15 Things to Do Today That Your Future Self Will Thank You For

I’m sure that if someone asked you, right now, where you want to be in 5 years, you’d probably have a pretty good idea. But maybe something is stopping you from doing what you need to do to get to that place. You’re tired, you’re too busy, or maybe you’re just not motivated. Whatever it is, it’s stopping you from getting to where you want to be. But life is short, and you have to take advantage of all that this beautiful world has to offer.

So today, I bring you, 15 things you can do today that your future self will thank you for. Start slow and choose one. Then the next day, choose another and then another until you’ve filled your days with habits that are setting your future up for success. It’s those baby steps that bring us such great successes.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

15 Things You Can Do Today That Your Future Self Will Thank You For

1.Start a journal.

Writing your thoughts down and having them all out in front of you is a great way to organize what’s going on in your brain and give you an idea of what exactly you’re thinking. You can write anything in this journal: entries about your day, pro/con lists, to-do lists, anything. The longer you do this, the more likely it’ll become a habit.

2. Get at least 30 minutes of physical exercise in a day.

This is good for your mind and body. Exercise releases endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Yes, I did just quote Legally Blonde.

3. Drink water

I don’t need to say a lot about this one. The more water you drink, the better you’ll feel all around, and again, it’ll become a habit.

4. Learn to be by yourself

Learning to spend time by yourself is so important. You can’t be with people every minute of every day, and learning to be by yourself and hang out with yourself is essential. Be your own best friend for a little while. Take some time for yourself. Which leads me to…

5. Setting aside “me time”

Me time! This can be anything from reading a book to taking a bath to crocheting or knitting. Basically, anything that makes you happy can be your me time. This will eliminate a significant amount of stress from your life and you will be building up a habit of taking care of yourself.

6. Come up with your own definition of success

There will be people constantly telling you what success is. This can make you feel like you aren’t achieving success if what you’re doing doesn’t match up to their definition of success. So, make your own definition. Decide what YOU think success is, and stick to that. It’ll save you from being defeated and unmotivated to continue on your path.

7. Form your own opinions

Listening to other’s opinions and asking what they think it great, but don’t forget that forming your own opinions is important too. Do a little research on topics you’re unsure about, and decide what you think. Forming your own opinions will make it easier to do what you want to do with your life and think what you want to think.

8. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people

It takes courage to reach out to someone you haven’t spoken to in a while. It can be scary, but it’s worth it. If there’s someone you want to talk to that you haven’t heard from in awhile, go ahead and reach out to them. Ask them how they’re doing or if they want to get lunch some time. This person will probably be pleasantly surprised and it’ll pave the way for some great conversation and a rekindled friendship.

9. Declutter.

I can’t stress this one enough. You will thank yourself so much if you take a weekend and just clean out your space. It can be your desk, your bedroom, or even your entire house. Taking the time to declutter is so rewarding and will create a much calmer and clean space for you to focus.

10. Find a hobby that makes you happy.

Take up a new hobby, or resume one you’ve already started and forgotten about. This is a lifesaver when you’re stressed and need some time to cool down. You’ll get so caught up in this hobby that your stress will just melt away.

11. Take a walk.

Going outside for a walk once a day is good for your mind and body. Put the technology down, and just walk around the block a couple of times. It does wonders.

12. Let go of toxic relationships.

If you are in a toxic relationship or friendship, let it go. Life is too short to let people drain you and hurt you. Tell that person that this is not a healthy relationship for you and you need to think about your own health and well-being. You’ll feel free.

13. Face change instead of fearing it

Learning to face change is an essential part of life. No matter what, whether we like it or not, life is going to change. Sometimes, it will change in the blink of an eye. So instead of facing this change with negativity, think about the positives. Make an actual, physical list of good things that are going to come out of this change. It’ll teach you to look for the positives in everything, and that’s a great habit to form.

14. Smile.

Just smile. You’ll instantly feel great.

15. Love yourself

Because you deserve to be loved. You are a wonderful person with a one of a kind personality, who has made so many people smile. Think about that, and love yourself, for your current and future self.