Now you may be thinking that I’m talking about some kind of self-care, such as getting enough sleep, eating healthy, exercising regularly, meditating, and so on. However, that is not where I’m headed today. Actually, I want to look at how we take care of and prepare for our future selves.
I recently had an ankle surgery for a torn tendon that I have no idea how I injured it. I tore all the ligaments in that ankle over 40 years ago, but I rehabbed it and it was as good as new (or so I thought). Now I have learned that the injuries from our younger years can come back to bite us when we are older.
Similarly, the choices that we make when we are in our teens or twenties, will impact our future selves when we are in our fifties or sixties – and this is really important. For example, if I went to college and did well, then that might result in a successful career and all the benefits that come with that later. But if I squander those years, just working at entry level jobs, I may struggle more financially, even into my later years in life.
The best things that we can do in the present for our future selves is to set things in motion that we won’t regret, that will shape us into people of character and integrity. It’s kind of like – if I tell the truth now, my future self is not burdened with a guilty conscience nor do I have to perpetuate the lie.
So, I encourage you to consider today – what are you doing now to help and protect your future self?