There’s a difference between what we say and what we do. It’s called reality.
We say a lot of things:
- “I don’t want to be that guy who can’t climb two flights of stairs.”
- “I want to have a close family.”
- “I want to help and inspire people.”
- “I want to buy a house for my parents.”
There’s nothing wrong with that. Most of us have nothing but good intentions.
However, good intentions mean nothing. You can’t pay your bills with good intentions. We know that making a living is hard. And living a great life is even more difficult.
So every day we hustle, work hard, and do our best to get closer to our dreams.
But how do you know that you’re on the right path? How do you know that you’re not wasting your time?
Well, you might not be a fortune teller. But I have an exercise for you that predicts your future accurately.
It’s straightforward: Look at your actions.
That’s the whole exercise. Let me explain.
No matter what you want to achieve in life, your actions must back up your words. If not, you will never achieve anything.
For instance, I desire to always work for myself. And at the same time have enough money in the bank to support my lifestyle. Put simply: I want to stay independent. Financially, spiritually, mentally. And in addition to that, I want to stay fit.
All I have to do now is look at my actions. I ask myself, “So you want to be independent, huh? What does that take?”
- Are you creating things that people need?
- Are you improving your skills?
- Are adding value to other people’s lives?
- Are you saving at least 10% of your income?
- Are you investing your money?
- Are you exercising enough?
- Are you reading enough books?
- Are you investing in yourself?
I can go on for a while. But you get the point. I’m questioning my habits here. It’s not about what you want — it’s about what you do.
And not in the future. Today.
I can honestly look myself in the mirror and answer yes to all those things now. But I also must be honest. I haven’t always lived this way. I didn’t take learning seriously for years. I didn’t invest in my skills. I didn’t exercise enough. I didn’t save my money. Etc, etc, etc.
And still, I keep adding new things to my daily habits. For example, I only recently started with tracking what I’ve learned per month. And, there are a lot of other things that I can do better.
Realize that you can only focus on one thing at a time. So you can’t do everything today.
However, what you do today does impact your future.
Look at your day.
- Do you eat junk food?
I’ll tell you this: In 10 years you’ll be fatter and unhealthier. - Do you complain?
I’ll tell you this: Your life’s situation will be exactly the same in 10 years. - Do you lounge in your office chair all day and watch YouTube videos instead of doing hard things?
I’ll tell you this: You’ll be stuck at that same job. Or worse, you’ll get fired. - Do you spend more than you earn?
I’ll tell you this: In 10 years, you’ll worry about money every single day.
Obviously, I’m not a fortune teller. But this predicting is easy. Anyone with a little common sense can do it. And it works like a charm.
Look at it this way. What useful and helpful things are you doing today?
The point is that all those little useful things like reading books, taking courses, making tough calls, sending emails, looking at real estate, going for a walk, spending quality time with people you love, ALL ADD UP.
But when you do useless things, they add up to nothing. Don’t believe me?
What does watching Game Of Thrones, eating a box of Oreo’s, and complaining about your day add up to? Well, maybe a heart attack. But that’s not good.
You get the point. Let’s do something useful every day. That’s all I’m saying.
This was my useful thing for today. What’s yours?
