way you see fit. Therefore, it is crucial for anyone trying to reach awesomeness to take control of their social life and start training until he is completely in control of his surroundings. And, just as with the other things on this list, you'll only grow faster and faster the better you get at social awesomeness.
These are all examples of ways which will help increase your awesomeness exponentially the more you train them. There are many more ways like these, which will be featured in an updated post in the future. In the meantime, start training your awesomeness today!
The Shame of Choosing not to Improve
So I was reading a book about Alexander the Great today (yes, he is (was) one of the people I look up to), and I came across an interesting quote; "There is no shame in performing poorly at something, only in choosing not to improve."
I had to put the book down for a moment to ponder the awesome message in this quote, and how much I agree with it. This is actually something I've held true for a long time, but never seen expressed so accurately; It doesn't matter how much you suck at something, what's important is that you try your best to improve at it.
Picking Up Something You Suck at
Whenever you attempt something entirely new, this is what you should be telling yourself. You probably won't be very good at it, at least not in the beginning. But that's when you have a choice; either you choose to continue with your new thing until you improve and become awesome at it, or you take the easy way out and just quit, sparing you the "shame" of being bad at something.
But guess what? If you just avoid the stuff you're bad at, you'll never improve in them, and you'll suck at them forever. That is where the true shame lies - not in being bad at something in the beginning, but choosing to continue being bad at them forever. Sure, if you choose to quit something with the sole purpose being that you suck at it, it might spare yous some momentary embarrassment, but it will also hinder your growth at whatever it is you want to do.
The Shame of Quitting
Chances are that if you're doing something difficult, it's something you want to improve at. Whether it's a new sport you've picked up or even online blogging, it's in your best interest to become good at it (otherwise, what's the point of doing it in the first place?). Especially if you're bad at it, you would benefit the most from improving in whatever it is you're doing.
So if you decide to quit that, you're actively working against your own wishes and your own progress. And there is no awesomeness in that, only shame.
Example of Awesomeness
I actually see this principle in action quite often as I help some of my friends to start working out (yeah, I consider myself a bit of a personal trainer for those of my friends who want to get fit). Most of the ones I introduce to training don't have a lot to show for when it comes to muscles - at least not in the beginning. Usually, they can't lift any more than the 20kg bar without any weights on. But that's how it is - you can't start out and expect to be at the top immediately.
Now, this is where a lot of people would simply quit, being disheartened and embarrassed about not being at the level they want to be. And that is when a person's true character comes to show - either they quit pretty much instantly, or they decide to push through and become stronger, ignoring whatever embarrassment they may be feeling in the beginning.
And that's what separates the awesome from the unawesome; that will to continue, to improve, even when facing a few obstacles.
So whenever you consider quitting something simply because you're not good at it, ask yourself this; Would you rather take the easy way out and keep sucking at it forever, or push through the hard times in the beginning until you emerged as a pro in your chosen field?
I had to put the book down for a moment to ponder the awesome message in this quote, and how much I agree with it. This is actually something I've held true for a long time, but never seen expressed so accurately; It doesn't matter how much you suck at something, what's important is that you try your best to improve at it.
Picking Up Something You Suck at
Whenever you attempt something entirely new, this is what you should be telling yourself. You probably won't be very good at it, at least not in the beginning. But that's when you have a choice; either you choose to continue with your new thing until you improve and become awesome at it, or you take the easy way out and just quit, sparing you the "shame" of being bad at something.
But guess what? If you just avoid the stuff you're bad at, you'll never improve in them, and you'll suck at them forever. That is where the true shame lies - not in being bad at something in the beginning, but choosing to continue being bad at them forever. Sure, if you choose to quit something with the sole purpose being that you suck at it, it might spare yous some momentary embarrassment, but it will also hinder your growth at whatever it is you want to do.
The Shame of Quitting
Chances are that if you're doing something difficult, it's something you want to improve at. Whether it's a new sport you've picked up or even online blogging, it's in your best interest to become good at it (otherwise, what's the point of doing it in the first place?). Especially if you're bad at it, you would benefit the most from improving in whatever it is you're doing.
So if you decide to quit that, you're actively working against your own wishes and your own progress. And there is no awesomeness in that, only shame.
Example of Awesomeness
I actually see this principle in action quite often as I help some of my friends to start working out (yeah, I consider myself a bit of a personal trainer for those of my friends who want to get fit). Most of the ones I introduce to training don't have a lot to show for when it comes to muscles - at least not in the beginning. Usually, they can't lift any more than the 20kg bar without any weights on. But that's how it is - you can't start out and expect to be at the top immediately.
Now, this is where a lot of people would simply quit, being disheartened and embarrassed about not being at the level they want to be. And that is when a person's true character comes to show - either they quit pretty much instantly, or they decide to push through and become stronger, ignoring whatever embarrassment they may be feeling in the beginning.
And that's what separates the awesome from the unawesome; that will to continue, to improve, even when facing a few obstacles.
So whenever you consider quitting something simply because you're not good at it, ask yourself this; Would you rather take the easy way out and keep sucking at it forever, or push through the hard times in the beginning until you emerged as a pro in your chosen field?
Accepting a Bad Situation Vs. Changing it
People today have become accustomed to accepting their bad situations, telling themselves that they can't change anything. Be it that they're stuck in a dead end job or getting sick every autumn, they tell themselves that "It's just the way things are. You can't change that."
And most people who reason like that will never see their situation changed. Why? Because they've accepted it as something unavoidable. Instead of potentially changing the bad situation, they remain in it for an unnecessarily long period of time. All because they keep telling themselves "That's just the way things are."
Most situations, however, can be changed. Although some can be quite difficult, the cornerstone to improving any bad situation is to adopt the right mindset for it. You need to refuse to accept the situation you're displeased with!
Because saying "That's just the way things are" is pure bullsh*t. We can always change the things around us, if we just put some effort into it. Don't just accept a bad situation - that way it will never change. Instead, refuse the terms of it, and demand a change! Only when deciding that you won't accept the situation anymore can you actually do something about it. Whether you feel like you have no free time, or simply don't like your job, there is always something you can do about the situation, as long as you actively decide to change it.
Example: Diseases
I remember a discussion I had a while ago with a friend, who told me about how she usually spent months every fall and spring with a cold and runny nose. Months! When I asked her how she put up with that horrible situation, she told me "That's just the way things are for me."
As most of my friends there agreed with her, sharing that they too were used to getting sick at least twice a year, I couldn't help but wonder how they could just accept that. How could anyone put up with expecting to get sick every year?
I guess I can consider myself one of the lucky ones who don't get sick a lot - I can't even remember the last time I was bedridden, and I haven't had so much as a cold for years. This has made me view diseases as something completely out of the ordinary, which makes it so difficult for me to understand how people can just accept getting sick every year as something unavoidable.
And people don't even seem to question it! Let alone try to do something about it.
This is a fine example of how you can get used to a bad situation, and eventually accept it as unavoidable. People seem to believe that staying healthy all year round is an impossibility, and therefore don't even aim for it. They just lay back, accept the situation as it is, and refuse to even try to change it.
This same principle applies to a lot of situations for a lot of people, although it might not be quite as obvious. The solution, however, remains the same; Only by refusing to accept the situation can you hope for a change to occur.
And most people who reason like that will never see their situation changed. Why? Because they've accepted it as something unavoidable. Instead of potentially changing the bad situation, they remain in it for an unnecessarily long period of time. All because they keep telling themselves "That's just the way things are."
Most situations, however, can be changed. Although some can be quite difficult, the cornerstone to improving any bad situation is to adopt the right mindset for it. You need to refuse to accept the situation you're displeased with!
Because saying "That's just the way things are" is pure bullsh*t. We can always change the things around us, if we just put some effort into it. Don't just accept a bad situation - that way it will never change. Instead, refuse the terms of it, and demand a change! Only when deciding that you won't accept the situation anymore can you actually do something about it. Whether you feel like you have no free time, or simply don't like your job, there is always something you can do about the situation, as long as you actively decide to change it.
Example: Diseases
I remember a discussion I had a while ago with a friend, who told me about how she usually spent months every fall and spring with a cold and runny nose. Months! When I asked her how she put up with that horrible situation, she told me "That's just the way things are for me."
As most of my friends there agreed with her, sharing that they too were used to getting sick at least twice a year, I couldn't help but wonder how they could just accept that. How could anyone put up with expecting to get sick every year?
I guess I can consider myself one of the lucky ones who don't get sick a lot - I can't even remember the last time I was bedridden, and I haven't had so much as a cold for years. This has made me view diseases as something completely out of the ordinary, which makes it so difficult for me to understand how people can just accept getting sick every year as something unavoidable.
And people don't even seem to question it! Let alone try to do something about it.
This is a fine example of how you can get used to a bad situation, and eventually accept it as unavoidable. People seem to believe that staying healthy all year round is an impossibility, and therefore don't even aim for it. They just lay back, accept the situation as it is, and refuse to even try to change it.
This same principle applies to a lot of situations for a lot of people, although it might not be quite as obvious. The solution, however, remains the same; Only by refusing to accept the situation can you hope for a change to occur.
Breaking Down the Excuses That Stand in Your Way
Today, I was in line at the grocery store when I overheard a rather obese woman in front of me complaining to her friend that she wanted to get in shape. As if putting words to my own thoughts, her friend then asked what was holding her back, to which she got the answer "I'm just too lazy for it."
She then unloaded her shopping cart full of snacks at the register.
This got me thinking about the ridiculous excuses people make to avoid doing anything difficult. Being "too lazy" is not a valid excuse for not doing something. It's a problem they could easily fix as well. Then I came to the conclusion that almost any excuse can be broken down to a ridiculous level, if questioned enough.
Breaking Down the Excuses
For instance, whenever
someone I know complains about being out of shape, I ask him "Why don't
you start working out, then?" I almost exclusively get answers like
"because I'm too lazy", or "because I'm not disciplined
enough" To which I always continue to ask "And why are you *insert
provided lame excuse*?"
These
excuses are always pure bullsh*t. Being lazy or undisciplined aren't valid excuses
for anything, since it's easy to do something about that too. People who make
such excuses and refuse to do anything about it are not awesome - An awesome
person doesn't just give up like that. Oh no.
An awesome
person will strive to overcome whatever is holding him back. If he is fat, he
will begin a diet and exercise program. If he lacks the discipline to do that,
he will begin working on improving his discipline. If he is too lazy to do
that, he will start working on becoming less lazy. If he doesn't know how to
become less lazy, he will try to find out how, and so on. An awesome person
does not make lame excuses to cover for his weaknesses. Whatever they may be,
he finds a way to fight them, one at a time!
Beating the Excuses
If you want
to improve your awesomeness, you have to stop making excuses. And as I
mentioned above, there is a simple way to make any excuse manageable - you
simply need to break it down to the core. Question every excuse you make, and
ask yourself "Why?" , until the chain of excuses sounds completely ridiculous.
Just break
down each and every one of your excuses to a manageable level, and start
working from there. Every excuse can be overcome like this - it just takes a
bit of time and effort. Because, as you will notice, every single excuse you
make will start to sound ridiculously easy if you question it and backtrace it
far enough.
Shaping Your Future Self
Most people (myself
included), mainly thinks of the present, or near future, when it comes to their daily routines and habits. They continue with their bad habits without caring what it will
lead to in the future.
Because eating that extra piece of pie, or smoking those daily cigarettes, won't have any effect on you today, or tomorrow - so why should you deny yourself that small pleasure now? Future you is faar away, and he'll probably be able to handle the consequences later. Right?
Well, if this is how you think, you need to consider how all the things you do now will affect your future self. Sure, you probably won't see any noticeable increase in weight within the next few weeks from drinking a soda to your lunch every day, but it will come back to haunt you in the form of your future self's stomach.
And it's not just the negative things you need to consider - you should also consider what the positive things you do right now will lead to. Deciding to read a few pages in a book every day, or going for a jog twice a week will give your future self some amazing results.
Ask yourself this; What do you want your future self to be like? How should he act, how should he look and how should he think?
You probably want him to be better than you are now, or at least as good, in every aspect of life. You want him to be in shape and to be smarter and wiser than you are now. But how do you expect this to happen, if you don't start working towards it now? Do you expect yourself to magically achieve all your goals at once someday far from now? Because that will never happen.
You need to act today in order to shape your future self. Do you want to be big and muscular in the future? Start working out and eat right today. Want to be smarter? Start reading more books, or do something else that stimulates your mind. You get the picture here - whatever you want yourself to be in the future, you need to prepare for today.
Because eating that extra piece of pie, or smoking those daily cigarettes, won't have any effect on you today, or tomorrow - so why should you deny yourself that small pleasure now? Future you is faar away, and he'll probably be able to handle the consequences later. Right?
Well, if this is how you think, you need to consider how all the things you do now will affect your future self. Sure, you probably won't see any noticeable increase in weight within the next few weeks from drinking a soda to your lunch every day, but it will come back to haunt you in the form of your future self's stomach.
And it's not just the negative things you need to consider - you should also consider what the positive things you do right now will lead to. Deciding to read a few pages in a book every day, or going for a jog twice a week will give your future self some amazing results.
Ask yourself this; What do you want your future self to be like? How should he act, how should he look and how should he think?
You probably want him to be better than you are now, or at least as good, in every aspect of life. You want him to be in shape and to be smarter and wiser than you are now. But how do you expect this to happen, if you don't start working towards it now? Do you expect yourself to magically achieve all your goals at once someday far from now? Because that will never happen.
You need to act today in order to shape your future self. Do you want to be big and muscular in the future? Start working out and eat right today. Want to be smarter? Start reading more books, or do something else that stimulates your mind. You get the picture here - whatever you want yourself to be in the future, you need to prepare for today.
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