If you really wanted to change, you’d do it now.
You wouldn’t put it off until tomorrow.
You wouldn’t secretly hope that you forget about it until you’re already halfway into your dessert.
You wouldn’t set vague goals like “I want to lose weight” or “I want a six-pack”.
If you were serious about wanting to change your life, you’d do it now.
Not tomorrow.
Not after <insert holiday>.
Not once you’re done with <insert pathetic excuse>.
Now.
Handballing all of the work involved in reaching your goals to your future self is knowingly indulging in self-delusion.
You’re banking on a future version of yourself that’s somehow more capable, more motivated, and more disciplined than you are today.
How exactly does this future version of yourself become more capable and disciplined than you are right now? Through eating cake and watching Netflix? That’s your plan?
Might as well make them a couple feet taller while you’re at it.
This is a fundamental misunderstanding of how change works. It’s a convenient fiction, allowing you to absolve yourself of responsibility while maintaining the illusion of commitment.
The truth is, your future self is only going to find it harder to make the change.
Because you’re—
- Forming a habit of opting for instant gratification and;
- Setting the precedent that this is your future self’s problem.
Real change requires immediate action.
A commitment to do the hard things today. Not tomorrow.
Waiting for a magical shift in circumstances or motivation is a recipe for stagnation, not transformation.
The path to genuine transformation is paved with the small, consistent choices you make every day, not the grand declarations of change for some indefinite future.
It’s about confronting the discomfort of growth head-on, rather than seeking shelter in the comfort of old habits.
Each day you choose delay, you not only lose a day’s progress but also reinforce the belief that change is something beyond your current grasp.
By convincing yourself that your future self will somehow possess the willpower and discipline you lack today, you’re not only engaging in a fantasy but also actively disempowering your present self.
The power to change is most potent in the present moment. It’s not about a complete overhaul in a single day but rather the incremental progress that accumulates over time.
Imagine if, instead of postponing, you took one small step towards your goal today. Then another tomorrow.
Before long, you’d look back to see a series of steps leading up to a significant distance covered. This is how lasting change is forged—not in the leaps and bounds of our fantasies but in the steady, persistent march of reality.
Your future self is not a superhero, endowed with magical powers of will and discipline.
It is merely you, plus the effects of the choices you make today.
If you want to make life easier for that future self, the best thing you can do is start making those hard choices now.
Begin with one small, manageable change. Make it again tomorrow. And the day after.
The path towards the change you desire begins now, with you, in this moment. This. Moment.
Not with grandiose plans for tomorrow, but with the concrete actions you take today.
Let today be the day you stop deferring your dreams to an idealised future self.
Embrace the discomfort and just do it.
After all—
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is today.
- Chinese proverb
Why are you still sitting here reading Chinese proverbs?
Get to work.