未来十年的你

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? It’s a common question employers ask. Not many people think about themselves in the next decade.

Thinking about your life in the next ten years sounds unrealistic or impractical. But it’s exactly what you need to design the life you want.

When was the last time you thought deeply about your life? If you are like most people, you think month to month or year to year. Tony Robbins was right, “Most of the challenges that we have in our personal lives come from a short-term focus.”

Wealthy people think decade to decade.

That’s how they build wealth. Warren Buffett has been doing it for over four decades. Many billionaires have held equities in other people’s businesses for years. They are putting compound interest to work.

But long term thinking is not just about your finances. You can take proactive actions to improve your career, skills, relationships and health.

Long term thinking is hard, especially when you’ve not figured out how the next quarter or year will turn out. But…

Long-term thinking gives you the freedom to design the life you want now — without surprises.

Always optimize for the long-term

Wendy Schultz is right: “While the future is uncertain and much of it is beyond our control, we can control many aspects of it. We choose our future: we create it by what we do or fail to do.”

When you think long term, you are intentional, deliberate and proactive about your future self. You are mindful of your choices today and the consequences they have on your future life.

Your considerations of the present are designed to put you in a better position in the next 5 or 10 years. But the future is unpredictable, so you also make allowances for uncertainty and surprises.

The future is not entirely unpredictable. There’s a lot you can do to change the trajectory of your life. But you have to know where you are headed first. Knowledge of what you want to expect for yourself in the future can guide your present actions.

To ensure your life can continue to evolve for a better future, make time to think about the many ways you can influence your life in the next decade.

Ask yourself the most important questions that can help you make plans in the short term, focusing on the bigger picture. And that plan should cover all areas of your life.

What skill can you master today that will put your future self in the best position to thrive? With the future in mind, learn new complimentary skills today to secure your future. How do you intend to improve your expertise in the next ten years? Have you thought about retirement?

Can your current income sustain your future self in the next ten years? If not, what can you do about it now? How do you intend to make money in the next 10 years? Can you invest in capital assets (equity, a business, products) today to take advantage of compound interest?

What are you doing now to put your health in the best position in the next decade? 

Remember, habits are always compound for you or against you.

With that in mind, embrace sustainable practices like walking, eating healthy food, taking more breaks, sleeping better into your lifestyle.

How do you want to improve your relationships? What are you doing right now to make sure the people you care about are safe and secure in 10 years? 

How do you as a family intend to grow emotionally, intellectually socially? What meaningful experiences do you plan to create for a better relationship in the next 5 or 10 years? How do you intend to grow your social network to become a better version of yourself?

Thinking about your future self is not enough. You have to take action now. Thinking alone won’t make a difference for your future self. It’s what you do today that matters. The habits and actions you take. The tiny investment of time, money and energy into things you can sustain.

“A very common mistake that smart people make is that they over-optimize for the medium term when they think they are optimizing for the long term.” Auren Hoffman said.

Whatever you choose to do, make sure you are optimizing for the next 5 or 10 years. To stay on track, be mindful of both the present and the future and choose your actions carefully.

What do you want your life to look like in the next decade? Imagine that, think backwards and work your way to that life right now.

As uncomfortable as it may be, building better habits, learning new skills and investing in our future selves is the best way to minimize risks and uncertainties.

One way to get started is to write out your plan in a notebook. Put your ideas on paper. Make them tangible. Start with the questions and try to answer them genuinely. Be realistic about your choice and what you can do.

“It’s well worth your time to think about the future, plan for that future, and make changes to nudge that future into being, even if that future doesn’t turn out quite right,” says Trent Hamm, the founder of Simple Dollar.

What’s the practical future you face? If you don’t like it, start doing something about it today. Think about the many areas of your life and the actions you can take right now to change the trajectory of your life.

The future may be unpredictable, but we can choose better, proactive and practical actions now and respond smarter to the many uncertainties we may face in the next 10 years.

-----——

 

你认为十年后的自己会在哪里？这是雇主常问的一个问题。很少有人会思考未来十年的自己。

思考未来十年的生活看似不现实或不切实际。但这正是设计你想要的生活所必需的。

你上一次深入思考自己的生活是什么时候？如果你和大多数人一样，你可能只考虑未来几个月或一年。托尼·罗宾斯说得对：“我们个人生活中遇到的许多挑战都源于短视的焦点。”

富人以十年为单位进行思考。

这就是他们积累财富的方式。沃伦·巴菲特这样做已经超过四十年。许多亿万富翁多年来持有他人企业的股权。他们利用了复利的魔力。

但长期思考不仅仅关乎财务。你可以采取主动行动来改善你的职业、技能、人际关系和健康。

长期思考很难，尤其是当你还没弄清楚下一季度或下一年会怎样时。但是……

长期思考让你有自由现在就设计你想要的生活——没有意外。

始终为长期优化
温迪·舒尔茨说得对：“虽然未来是不确定的，很多事情超出了我们的控制，但我们能控制很多方面。我们选择我们的未来：我们通过行动或不行动来创造它。”

当你进行长期思考时，你对未来的自己是有意、深思熟虑和主动的。你会留意今天的抉择及其对未来生活的后果。

你对现在的考虑旨在让未来的5年或10年后处于更好的位置。但未来是不可预测的，所以你也要为不确定性和意外留有余地。

未来并非完全不可预测。你可以做很多事情来改变你的人生轨迹。但你首先得知道自己要去哪里。对未来期望的了解可以指导你现在的行动。

为了确保你的生活能继续向更好的未来发展，抽出时间思考未来十年你能影响生活的多种方式。

问自己一些最重要的问题，帮助你在短期内制定计划，同时聚焦于更大的图景。这个计划应涵盖你生活的方方面面。

今天你能掌握什么技能，让未来的自己处于最佳的成功位置？以未来为目标，今天学习新的辅助技能以确保你的未来。你打算如何在未来十年提升你的专业能力？你考虑过退休吗？

你现在的收入能在未来十年支撑你的未来自我吗？如果不能，你现在能做些什么？你打算未来十年如何赚钱？你今天能投资于资本资产（股权、生意、产品）以利用复利吗？

你现在做什么来确保未来十年的健康处于最佳状态？记住，习惯总是要么服务于你或对你不利。有鉴于此，拥抱可持续的做法，如散步、健康饮食、多休息、改善睡眠，融入你的生活方式。

你想如何改善你的人际关系？你现在做什么来确保你关心的人在十年后安全无忧？你和家人打算如何在情感、智力和社交上成长？你计划创造哪些有意义的经历来改善未来5年或10年的关系？你打算如何扩展你的社交网络，成为更好的自己？

仅仅思考未来的自己是不够的。你现在必须采取行动。光靠思考不会为你的未来自我带来改变。今天你的行动和习惯、你投入到可持续事物中的时间、金钱和精力的微小投资才是关键。

奥伦·霍夫曼说：“聪明人常犯的一个错误是，他们以为自己在为长期优化，实际上却在中短期内过度优化。”

无论你选择做什么，确保你在为未来5年或10年优化。为了保持正轨，留意现在和未来，小心选择你的行动。

你希望未来十年的生活是什么样子？想象那个画面，倒推回来，从现在开始努力实现那种生活。

尽管可能不舒服，但养成更好的习惯、学习新技能、投资于未来的自己是减少风险和不确定性的最佳方式。

开始的方法之一是在笔记本中写下你的计划。把你的想法写在纸上，让它们变得具体。从问题开始，尝试真诚地回答。现实地看待你的选择和能做的事情。

《简单美元》的创始人特伦特·哈姆说：“花时间思考未来、规划未来、并做出改变以推动那个未来的到来是非常值得的，即使那个未来并不完全如你所愿。”

你面对的实际未来是什么？如果你不喜欢它，今天就开始做些什么。思考你生活的诸多方面，以及你现在能采取的行动来改变你的人生轨迹。

未来可能是不可预测的，但我们现在可以选择更好、更主动、更实际的行动，并更明智地应对未来十年可能面临的诸多不确定性。