Posts From Category: philosophy

Changing the way I look at things has been one of the most powerful and insightful things that I have done. I used to run a lot. Then I got fat and didn’t run a lot. When I ran a lot it was always for a goal - a half marathon or to hit a certain weight. This wasn’t sustainable for me over time and I didn’t find it fun (which is massively important for me).

Over the past year or so I have been running for a different reason. I now run today so that I can run tomorrow. I’ve been thinking a lot about Infinite Games and Systems over Goals and this fits into that way of thinking.

There was a point a got so unfit that running was becoming harder than hard. It hurt. But applying this system of running (or exercising) today with the only goal to be able to run (or exercise) tomorrow it has become fun and easy. I love it. I don’t give myself a hard time and I’ve kept it up for over a year and lost over 30kg with it. I’m never going to win any races but I’m definitely a happier tortoise than I was a hare.

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If you are stuck in a rut and don’t think you are making progress focus on your habits and your current trajectory rather than how close you are to your goals (as this can be disheartening and might prevent you from even trying).

Try and remember that it’s not where we are, it’s where we’re going. If we can change our habits and systems to change our trajectory that is often better than being closer to our goals and plateauing.

Don’t worry about the past - it’s done, it’s one thing we cannot change. But we can change the future. Give yourself an edge by honestly evaluating your situation, looking at the choices you get to make every day and choosing the best one for that situation. If we make the right choices time after time we can find ourselves in a very different situation in a years time.

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I saw this on reddit and thought it was too good not to write down as a gift to my future-self.

You should think about yourself as three different people - the past-you, the present-you and the future-you.

Be grateful and forgiving to the past-you. You should thank the past-you for doing things that have put you in the position you are in today. You should also be forgiving of the mistakes the past-you made, as you would forgive a good friend.

The present-you is where the magic lies. You can’t alter the past-you, but you get to shape the future-you. Do things as the present you that the future-you will be grateful for. Choosing between the couch and the TV? What will the future-you thank you for? Do that. Want to sit down and do some work on that side project you’ve been threatening to do for years or sit and veg? What will future-you thank present-you for? Do that. It’s easier doing a good turn for someone else.

When you become future-you remember to be grateful for past-you for all the good things past-you did. Past-you is pretty sweet. I like to picture past-you on a penny farthing.

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