Bill Gates says most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a day, and underestimate what they can accomplish in ten years. When you think about your 10 year old self - the way they made decisions, how they reacted to tough situations, or what they thought was most important in life - would you want them dictating how you are spending your time right now? Probably not.
For the most part, I think it’s crazy to have a 5-10 year plan for your life mapped out. What if I want something different? What if I choose wrong? What if a major pandemic hits? You really never know, which is why I think it’s crazy to try and plan that far out.
I try to not focus on what I want to do in 10 years, but rather what I want to do right now. How do I want to feel at the end of every day? Am I doing something now that is setting me up for something I’m going to want later? Look inward and find out what you want to do with your time, learn your
, and spend a bit of time every day on what brings you joy, and I almost guarantee your life will improve.
Don’t get me wrong, if you’re one of the doctors, lawyers, teachers, or other folks who have a dream profession and commit your life to achieving it... more power to you. Im in awe of people who are consistently drawn to the same vision for their career/life.
This bit of advice goes out to all the passionate people like me, who are passionate about a million things that change all the time.
“Don't try to change the world, find something that you love
And do it every day
Do that for the rest of your life
And eventually, the world will change.”
ー Macklemore in the song “Growing Up”
When I quit my job on the spot after getting verbally abused by a co-worker (screaming that he would fucking kill me and punch me in the fucking face) I remember telling Norma that I was going to be super picky in my next job and there was a chance I wouldn’t have another job for two years. I ended up being right (at least for a full time role), it took two years to get another job. During the two years of not having a job I never got anxious about my career being over or anything like that because I know that generally speaking I have decades and decades and decades of work ahead of me. What’s two years out of work when I still have 20-30 in the tank?
Anytime I got worried about the short term, I would remind myself that goals take a long time.
(drinking water before going to sleep after a night out is a great example of looking out for your future self), but also to delegate responsibility. Let me tell you, future me gets shit done.
10 year from now me plays way less video games. He preps meals for the week. He’s making more money than me. He’s got his life much more in order than I do right now.
So why would current me want to tell him what to do?
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10 Years
