Future self

Your future self, a setback mentality.

I will get to that tomorrow. We'll start tomorrow. Tomorrow will be better. It'll be better when I have more time, when the kids are older, when I leave Korea, when I move to Korea, during summer vacation, when summer vacation finishes...

The idea of getting started any other time outside of RIGHT NOW is pushing things towards your Future Self. The Future Self is this idea that the future versions of ourselves will be better than we are right now.

While I was studying yoga in India our Yoga Philosophy Teacher, Swami P. Chaithanya, said the way to plan for the future is to act as if it's already happened. I didn't understand what he meant until I started thinking about the Future Self mentality. If I want health and vibrancy in my future, I need to move and act in a way that cultivates health and vibrancy RIGHT NOW. Because, really,  there is no Future Self, as anything that is not RIGHT NOW is in future, the mile marker just moves further and further away pushing our goals and the start date to work towards them beyond our grasp.

A great quote from Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin

"Tomorrow logic wastes time, and also it may allow us to deny that our current actions clash with our intentions."

A few years ago I was talking with a friend about the Future Self mentality and she said "Oh, I totally do that. I have this idea that I'll be the fit mom jogging around the park with my two adorable children.... but, I don't even jog right now! Do I really think that having children will HELP my jogging habit? Sigh... no."

How can our current actions line up with our intentions?

1. Break down the goal. If you'd like to start a yoga practice at home- start with three familiar poses and do them either first thing in the morning or just before bed (linking the habit with an existing habit is a great way to make sure you don't forget).
2. Imagine you've already reached your goal- live that life. Does the Future you practice yoga and meditate when you wake up every morning (or before bed)? If that future you does it, then the RIGHT now you can do it, too. Start with 1 minute and see it as success.
3. Accountability. Some people do well when they share their goals- you can connect with a friend, yoga teacher, family member and ask them to check in with your progress. Personally, I do well marking my progress on a giant calendar next to my desk- I like to SEE how many times I've repeated success and find it encouraging to keep up the progress.

Have you read YogaYOGI's Mission? We wholeheartedly believe that you can start right now, as you are. Bridge the gap between today and your future you. ♥

If you'd like to work with me to reframe your goals into sizeable, RIGHT NOW chunks- send me an email and we can put a plan together.

Cheers to YOU, right now, as you are.