How To Create The Future You Dream Of
|
|
Are you happy with your life? I mean, are you really satisfied with how things are going for you?
If you are like a lot of people, the answer is probably a resounding “hell, no!”. And that really is too bad.
Because if you are not happy with your life today, when will you be happy? Tomorrow? The day after? When you get a new job? When you retire?
Living like that SUCKS. I know; been there, done that. Life is way too short to live that way.
But I also know that it does not have to be that way. You have the power to change your life. In fact, you are the only one that does have that power. Your boss can’t. Neither can your spouse. Not your kids. YOU.
And it is easier to do than you think.
Let me let you in on a secret.
The future? Does not exist yet. You get to create it. In fact, you DO create it, whether you realize it or not. You are creating your future right now as you read this. That’s just how it works.
The past? Entirely up to you as to how you want to interpret the experiences you have had. Those events that helped shape you into the beautiful person that you are today can be changed! When I first came across this idea, my mind was blown. I mean, we can literally change the past! How cool is that??? You just change the story that you tell yourself about events in your past.
It does not matter what happened to you yesterday. Or last year. Or in your childhood. You can literally start to create the future that you want for yourself TODAY. (And don’t forget – you are creating it, right now!)
The truth is that our lives are created day by day.
So how do you start creating the future you want?
Simple. You decide what you want. And then you take tiny actions towards that dream.
Decide what you want to do, what you want your life to look like. Write it somewhere, somewhere where you can refer to it regularly.
And then start taking small, baby steps towards whatever it is you want. Every single day. They do not have to be big, massive steps. In fact, they shouldn’t be. That isn’t how you get there. That’s the mistake most people make, and I know that I can count my “past-self” in that camp.
You see, you create your future by the little actions you take every day. Your future is NOT determined by the massive effort that you put in occasionally. It does not work like that.
We all sort of know this conceptually. If you want to lose weight, you don’t eat a salad three times a week. You eat pretty healthily consistently and exercise regularly. If you’re going to write a book, you don’t sit down and crunch it out in a week. You write a bit every day.
The thing is, these little actions every day add up. Big time. They are sort of like compound interest.
Once you start taking actions that will move you towards your dreams, you are now being intentional about how you are shaping your future. You shift from just allowing your future to happen to you by default.
What you do today – right now – helps decide your future.
So that means that it is pretty damn important to make sure that every day, you are taking small, concrete steps that will move you closer to the life that you want. Each time you do, you reinforce your belief in yourself and benefit from the actual action.
So I encourage you to think about what things you can commit to doing every single day. I heard Todd Henry, author of many great books and host of the Accidental Creative podcast, call these “The Dailies.” I like that term; it really resonates with me.
Once you have figured out a small list of small things you are ready to commit to doing every day, write them down in a list. Then make headings with the days of the week, making your list into a table.
Here is a picture of mine, so you can see what I mean.
|
|
Each day, mark off whether or not you actually stayed true to your commitment. You will see that for this particular week, I was not perfect. But I remain committed to doing each of those activities every day.
Sure, there are days when I miss doing one of my dailies. When I do, I reflect on why I did not do it that day. And then, I ask myself how I can avoid having that throw me off in the future. I recommit to doing these activities each and every day.
PS – I know that my handwriting is pretty messy. So if you are interested in seeing what my current set of “dailies” are, here they are again, with some additional detail:
- meditate: this has been a crucial part of my life for some time now. I use the Headspace app for some guided meditation, combined with some unguided silent meditation.
- “input”: thoughtfully consume some form of content, typically by reading but also through podcasts. I take notes on what I consume. Of course, you need to be thoughtful about what type of content you are serving your mind.
- exercise: moving my body for at least 30 minutes. It can be walking, swimming, kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing…or whatever.
- writing: I need to write every day. The words don’t all have to be good. And many (most!) never get published. But the act of writing helps to clarify my thinking.
- journal: I have journalled for years and find that it is an incredible tool to facilitate self-examination and see your growth. I also find it to be a great “problem-solving tool.”
- practice playing piano: this is a new addition for me. I am just starting to learn and love the experience so far.
- thinking: I have “doubled-down” on this particular activity. I found that I was going through life entirely too much on “auto-pilot,” so I am now ensuring that I take at least 15 minutes per day to sit and think. About anything. No constraints. But no distractions. Just thinking (although note-taking is encouraged).
- chin-ups: I installed a chin-up bar in my office doorway and now do them every day. But man – not easy!
When you commit to a daily practice of putting time and energy into your most important activities, you set yourself up for success. You are now effectively building exactly the life that you want for yourself.
And decide to do them every day. Not a few times per week; that just makes it more challenging. Because then you need to decide each day whether or not you will do it. And you will find yourself putting it off until tomorrow. That is not the way to build the life that you want for yourself; you simply do not get there by procrastinating. Trust me on that one; I have tried it for years.
So what are the couple of small activities that you are ready to commit to doing every day? Are you ready to start taking your dreams seriously?
Write those activities down. And start. Today.
Your future self will thank you.
Quotation that I have been pondering
I absolutely love this week’s quotation! It really resonates with me, as it is something that I continue to work on personally. And as someone that also works in the technology domain, there is such truth to the idea of unplugging something and plugging it back in to make it work.🤣
We so often get in our own way, trying to force things to work. Often all we need to really do is to step back, take a few breaths, and just be. Allowing ourselves a bit of space between things allows us to shift into doing things with ease, rather than with brute force.
Journal Prompt
This week, we are going to go for a 2-part journal prompt.
Once you have narrowed it down to just one thing, consider the second part of this week’s prompt:
By asking yourself what is the one thing that you would want to change, you are forcing yourself to prioritize. You need to understand what really matters to you. And then getting clear on the very next, small step towards this desired transformation will help ensure that you make progress.
Once you make some progress on your goal to transform yourself, you will probably feel inspired to keep moving. Because progress is the whole point of having a goal; that is what will leave you feeling great. Constant progress towards the life you yearn for.
Remember that the best way to create the future you want is to start taking tiny steps towards your dream, each and every day. That makes success inevitable.
Have an amazing week!
Tim
