Ethan Sterling
When we think of success, we think of everything and anything that we still need to put into action and implement into our routines in order to achieve it.
You’ve still got to do A, B, and Z before you even come close to a successful future, right?
Wrong.
There are actually many things you might be doing right now that will make your future self successful.
Care to know which ones?
Here goes…
1) You’re planning less and doing more
Know that video with a guy standing in front of a green screen and screaming, “Just do it”?
If you’re already on your path toward success, this is basically an accurate visual representation of your mindset.
Look, I’m a huge goal-setter. I love planning out my weeks, months, even years. But I also know that no matter how amazing planning is, it does have its drawbacks – namely the fact that it can develop into a form of procrastination.
Yep, that’s right. If you plan and plan and plan some more, letting your “preparation” take up the majority of your time, you’re not actually moving toward your goal. You’re postponing it.
The crux of the problem here is that if you constantly write your plans down or share them with other people, your brain kind of feels like it is already in the process of achieving them.
The act of planning releases enough dopamine (a feel-good hormone related to motivation) to keep you satisfied without any real action in the picture.
Of course, I’m not saying you shouldn’t plan. But I am saying that we all have to recognize the difference between productive goal-setting and unproductive overpreparing.
Psychologist Bill Knaus Ed.D. agrees: “Over preparation may seem like a safe path. But, when you get bogged down with details, and put off timely tasks, you may find yourself on a procrastination path. Prepare enough to get started.”
If you’re less of a let’s-think-and-plan-and-organize-for-ages person and more of a let’s-jump-in-and-do-this person, there’s a higher likelihood you’re actively progressing toward your dream life.
2) You’re investing in yourself
Let’s think of self-development as a financial investment for a second.
If you’re investing in short-term pleasure that’s going to cost you a lot and perhaps even land you in debt, you’re putting all your money into a set of liabilities that won’t get you anywhere in life.
If you’re making smart decisions oriented around long-term success, though, you’re gathering assets. These are what will ultimately propel you forward on your journey.
The more you invest in your long-term well-being, skills, and knowledge, the more of an advantage you’re giving yourself.
Fast food is a liability. Education is an asset.
Netflix and chill every evening is a liability. Learning a foreign language is an asset.
Screwing up your closest relationships because you can’t sort out your priorities is a liability. Culturing amazing friendships is an asset.
Oh, and speaking of friendships…
3) You’re building a solid friendship network
One of the longest studies on happiness found out that it isn’t money, career, or hobbies that most determine our well-being.
It’s the quality of our closest relationships.
Unfortunately, far too many people slowly drift away from their friends once adulthood well and truly hits and sequester themselves in their nuclear family units which, wonderful as they may be, don’t fulfil the same purpose.
Even successful people need friends to lean on. In fact, it is precisely our friendships that help us pursue success – when we reach a new milestone, our friends celebrate with us; when we fail, they offer us a shoulder to cry on and the motivation to start again.
If you’re in the process of creating a stable friendship network – be it an inner circle of four people or a vaster network of one-on-one friends – you’re doing your future self a massive favor.
Plus, you’re also increasing your well-being in the here and now, which is probably even more important.
4) You’re making financially smart decisions
Just a moment ago, we compared self-improvement to investing.
Well, it’s time to talk about investing in the literal sense, because no matter how overwhelming or annoying the whole money business can be, a couple of financial decisions can make or break the deal.
In order to reach material success (that is to say, a level of financial comfort where you’re not stressed out about whether you’ll be able to afford new winter boots), you’ve got to educate yourself on financial matters.
Almost no one teaches us about savings accounts and investments at schools.
No one helps us determine which kinds of stocks are more beneficial than a savings account and why, and what’s more, no one shows us the importance of balance, long-term thinking, and careful risk assessment.
Watch YouTube videos on the stock market, personal finance, mortgages, and saving tips. Track your spending. Think twice before spending a large sum of money.
And if you’re already doing all of that…
Congrats! You’re helping your future self become more successful.
5) You’re facing your demons
Investing in your skills, knowledge, friends, and financial independence is crucial. But what’s even more important is your own mental health.
As someone who’s been on a long journey of self-development for years now, I can honestly tell you that putting in effort to grow as a self-aware and emotionally intelligent person is one of the most essential things you could ever do.
It isn’t easy, of course. As psychotherapist Ilene Strauss Cohen Ph.D. says, “Individual growth requires commitment, effort, and patience.”
She continues, “It’s not a process that can be expedited through a handful of therapy sessions but rather a lifelong pursuit of becoming the best version of oneself. After all, what could be more important than that?”
Unfortunately, most people don’t prioritize activities that would help them face their deepest fears and insecurities, untangle their childhood traumas, and deal with their demons. They don’t choose to actively work on their communication skills or to nurture their conflict resolution abilities.
In short, they don’t think about their own emotional well-being often or strongly enough to grow.
But things such as therapy, journaling, reading self-help books, and trying out different self-development exercises are exactly what will determine the level of success you’re able to achieve in life.
Because no matter how wealthy or powerful you become, your shadows will still be there, tracing your every step.
The only way to leave them in the past is to face them head-on.
6) You’re building a stable foundation of healthy habits
You didn’t think we could go the entire article without mentioning diet, sleep, and exercise, did you?
Look, the sooner you get on it, the higher your chances of future success.
Simple as.
Personally, I never thought much of these three factors. Then I entered my mid-twenties and realized I could not, in fact, keep eating rubbish, have zero exercise, and sleep for six hours a night.
My muscles ached, I began to get sick very easily, I went through a lot of weight gain, and I was constantly tired. What’s more, I couldn’t even climb up a hill without feeling absolutely miserable.
Getting your diet-sleep-exercise trio in order helps you build a stable foundation for the future, not to mention it improves your physical and mental well-being in the here and now.
7) You’re learning how to embrace uncertainty
One of the scariest things about life is the fact that you never know what’s coming.
You have no clue where you’ll be next year or what you’ll be like ten years from now on. And that’s terrifying.
But you know what?
The only thing you can do is learn how to be okay with uncertainty.
It’s to embrace new tomorrows and trust that the Universe has something amazing in store for you – no matter how many challenges you might have to overcome to get there.
