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0:03Speaker 1:Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is that if there is something you want to do in your life, start doing it now. You will figure out what is doable in life as it actually is. And maybe, just maybe, you'll make a little progress as well. Today's tip, like several other recent ones, comes from my new book, Big Time, A Simple Path to Time Abundance.

0:46Speaker 1:I have talked with a lot of people about their goals over the years, and I've realized that many people have goals they intend to pursue at some point in the future. You want to write a novel, but you're not doing any creative writing now. You want to learn Spanish. and you have wanted to learn Spanish for decades. You want to get a promotion, but you don't have any particular vision for how that is going to happen. You want to be the kind of person who goes to church every Sunday, but you haven't set foot in a house of worship since last Christmas when you were visiting your parents. Sometimes people make elaborate plans for their future selves, as in, after the time change, I'm going to wake up an hour earlier every day to write. Next day, next day, tomorrow, sometime, I'm going to delete all my social media apps. You set a New Year's resolution to get a promotion, or you tell yourself, hey, once I have kids, then I will go to church every week.

1:48Speaker 1:But here's the thing. Your future self is going to be a lot like your present self. So if getting up an hour earlier or quitting all social media doesn't seem appealing to you right now, as in today, it won't seem appealing to you in the future either. Some goals might be even harder in the future. If you are currently single and can't make it to church now when nobody is waking you up in the middle of the night and you only have to get yourself dressed and out the door, you probably won't find it easier when a family is in the picture. And contrary to what people may wish, simply stating a goal does not bring it to fruition. You need to take actions that will get you from where you are to where you want to be. So if there is something you want to do in your life, it is wise to get started on it now, in whatever way you can, rather than having fantasies about the wonderful things your future self will do. So I think there are two important insights baked into that advice. First, if you want to do something in your life, why wait? If it's a good idea in the future, it's probably a good idea now.

3:02Speaker 1:But second, and I think this is just as important, don't assume that your future self will be able and willing to do something that your present self isn't likely to do. Instead, figure out what is realistic and appealing to your present self. Because that is probably something you can stick with. So maybe you'll decide you will write something every day. It might be just a sentence on some days. but you will start the habit of writing. And who knows? You may get excited about a story idea and end up devoting hours weekly to your novel.

3:42Speaker 1:Or you may realize that writing isn't giving you as much joy or satisfaction as you thought it would. Good to know. Maybe instead of deleting all your social media apps, you just decide that before you look at social media, you will do one Duolingo lesson. Suddenly you're spending a little more time learning Spanish, and a little less time on social media. If you want a promotion, a first step could be to talk to your manager about what opportunities she sees for you and what skills she thinks you need to develop. Why not have that conversation today, or at least at your next one-on-one meeting? Truly, that is a conversation you can have at any time. There is no point putting it off. And if you imagine you are the sort of person whose family will go to worship services regularly, maybe you could decide that over the next few months, you will visit four houses of worship online and maybe two in person. Perhaps at that point, you'll identify one you could see yourself attending from time to time. You don't have to make it every Sunday.

4:51Speaker 1:You could just get started with what you can do. Yes, life changes. That baby who is nursing every three hours will eventually be eating three meals a day, and some of them with other people. Some busy seasons at work do end, and some opportunities come up unexpectedly. But in general, our future selves are going to be quite similar to our present selves. So if there is something you imagine your future self doing, figure out how your present self might like to stick a toe in the water of that activity today. What are you waiting for? Now is a great time to start being the person you dream of becoming. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening.

5:49Speaker 1:And here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at laura at lauravandercam.com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Thank you.