Your future self is being built on very ordinary days
If the version of you ten years from now could pop in for a cup of tea, what would she thank you for?
Probably not one enormous heroic day.
She might thank you for the walks you took when you could not really be bothered. The strength work you kept doing. The extra glass of water. The earlier nights.
None of those choices feels life-changing in the moment.
That is the point.
Many of the changes that shape us are tiny and repetitive.
My walks with Teddy remind me of that every day. One walk is just one walk. But walking becomes part of who I am because I keep doing it.
So when motivation disappears, I try not to ask, ‘How do I make myself feel motivated?’
I ask, ‘What would my future self be glad I did today?’
Sometimes the answer is genuinely to rest.
Sometimes it is to put my shoes on and walk round the block.
Either way, your future self is not waiting at the end of a perfect plan.
The maths behind what a daily walk can add up to over a year is one of my favourite reminders that ordinary choices can accumulate.
She starts with the next ordinary choice.
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