I suck at working on myself when I have nothing else to work on.
What I mean by that is: it's easier to improve ourselves when we have an external reason to do so. A new job coming up so we triple down on learning and prepping. A beach trip, so we hit the gym twice a day and keep a strict diet.
Taking an inside-out approach (substance), rather than an outside-in approach (style).
But it's hard to just improve ourselves for the sake of improving ourselves.
It's hard when we don't have a reason to work on ourselves that we can point to on the calendar. Something that will make it all worth it, albeit temporarily.
We tend to tie any self improvement to something in the future - a motive, like a beach party or new job, as I mentioned before.
But when we don't have something immediately coming up, it's hard to point to anything. It's hard to tie our current actions of self-improvement forward to anything. We just sort of throw the rope, but it doesn't attach to anything.
But what if we could attach the rope to our entire futures? Or to something specific, so far in the future, but still something we so desperately want to have or achieve.
We could do that!
The next time I feel like there's no point of improving myself because I have nothing in my near future that will call for a better me (so I think, but I'm most definitely wrong), I will tie it to what I actually do want and intend to achieve a few years out.
For me, that's mastering my emotions, becoming financially free, and being the best husband to the woman of my dreams.
I will create purpose around my actions.
Side note: I'm watching a man attempt to pull a washing machine tied to a dolly up a flight of stairs. He made it two steps rather quickly. Up the first, taking one and a half breaths, up the second... then I couldn't hear anything. Oh, the wife is coming to help. Or perhaps the girlfriend.
Update, 10 minutes later: No sign of either the man, woman, or washer. Assuming they made it. Over and out.
Live with substance!
Gabe
