Remeber Your Origin

Many of us excel at imagining future possibilities. Crafting these visions is not only straightforward but also thrilling and rewarding. However, when the moment arrives to take action and persist, we often hesitate. The reason? We place an excessive burden on our future selves. We delegate all the challenging or displeasing tasks to the version of ourselves that exists tomorrow. Then, as tomorrow arrives, we recoil, thinking, “Hold on, I’m not ready for such an endeavor today; I’m exhausted!” This is the snare we fall into. We believe in a future version of ourselves who will tackle the foundational work of self-improvement without complaint, delay, or anything less than zeal—someone who will eagerly undertake what we’re reluctant to do today. However, if we’re unwilling to take action now, what guarantees do we have that our future selves will be any different? If we haven’t managed to change something now or haven’t done so previously, what evidence is there to suggest a future version of ourselves will be more inclined to act? If the motivation and drive are absent today, it’s likely they won’t magically appear tomorrow or in three weeks. This optimistic belief in a future self, ready and willing to bear today’s burdens, is a fallacy we must confront.