Gift Your Future Self

To Be Happy Now

When my children were little, and Christmas was approaching, I loved preparing for their perfect Christmas morning.

Joy and happiness lay in the preparation and anticipation.

Even working additional jobs took on an element of excitement because I was preparing a gift for their future self.

We can all remember times when we found joy in preparing something wonderful for ourselves or others, future selves.

It may seem harder to do now.

We live in a world where we must get things done now, expect immediate entertainment, and are so overwhelmed with current tasks that we don’t have the mental or physical space to enjoy preparing for anyone’s future self, let alone our own.

But I propose that preparing gifts for our and others' future selves is where happiness lies.

We can prove it to ourselves with very simple steps.

At night, as I “close shop” in my business and our home, I walk around the house and put things away that we had used that day.

I am doing it for my future self.

When I get up in the morning, everything is fresh and waiting for me to start the day. If I am the first up, I press the coffee maker button for Del’s future self when he gets up.

These are small happiness moments, but happiness lives in small happiness moments.

All the tasks that we do are really for our future selves and the future selves of those that we love.

But we forget that and instead think of these tasks as chores or problems.

If we treat each task as a gift to the future, they are no longer just things that need to be done—they become sources of happiness.

There is a caveat here.

Sometimes, we do things for our future selves without caring about our present selves.

When we overwork, do wrong things to get more money, appreciation, or power, don’t take time to think, or don't enjoy the present, we are not producing happiness for ourselves now or in the future.

We may sometimes forget this, but in our hearts, we know it is true.

It’s the small things that spring from love that mean the most. Some of the best presents I ever gave my kids were handmade coupons. They were for their favorite dessert, a health day off from school, or a private lunch or movie date with me.

Every day brings many ways to gift our future selves. Would your future self like it if it were healthy and had a well-cared-for place to live?

These are things our current selves need to take care of now.

When we don’t care, when apathy takes over, and it seems as if we have no power to change the future, that is when we most need to rebel.

We need to rebel against apathy and a lack of interest. We must rebel against resistance to doing what is necessary to gift our future selves.

Right now, what can you do for your future self?

It doesn’t have to be far in the future—it could be an hour from now. Start there, keep going, and then choose another simple project.

Move a piece of paper to where it belongs. Prepare some food for later. Plan a trip. Plant something, and watch it grow. Clean the closet, one section at a time.

It’s the little things that make up the future. And it’s those little things that make us happy now.

We find happiness in our current days when we view our days as projects that will gift our future selves.

It’s a win-win, win-win situation. Choose your personal happiness project. Your future self is already smiling in anticipation.

Connect with me here if you want more insights into seeing things differently.