Be honest with yourself…
Are your current, consistent actions taking you closer to or further from the person you want to become?
We’ve likely all heard the saying that you should think of “future you” as you go about making decisions and directing actions. But that’s kind of hard to do in the moment, right?
Plus, when does “future me” begin?
So today I want to share a different question with you:
How will your current actions (or lack thereof) leave you feeling 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years from now?
Again, How will your current actions (or lack thereof) leave you feeling 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years from now?
Maybe you’ve been kicking the can down the road with your health and fitness, putting everyone and everything before you.
Thinking on that question, not much will change in 10 minutes. But things could get worse in 10 months and real bad in 10 years. But is there something that you could do that will make you feel better in 10 minutes, as well as happier 10 months and 10 years from now when done consistently?
Ideas for Action: Like we talked about in last week’s email, schedule and protect some time to work on your health and fitness. Just like you’d never miss work (consistently, anyways), make it part of your routine and non-negotiable. Make it small and easy, build up slowly, and don’t believe the lie that it needs to be hard, grueling work to be good for you. Easy and often, over the long-haul, wins.
We’ve recently added something called a Certainty Session to our process at BSP NOVA. If you feel like you could use some guidance with prioritizing yourself, let’s schedule a session. You’ll leave with certainty of exactly what time to schedule and protect to make progress with YOUR goals. Hit reply to this email and I’ll make it happen.
Maybe you’ve been putting work before family, telling yourself it’s for them… someday.
There’s two sides to this one, huh? How will your family feel if they see you choosing work over being present with them in 10 minutes? 10 months? 10 years? And how will you feel knowing that you’re missing out on time you can never get back with family? I’ll spare the knife twisting on this one…
Ideas for Action: Could you carve out a weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly standing date day/night with your spouse? Jess and I have added a date night every Wednesday evening (so long as neither of us are traveling for work) in 2020–which is really more of a date afternoon, since we need to get Fin from daycare by 6:30pm. But it’s been really awesome to plan fun activities and look forward to that mid-week time together. We’ve done dinners, happy hours, relaxed at home, etc., and in the coming weeks we’re getting massages one Wednesday and going rock climbing another.
Could you give your kid(s) a day with you where they’re in charge of designing everything you do together from sun up to sun down once per quarter? Outside of emergency use or pictures, no phones, computers, or interruptions allowed. If this idea interests you, check out the book “The Family Board Meeting“. I’m really pumped to get my first one on the books with Fin soon…
Maybe you’ve been talking about taking your diet seriously, but you keep opening the GrubHub app and ordering what’s easier in the moment.
Hungry, tired, and just want easy… we’ve all been there. And while 10 minutes after we finish eating whatever we decided to order we may at least be satiated, there’s a good chance we made sub-par food choices that will leave us feeling like poo-poo soon after. And if this is still our routine 10 months from now, our waistline and bank account might be heading in the wrong direction. 10 years? I’m sure you can see where this is headed.
But the reality is, if this is your consistent routine, you’re just lacking a plan…
Ideas for Action: We don’t need to jump headfirst into something like planning, shopping for, and preparing every single meal ourselves. But we sure could use a plan, so here are some ideas that are better than ordering food when you’re hungry:
- Let’s start real easy! Keep using something like GrubHub for the convenience factor, but don’t wait until you’re hungry to order. Pre-select some healthier meal choices and stick to them at ordering time. I still wouldn’t recommend this long-term, but it can be good for times when you’re in a pinch… Downside: $$ and likely not the most nutritious food
- Struggling with breakfast? Lunches? Dinners? Use a prepared meals service, like Territory, for those times that are your biggest struggle. Downside: $$
- Plan, shop for, and prepare your meals 1-2x per week. This is a skill that requires practice, and that’s what keeps many folks from either getting started in the first place or sticking with it long enough to get proficient. BUT, this is a great way to bring down the cost and be 100% in control of the quality of your food. Downside: Time, especially in the beginning as you’re learning best practices
Honestly, the best choice is whatever fits your lifestyle! I do a mix of Territory, the occasional GrubHub, and a little plan/shop/prepare because–well–it works for me and my family. You don’t have to pick one, just experiment and find what works for YOU.
So I’ll ask you again:
How will your current actions (or lack thereof) leave you feeling 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years from now?
“A year from now you will wish you had started today.” – Karen Lamb
More Suggested Reading:
Are You Killing Time, Or Is Time Killing You?
