“My future self? What is that? That’s so far away. I got so much time. I’ll take care of things later. I’ll get organized when I’m feeling like it.”

That’s the kind of mentality needed to ruin your tomorrow. Time flies fast and you’ll be 10 years older before you know. Another thing about time is that it only seems far away looking ahead. Looking backward it was yesterday.

Twenty years from now, you’ll be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did — Mark Twain

You don’t have to wait for tomorrow. You can start setting up your future version for success. You can start today.

Let me share something straight out of my journal. These are some actionable things that you can start implementing today to create a future self that is grateful for the choices you’ve made in the past.

1. Loving your family while they are here

The people who you love and keep putting on hold to get something done first might not be here once you’re finished running your race.

The people you don’t spend much time with but still love you with all their heart and want nothing but to spend time with you are equally precious. It doesn’t matter how you feel about them. It is possible that you don’t see eye-to-eye with them at the moment. But you’ll miss them once they are gone. The regrets will strike you and it’ll be painful.

Love them while they are here, while you can. Make time for them. You’ll never regret it.

2. Being patient

Our attention span has decreased to the size of an infant’s pinky finger. We want things instantly and have no patience in the tank. This needs to change. I’ve abandoned enough projects prematurely to understand the pain.

You’ll start regretting having made these choices as time passes by. A project that you abandoned three years ago will seem ignorant and foolish. An idea that you thought was worthless will reveal you the true potential because your younger self couldn’t see it. Things will happen that make you wish you had been patient and deployed more faith in those pursuits.

3. Not needing to look over the shoulder

Mathew McConaughey said it best.

Don’t leave crumbs and the beauty of delayed gratification. So what a crumbs? The crumbs I’m talking about are the choices that we make that make us have to look over our shoulder in the future.

You didn’t pay that guy back the money that you owed him and tonight you just saw him three rows behind you. Shit. You slept around on your spouse and you just found out that tomorrow she and the lady you’re having an affair with are going to be at the same PTA meeting. Shit again.

Don’t create trouble for tomorrow and don’t take actions today that may haunt you in the future.

Leave behind the crumbs of kindness and generosity. Leave behind the smiles and positively impacted lives. Leave behind beautiful memories and experiences of a lifetime to be remembered.

Set your future version up for peace and calmness and he’ll thank you with all his heart and more.

4. Taking care of your health

Our young bodies are strong. They can process any shit food that we throw down our throats. They can endure ten, twelve, or even fifteen-hour-long working and gaming sessions. They can survive excessive drinking and have enough endurance for your to try out damaging drugs. Just because our bodies can handle doesn’t mean you should try.

The stuff you’re putting in your belly and the physical habits you stick with will either haunt or pay you back in the future. It all depends on your choice. Today.

Hence, eat less junk. Excercise more often. Take frequent breaks between long work sessions. Work on something you truly enjoy. Laugh more and spread positivity. Take care of yourself.

5. Collecting experiences

Your expensive tech gadgets will break. Your fancy rides will catch rust. Your unreasonably expensive branded clothes will become too rugged to wear. Your backstabbing bragging neighbors and colleagues will stay the same no matter how much money you pour into impressive them.

Your memories will stay with you. Your experiences will be there to cherish forever. How you felt, how you made someone feel, what you experienced and the joys of visiting the unknowns will last a lifetime. Make the smarter choice.

6. Investing money

Don’t fall into the trap of believing the time won’t shift simply because it has been good to you for a while. Don’t expect the money to keep coming in because you have a load of it at the moment. Things change. Prepare for the rainy days.

Save some money. Save but don’t let it all rot in the bank. Invest some of it into the businesses you understand. Invest into assets that will only increase in value. Real estate. Gold. Startups. Bitcoin. Whatever gets you going but invest. You’ll be really pleased to find out your $10,000 has turned into $100,000 or even more.

7. Investing in yourself

The most rewarding yet safest investment you’re ever going to make. Learn something. Continuously work on developing your skills and honing your craft. Always keep an open mind and forever expand the realm of imagination and possibility.

Other forms of money always pose some degree of risk. You can lose. Investing in yourself the right way will never end in failure. You’ll only get better. You’ll only grow wiser.

8. Preserving memories

One of the biggest regrets you’re going to have is not preserving the most beautiful times of your life in form of words, photos, and videos. Your mind will remember the memories but they’ll lose important details with time. If you capture them, they are a click away for you to re-live as many times as you prefer.

Your future self will be super grateful for you to take pictures while life didn’t look as shiny, write ideas and thoughts while going through the rough patches, express joys and emotions when feeling on top of the world, and more.

Conclusion

If you take action today, you’ll have a better tomorrow. If you live with this mindset, you’ll stop wasting your time and making dumb decisions. You’ll also stop living in the short-term mentality.

What do you currently thank your past self for? Let me know in the comments.