While driving my son to school last week, we were listening to the song, “The Future Has Arrived” from the movie, Meet the Robinsons. It’s one of my boys’ favorite songs, and a go-to on the morning route to school.
If you’re not familiar with the movie, it’s about a kid who loves inventing things and goes on an adventure in the future. As we sat in the car listening to the song finish, my son began quoting the movie, and said, “Mommy, I have an idea! We need to fix the future!”
Trying to bridge play time with needing to go to school – I replied, “that’s a great idea! Hey, do you know how we can fix the future? By making TODAY a GREAT day!”
He sat there and looked at me a little puzzled. That wasn’t a line from the movie, and the concept was maybe a little over his head. But as the words left my mouth they got me thinking…
I heard something one time that really stuck with me: everything we do today is an investment in our future self. Your choice to workout, make that phone call, try the new thing, finish that project, tell that person what you need to say – or not – is an investment in your future.
Our actions today are rarely about the results we get immediately – they are an investment in what we experience a month, a year, or ten years from now.
Think about something you half-heartedly started a few years ago. It was hard or you got bored, so you stopped – but what if you hadn’t. What would that mean for you today?
I’ve always wanted to be able to do a handstand. Several years ago I was attending yoga twice a week with the same teacher who had us working on handstands. She was guiding me through all the steps I needed to get through to accomplish this goal. It was thrilling.
After a couple months though, making time for the class became difficult. And after I skipped one class it got easy to skip 2, and 3…and then I didn’t go back for a year. By then the teacher had moved on.
As I pondered all of this that day in my car, I wondered what it’d feel like to be able to do a handstand right now if I’d only stuck with those classes. If I’d only done the uncomfortable or hard thing in the moment as in investment in the future I really wanted – instead of the short term gratification of whatever else I chose to do with my time.
The truth is, if we want to accomplish our goals, live our dreams, and make our future great – we have to invest in it today.
We have to start the process NOW.
I invite you to spend a few minutes right now picking one thing, whether its a big or small thing, that you will commit to starting - or stopping - RIGHT NOW.
What is one thing you can do today to invest in your future?
It might get a little uncomfortable, you might not want to do it at times – but think about yourself three years from now if you stick with it, and keep moving forward.
Your future self thanks you.
Wishing you a wonderful week.
With love and gratitude,
Robin