Will This Make Your Future Self Happy?

For most people, we make decisions in the moment. Instead of weighing out the consequences, we focus on if it will make us happy right now. What would happen if you changed your thinking from what makes you happy now, to what would make your future self, happy?

I run a nutrition group every week, the purpose of the group is to offer support while members make healthy life changes. One of my members chatted about how he was frustrated with himself. He talked about how he likes to feel good in the moment, which leads him to eat too many treats and skip the gym. He stated that his future self, hates the choices he makes. That is when a light bulb went off in my head.

I've been in a rut, maybe you can relate? I have felt extremely bored with my life and routine. Driving to the same job, seeing the same people, and doing the same things weren’t helping. After working so hard to do a fitness show and it being over, I was left feeling down and a little bit depressed. Sure, I still ate healthy and went to the gym, but my time with friends diminished and my time binge watching Netflix increased. I found myself being upset over feeling bored, yet I kept doing what felt good in the moment.

What my future self, needed was for me to try new things, connect with friends, and learn new things. When I started asking myself would future Shelby thank me for this, my mindset and mood began to shift. I found that I started getting my joy, passion and zeal back. One small change led to another and before I knew it I found myself out of my rut and back on my path to working on the goals and dreams that make me happy.

When looking at whether to skip a workout, eat some treats, binge watch on Netflix, or have a few extra drinks, instead of living in the moment, take a second to ask yourself, would this make future (your name) happy?