Improve Your Present, Now and Forever

Hey all,

By now you may have noticed that I always end my posts with "Enjoy today." In this short post I will expend on this thought.

When I came up with the quote in the picture, my goal was to communicate what I think is a powerful idea, all the while leaving room for personal reflection and interpretation. Now I would like to dive a bit deeper into it and share with you what it means to me.

To me, two facts immediately come to mind that may appear somewhat conflicting at first, but that really aren't:

• Since in the future only the present will truly matter, the present should be spent on creating a better future for ourselves;

• However, if the present is all that matters then we should strive to live in the now and maximize our enjoyment of every moment.

I think both of these statements have merit. They can be conflicting when put together depending on how you look at it. For example, completing a degree might improve your future, but travelling the world instead of going to school would clearly help maximize your enjoyment of the present. This applies to many areas of life: fried chicken might maximize your current enjoyment, but a salad would improve your future presents by keeping you healthy.

So what is the right answer? I think the answer is to consider both sides of the coin when making decisions, and to live a balanced life. Strive to only include elements in your life - be they hobbies, classes, foods, jobs, friends, etc. - that you genuinely enjoy doing in the present, and that also add value to your life by improving your future. I think this is a great way to ensure that you will live a fulfilled life and avoid regrets.

So look at the food you put in your body, the things you do in your spare time, the people you hang out with, the subjects you are studying in school or the 9-5 you go to every day, and ask yourself: "is this making me happy with my life today?" and "is this contributing positively to my future?"

Please feel free to share your thoughts below =)

Enjoy today,

William