How to Prepare for The Future by Living Today

Have you ever heard of the quote, “the future depends on what you do today”? It’s a quote from Gandhi, and it sets the tone for this article.

Our actions today could change what happens tomorrow. So, wouldn’t you want that change to be a good one? I know I do.

We need to live our life today in a way that it will benefit us tomorrow, the next day, the coming week, and so on.

Sitting on the couch doing nothing with our life or anything to improve will impact our future, but most likely in a negative way or a way we’re not too happy with.

That is why we need to live our lives in a way that helps us prepare for a future that we would be pleased with.

There are several different ways we can prepare ourselves now to improve our future. And these ways might make you think, “most people already do that, how is that truly going to benefit my future?”

The answer to that question is, you will be surprised by how many people DON’T do these things and I’ll explain in more detail why they will benefit your future.

Investing in yourself improves your quality of life and the way you feel now and in the future.

Ways to prepare for the future by living today.

Become financially stable:

We’ve all heard the saying, “money doesn’t buy happiness.” Yes, that’s true, but being financially stable helps improve your life.

When you’re financially responsible, you have control over your money without it having power over you; that way, you’re free to have a better life now and in the future.

Right now, I’m living paycheck to paycheck, and my monthly bills along with hospital bills are so expensive, I feel like I’m drowning in debt and life.

My dream of living on my own in a Las Vegas condo with two cats is something that I want for my future.

It’s a goal I plan on accomplishing, and I know it will help improve my life and happiness, as well as helping to improve my future self.

But first, I need to become financially stable.

So, if you’re like me and one of your goals is to get out of debt, the following could help you.

• Create a budget
• Track spending
• Cut out any unnecessary expenditure
• Add to a savings account

Create a budget:

With creating a budget, we’re coming up with a financial plan to use for a set period.

It will allow us to determine in advance whether we’ll have enough money to pay our bills each month, and what amount we can use for play money.

Doing this will help us have more control over our money and break the chains of restraint that debt has over us.

Track spending:

Tracking our spending will help us know where we are spending our money. It will also help us understand where we need to cut out expenses, and it will help us form better spending habits.

Cut out any unnecessary expenditure:

This goes hand in hand with the one I mentioned above.

When we track our spending, we’ll find where we’re making additional payments, and we’ll be able to cut out all those useless expenses.

I call them useless because they don’t serve the goal we’re trying to reach, which is to get out of debt.

Add to a savings account:

Adding to a savings account each month has many benefits. You won’t feel like you’re living paycheck to paycheck. You’ll have some money to fall back on in case of an emergency.

Having three to six months of expenses saved is a general rule, according to Nerd Wallet. Having three to six months or even twelve months saved up would be beneficial.

Having that much in savings would help you get by in life during an emergency, such as the crisis we are currently facing.

And, if you’re serious about keeping an active savings account, you’ll have extra money to use when you retire.

Be happy now.

You need to learn to be happy at this very moment instead of waiting to be happy down the road.

You need to change the mindset of, I’ll be happy when I’m married, or I’ll be happy when I’m living on my own, I’ll be happy when I’m living in a new state, I’ll be happy when I lose weight.

I’ll be happy when, when, when….

Stop.

Instead of thinking, you’ll be happy when, how about being happy now?

We’re all guilty of feeling like we’ll finally be happy once our situation changes or we get something we’ve been longing for.

We need to change our thinking; we need to allow ourselves to be happy right now.

If you feel that you will only be happy once you’re living on your own, what if it takes you five years to move out and live on your own?

You just spent five years not allowing yourself to be happy and enjoy life. I don’t know about you, but damn, that sucks.

Exercise.

We should all know that if we want to invest in ourselves, then we need to start exercising.

There are positive things about exercising that it not only benefits you in the present day, but it also benefits you down the road.

Exercising has been shown to improve your mood and decrease feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress.

A 2016 study of 24 women who have been diagnosed with depression showed that exercise of any intensity significantly reduced feelings of depression.

Regular exercise can help you relax and sleep better, along with improving sleep quality.

Regarding sleep quality, the energy depletion that occurs during exercise stimulates recuperative processes during sleep.

Learn a new skill.

Learning a new skill is a great way to prepare yourself for the future. What’s fantastic about learning a new skill is that it not only benefits your future, but it also helps you in the present day.

There are so many ways you can learn a new skill.

You could go to school, go to college and earn a degree is one way, but if going to college or even taking a couple of classes isn’t in the stars right now, there are other ways for you to gain knowledge.

There are online courses you can take. Udemy and New Skills Academy offer a variety of courses.

I’m taking two Journalism courses on Udemy, and on New Skills Academy, I’m taking a course to be certified as a life coach and one to be certified in meditation.

These courses are also reasonably priced, so that should help if you’re on a budget.

If you’re looking for something you could learn off YouTube for free, learning to cook is a great skill to have; it not only helps you in your personal life but also your family or future family.

Having the ability to cook is a skill that will never go out of style because it’s always relevant.

Knowing how to prepare to feed yourself is a means to survive, you can’t live on only Kraft Mac & Cheese and Lucky Charms cereal forever.

I've tried.

Learning to cook will help you benefit from eating a healthy diet. You’ll be able to learn how to add more healthy foods to your dishes, and you’ll learn how to make healthier meals.

It will also make eating a healthier diet easier to try and stick to since you’ll know how to make delicious meals, and it will be fun to make them and serve to others if you choose.

The suggestions I’ve mentioned will help prepare you for the future.

Investing in yourself is a lifelong process, and you’ll be able to enjoy the benefits while you continue to invest in yourself throughout your life.

I hope you found this article worthwhile and can incorporate the suggestions into your journey of self-improvement.

And always remember to be kind to yourself and give yourself a break, you deserve it.