The great investment

An interesting way that I have found to think about establishing (or re-establishing) healthy behaviors and habits is to consider my ‘self’ from one of two standpoints. There is my self in this present moment and there is my self at some point in the future, whether that be an hour from now, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, in 23 years, etc. My present self. My future self. If I spend time truly considering and imagining my future self as I would a loved one or a friend, can I then understand more clearly that the choices I make right now in this moment will inevitably affect and influence the lived experiences of that future self?

Think about that for a minute. 

There is a ‘me’ that is out there, in the unknown future, which is not quite the same as the me in the known present, right here and now. Some things will be the same and some things will be different about ‘future me’, potentially many things. It goes without saying that most of the future is uncertain, including my circumstances, my environment, how I will feel, how I will change. But I do have some influence over the things that are within my control, such as my intentions, my habits, behaviors, motivations and my overall mental and physical well-being. A great deal of that depends upon the choices that I make in this moment and in the moments that follow this one. 

This could mean choosing to take care of my mind and my body through eating well, exercising, prioritizing good sleep, surrounding myself with positive and healthy influences, tending to a relationship, talking kindly to myself, attempting to reduce stress and eliminating other habits and behaviors that cause harm to my body and mind. I can invest in my future self and, in turn, my future self might just look back and thank the ‘me' in this moment for the choices that I am now making. And I, in this present moment, can look back and say ‘Thanks’ to the me from past moments, who made choices that positively affect me right now in the present. 

Try this. 

After you are finished reading these next few sentences, think about your self in the future. Do you feel love and affection for that person? What are your intentions for that person? What are your wishes? Can you make choices now that will directly affect that version of you for the better? Is there something getting in the way of your investing in that precious human life?