How do you become kind to your future self?

There are actions you take now that show you have respect for your future self and care about yourself .

What does “be kind to yourself” mean to you?

It all starts with the present. If you are not kind in the present, you will never be so in the future.

Become kind to your present self. All you have is now.

We could all do a better job of treating ourselves with a little more compassion. This isn’t always easy, but it’s well worth the effort.

The point is no matter how pleasurable today’s momentary decisions are – you’ll have to deal with the consequences in the future.

11 tips to be kind to your future self.

1: Love and Accept yourself

Loving yourself entails caring for yourself, showing compassion and standing up for yourself.

Avoid all forms of self-sabotage including negative self talk and hate.

Its true the saying that nobody can love you “unconditionally” except your parents or your dog – but how about loving yourself unconditionally.

Just as you would treat a friend or loved one with kindness, show yourself the same courtesy. Cut yourself some slack, be understanding, and extend compassion to yourself – after all, you deserve it!

2: Develop Good Habits

Do simple things that set your day up for success. Making your bed is a simple way to start stacking in the Right Habits.

It kick starts your day with a win and when you come back home – resting doesn’t seem stressful and working on yourself becomes easy .

How to build good habits and break bad ones?

It all starts today; what habit would you want to improve on or kick out?

1. Studying daily.
2. Having time for devotions/meditations at mornings/evenings.
3. WORKING out to stay in shape.
4. Eating out less.
5. Calling your family
6. Taking more notes (genius habit, you’d be grateful you did 90% of the time)
7. Listening more: listening with the intent to understand i.e. listening effectively.

With the rise of social media and modern age; you can chose to be: amongst those who are building their

• Fitness and their health intentionally
• Careers/Businesses and creating financial independence
• Craft, art, etc
• Families; getting married, raising kids
• Mentorship with people ahead of you.
• Communication and social skills

Or easily stray with those consuming:

• Crap food/junk,
• Binging on Video games
• Porn

3: Face your fears

Procrastination, using substances, events and addiction to escape reality are you avoiding dealing with the pain you’re experiencing now.

This leaves something bigger for your future self to worry about and you’ll eventually to have deal with ’em or go into the same cycle of pain and avoidance again.

Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today: If you can do something today that will make your future self’s life easier, do it!

It doesn’t have to be a big thing, do something that will save you time or effort in the future as against draw you back .

4: Prioritize your health

Be proactive about your health.

Take care of yourself now so that you don’t have to deal with health problems down the road. Eat healthy, exercise, and get enough sleep.

The fact is nobody can prioritize your health for you. And since diet and exercise are key factors in staying healthy – we find trying to please only the present through our taste buds or physical inactivity is a poor decision for our future selves.

• Medical bills go up
• Fat adds up
• Our health depreciates

What can you do right now?

Start eating and exercising to optimize for nutrition and longevity as against only comfort or pleasure.

5: Go to bed earlier

When we’re well rested we make better decisions and take delight in our daily grind.

Sleep is amongst the most critical thing we do everyday.

Your brain thinks better while sleeping. Your health would thank you for it.

6: Be financially responsible

It may be tempting to spend all your money now, but if you save some for later, your future self will be grateful.

Having a budget will help you stay on track with your finances and avoid debt. Try to live below your means so that you can save money.

Most importantly – find ways to generate multiple streams of income and become financially independent.

7: Forgive your past self

We all have moments we’re not proud of. What matters is how you learn from your mistakes and move on. Forgiving yourself is an important step in that process.

Being kind to your future self also involve thanking your past self despite disappointments because you have now learned the lessons and have acquired the self-awareness you got now.

8: Associate with the right people

You’re the average of the 5 people you associate with and being kind to your future self involves auditing the kind of people you associate with.

Choose people that foster your growth, inspire you and believe in you as against those that don’t believe in you or judge you without compassion.

9: Make time for yourself and Choose yourself

In our busy lives, it’s easy to forget to make time for ourselves. But our future selves will thank us if we take some time now to relax, recharge, and reconnect with what’s important to us.

Learn to take care of yourself everyday. Don’t forget to take care of yourself both mentally and physically.

One way to choose yourself is by keeping promises you made to yourself which ultimately builds trust in yourself.

When you stay in a “job” you hate because you don’t want to disappoint others you’re not choosing yourself.

Having zero boundaries in life and associating with people that take you away from your goals is you not choosing yourself.

10: Invest in yourself

Investing in yourself is one of the best things you can do for your future self. It shows that you believe in your ability to grow and improve, and it sets you up for success down the road.

Read books

Take courses

Invest in a Coach

“Self-control is empathy for your future self.”

Whether it’s:

• What you eat, where you live or what you build
• Who you hang out with

…each decision you make can either nurture or harm the older you. Try to be kind. 💭

— Alice Lemée (@alicellemee) April 20, 2022

11: Do something nice for someone else:

Helping others not only makes them feel good, but it also makes you feel good.

Plus, it sets a positive example for others to follow.

12: Bonus point: Be patient with yourself

Everyone makes mistakes and everyone has bad days.

Be patient with yourself when things don’t go as planned, and remember that tomorrow is a new day.

Appreciating what you have instead of dwelling on what you don’t have can improve your mood and outlook on life.

CONCLUSION 

Being kinder to yourself now will help you to be kinder to your future self. We are our worst critics, and we punish ourselves when we fail to meet our objectives or fall short of our standards.

If you learn to treat yourself with kindness and compassion, you will be setting yourself up for a far brighter future.

Write to your future self as someone you love and give compassionate advice to your future self.

If you’re still engaging in toxic habits and self-sabotage you’re not being kind to your future self. 5-10 years from now, what would you want your future self to be proud you did?