That can lead to a happier, more satisfying, and more mindful life
During the past couple of weeks, I’ve been fortunate enough to engage in a handful of great and meaningful conversations. Wrapping up my ‘short’ yet eventful undergraduate career, numerous people asked me how I stayed persistent and kept striving.
The first time someone asked me, I simply answered with “kept my eyes on the prize”.
The second time someone asked me, I responded with a variation of my first response, saying how I “just kept thinking about where I want to be”.
The third time someone asked me, they phrased it a little differently, something along the lines of “How were you able to stay persistent when you don’t see the results that you thought you would get? Where do you get the motivation to stay the course and keep doing what you’re doing?”
I took a moment to answer and what I said next is now something that can encapsulate my life’s principles and philosophies.
I answered with…
“Whenever I’m about to do something, I ask myself two questions: The first, is this something that my past self can look up to and be inspired by? The second, is this something that my future self can look back on and be proud of?”
Although those two questions never came to mind in regards to my prior decision-making process, I reflected and can pinpoint certain moments thus far in my life when it’s worked.
Here’s an example from the past before I thought about it:
When I saw a job listing I thought I wasn’t well-qualified for, I thought about forgoing applying as I probably wouldn’t even get an interview. I then thought about the worst-case scenario: not getting hired. I thought I had nothing to lose so I applied. I ended up getting the job.
Reflecting on that experience, I know for a fact that my future self would have been disappointed if I didn’t apply. Furthermore, I also know that my past self wouldn’t have been inspired by that decision either. Since I decided to apply, I simultaneously appeased and inspired the three versions of myself: past, present, and future.
I think the two questions can apply to anything and is purely subjective, which, I think, is the beauty of it.
Regardless of how mindful you are in your daily life, this exercise will encourage you to be more mindful and carefully think about your actions.
The next time you’re about to do, or not do, something — about to eat something unhealthy, about to not apply for a job, about to text someone you’re not supposed to — ask yourself the two questions.
Is this something that my past self can look up to and be inspired by? Is this something that my future self can look back on and be proud of?
More often than not, if an answer to one of the questions is yes, the answer to the other would also be yes. If it isn’t, however, then that’s where mindfulness comes into play. This becomes the perfect time to reflect and think why that action will only be good to either your past or future. Then, reformulate the action in order to appease both.
Everyone should align their present actions with their future goals in order to put themselves in a position to turn their vision into a reality.
After all, why would you do something in the present if you won’t gladly share it with your younger self and won’t be proud to look back on in the future?
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