Invest in the Present to Free Your Future

If you feel in control today you probably aren’t working to accomplish challenging enough goals. Control is an illusion constructed to convince us to expect certain outcomes if…

If I eat a diet low in carbohydrates, high in fiber and healthy fat and full of purified water I’ll lose weight. “Except,” says our thyroid, “I’m feeling sluggish. I’d rather hold onto this storage of fat, thank you kindly.”

If you awake at five every morning and spend three hours writing before clocking in to your 8-to-5, you will produce the next Great American Novel. “Except,” say the editors, “there’s already a glut of novels on the market about detectives trying to solve a murder. Though you may have talent as a story-teller, we’re going to pass.”

If you research that property, hire an inspector, draft your offer and put the place under contract, you’re going to cashflow from the comfort of your couch. “Except,” says the foundation, “I’m going to crack today when a fracking earthquake shakes the ground and cost fifty thousand dollars to fix.”

The good news is, the above scenarios are unlikely to happen. Most likely you will lose fat and gain healthy lean mass if you follow a ketogenic diet. Most likely you will find an editor for your book. Most likely you will cash flow when you purchase that property wisely. But it’s the “most likely” we need to accept.

For me, there are five takeaways I focus on that help me to continue my journey despite the frequent lack of desired results.

1. Enjoy the Work

Whether pursuing physical health, writing novels, or buying rental properties, the effort I give to pursue these goals invigorates me. Thoughtful preparation of healthy food tastes great. Writing fiction spurs creativity. Evaluating real estate deals stokes my ambition. The hunger I have to reach financial freedom feeds my hunger in other areas of life, driving me to eat healthier and write harder. It’s a self-perpetuating pursuit I enjoy tremendously.

2. Reap Rewards

If my thyroid refuses to cooperate with my dietary goals, my focus on the diet still causes me to try new things, and exposure to new things tends to reward me with undiscovered pleasure.

When no one reads a story or novel I write, my writing teaches and develops me, helping me to ask better questions and seek more meaningful questions.

If the offer I make on a perfect rental property is rejected for someone else’s offer, I get a shot of competitive drive, which encourages me to work and learn more.

3. The Future Might Be Bright

My grandfather always used to say, “You can’t win if you don’t play.” I might fail at everything I meant to accomplish, but at least in pursuing my passions I allow a chance at a bright future.

4. Everybody’s Watching You

Perhaps you’ve heard it before: “Nobody cares. Work Harder.” This is untrue. Your family, friends and coworkers are watching. They may want you to fail because your failing gives them permission to fail, and failure is easier than success, but people care a lot, so you’re serving them when you work hard.

You never know whose life you might change through hard work. Be the hardest working father or mother, the most devoted insurance salesperson or real estate investor, the grittiest writer or runner. People care, and they are watching. Did I already say it? People care, and they are watching.

5. The Alternatives Are Worse

I have a friend whose dreams are similar to mine, but chooses how to spend his time very differently. He fantasizes of achieving celebrity as a voiceover artist but rarely devotes time to cultivate his skills. His parents own millions in real estate, but he refuses to invest because he doesn’t want to deal with broken toilets.

Having watched his life, I know the alternative to my life is worse. My friend is not fulfilled, happy, satisfied. He came to me not long ago with a quote he thought profound, one that enraged me: “When you realize you don’t matter that much, it’s actually liberating.”

In case you’re curious, you matter—so much. Live with that knowledge, even when it hurts. My friend and I may both die obscure and penniless. I can’t control the outcome any more than he can, but I’m positive my life matters.

Embrace Now

You’re going to change the world whether you want to or not. People already reflect on your life. Notice their tendency to focus on your past. Don’t let them snare you. The past is past. You can’t learn from it, because it has no bearing on the present. If you seek to learn from the past, you’re wasting time.

There are two common sayings about the past: “Those who ignore their pasts are doomed to repeat them,” and “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Both sayings are dangerously false.

Half of our failures are based in a fixation on the past. You want to change, but you reflect on what you know (a.k.a the past). The truth is, all you need is the present: when a habit or behavior disgusts you, act immediately to change it. Don’t reflect on what got in your way, and definitely don’t wax nostalgic. Formulate a strong commitment to the present. As soon as the moment passes when you are disgusted by your behavior, if you haven’t committed to changing, you’ll lose motivation.

As for insanity, no one would hit a home run off a fastball if they struck out on the last fast ball. I do the same thing every morning when I write, and if I didn’t expect different results eventually, how depressing would that be? You can’t control what will happen, but you can control what your values are right now, and in doing that you choose to play the game of life.