If you’re not doing something right now that will benefit your present and future-self, re-evaluate. 

Think about your future-self. Am I doing something right now that will help me in 5, 10, or 20 years? It will help you prioritize your life. 

Partying may be fun in the moment but it’s not something that will positively impact your future. It’s good for telling stories. You need to focus more on the work you can do now to impact your future. 

It’s very easy to think of today. We all want immediate satisfaction with whatever we’re doing. We want to be great immediately. We don’t want to miss out on a cool event or party. When selecting which event you should do think about this: which event will positively impact my future? 

It may be very fun to go get wasted with friends tonight but studying for your test will positively benefit your future-self. So you have to make the decision to defer your satisfaction to a later date. 

Whenever choosing what you should do in your life think about what impact it will eventually have. If it’s either read a book or watch a movie, which should you choose? When you start to examine life from a wider picture it helps you focus on the things that truly matter. You’ll feel good watching a movie and it’s the easier route, but will it provide you with any benefit? Most likely not. 

Be aware how much control you actually have over your life. You have the ability to change. You can improve yourself. You can become better. You just need to be more aware of where and what you’re spending your time on. If it’s something you won’t see any positive impact from, eliminate it. Add something more beneficial. 

Remember, it’s not an immediate impact. It’s something that will compound after years of work. Focus on your future but be aware of what you’re doing now.

“The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.” -Aristotle