Do it for future you

In certain circumstances, when faced with multiple options, it can be difficult to know which decision will be the most beneficial. But there are many times each day we make decisions and knowingly choose the least beneficial option. This is usually due to choosing short term enjoyment or comfort over long term benefits.

Think of yourself as two people. Today you and future you. Today you has total control over today. Today you wants what’s easy, comfortable and enjoyable. It makes sense because today you experiences today, not future experiences. Future you’s experiences are his or her problem.

Today you wants to eat a greasy cheese burger, wash it down with a beer and then polish off a bag of Doritos while you binge watch your favourite Netflix series. It’s easy, it’s comfortable, it’s enjoyable. Future you wants you to eat a salad, hit the gym and analyze some properties but future you isn’t here and none of that sounds as enjoyable as what you had planned.

Future you doesn’t get to make decisions because future you doesn’t exist yet but he or she will exist tomorrow and the next day and next year and ten years from now but what does future you’s life look like if you only think of today you?

I found a new principal to live my life by. I simply ask myself what would future me do when I am faced with a choice. Sometimes it doesn’t work. I don’t know if future me would benefit more from doing a flip or a buy and hold. That isn’t a question of what is easy or hard, comfortable or uncomfortable, enjoyable or unenjoyable but what to eat, what to do with my time, whether to go to the gym or not are easy questions to answer if I ask future me.

I recently went for a run and along the way I came to a trailhead. One way would head almost straight home and end the run at 5 miles. The other way would be a longer route that would end at 8 miles. I was already 3 miles in and was tired and knew it would be easier and more comfortable to take the short route. Finishing sooner was much more appealing to today me. Would future me take the short route? No. Future me wants to be in better shape so future me took the long route and when I got home future me was happy.

A lot of people have accountability partners these days and I think it’s awesome. It’s a great way to keep on track and keep motivated. For me, future me is my accountability partner. I feel like he is watching me and is disappointed when I let him down. I don’t want easy, comfortable today me ruining future me’s chance to thrive.

I got my real estate license in 2018 because I thought future me might benefit from it, not because spending the money and studying for hours was enjoyable or easy. I’m now in the midst of getting my managing brokers license. It’s agony but will future me find it beneficial? Of course.

Managing rental properties isn’t really fun for me. It can be high stress and frustrating. It’s not easy, comfortable or enjoyable, but future me is going to be very happy that I have investment properties.

Don’t overlook the fact that you will be future you! You will reap the benefits or deal with the consequences of today you!

Eat healthy, get exercise, read books, take courses, analyze deals, network, listen to bigger pockets podcasts. Do you think successful people are successful because they do what’s easy or most enjoyable today? No. They do what they know they need to do today to be successful in the future. They act on behalf of future them.

I know it sounds like a lot of will power to overcome bad habits and it’s so difficult to stay motivated and do the right thing when it usually means being uncomfortable or doing something hard. We all start with good intentions and end up back on the couch watching Netflix.

Here’s what worked for me to stay the course and keep making the right choices, I hope it can work for you too. It’s all about viewing life and decisions as future you. When you don’t want to go to the gym, think of tomorrow you. Are you happy you went and did a solid workout instead of watching TV? Probably, so enjoy the workout. When you go out for lunch and you eat a fresh salad do you feel awesome in two hours? Sure you do, so feel good eating the salad. When you take an educational course do you feel like you accomplished something that will benefit you in the future? Yes, then enjoy studying.

I used to hate running, working out, eating healthy and studying. Those things are just as hard an uncomfortable as they ever were, but I learned to enjoy them. I love a good salad because I feel great when I’m done eating it, I love working out because I feel full of energy and vitality and I love reading books and taking courses because I see doors open for me and opportunities present themselves afterwards.

The same goes the other way. Junk food still tastes great, but I can’t enjoy it because I know I’ll feel horrible in a few hours. I love Netflix, but if I spend all day sitting in front of the TV I feel like I just wasted time and didn’t accomplish anything. I can’t enjoy easy and comfortable things like I used to because I know easy and comfortable today will lead to a future of mediocrity and wasted opportunities.

Future you is watching every decision you make. When you run the extra mile, pick the healthily snack and read a book, future you is patting you on the back and saying thank you. When you need to make a choice, let future you guide you and cheer you on. Make future you proud so that you can wake up tomorrow and look back at yesterday you and be glad you made the choices you did. Life goes by so fast. It doesn’t take long for your daily choices to compound into incredible accomplishments. What would future you do?