Long-Term Vision In The Short-Term Moment

I said this on a podcast with Chris Cronin the other day and since then I've had a handful of people reach out to me saying that they really liked the saying "Long-term vision in the short-term moment". That's super cool for a couple of reasons. One, people are listening and engaging with the show, and two, people are taking something I said and using it to help make themselves better. Now, let's dive into this idea and what it means to me.

If you're always doing what you want right now then you're never going to get to where you want to go. If you're on a diet and there's a piece of cake sitting in front of you and you know that your goal is to lose 10 lbs. yet you decide to chow down the cake then all you're doing is delaying progress and pushing yourself further back. You have to develop that ability to say "Hey man, here's how I'm feeling now and I accept that. This isn't going to be forever". In the grand scheme of things, it's just a feeling, that's all it is! Feelings and emotions are temporary. They come and go like the wind. But drivers, direction, meaningful goals? These things can last a lifetime.

You have to be willing to sacrifice how you feel now for how you want to feel later. It's why, as I eluded to earlier, so many people fail in the middle of a diet. Think of a time when you started a diet and how excited you were about it and how you were going to lose all this weight and get ripped up abs, etc., etc. You start to create a mental picture of this new confident person you're going to be struttin' around the gym without your shirt on. Then, day 12 rolls around and you eat a whole pizza and wash it down with an extra-large chocolate shake. What happened?! Simple. You let those feelings of instant gratification and comfort take over your mind and tell you that it's okay. That one meal isn't going to kill your progress and that you'll still hit your goal. But it rarely ever stops at one meal, does it? Look, I'm all for balance and having "cheat meals" every now and then but in a lot of ways, it's gone too far. People all around you are going to try and pull you in all different directions. Tell me if you've heard this before "Why are you so strict with your diet? Come on man, live a little?". And the saddest part is, we usually believe these people. We usually give in and thank them for showing us that it's okay to give in a little. Well, I hate to break it to you, but that little usually ends up being a lot. You become a sell-out. A quitter. You sacrifice what you want, what you truly want in the long-term for what's going to make you feel good right here right now. Definition sell-out. Don't be that guy. If you need to have "cheat meals" that's fine. Totally fine! I'm not against them in any way shape or form. But plan them out. Have a plan and have a time when you're going to enjoy them. That makes saying no in the moment that much easier and it also gives you an excuse when someone asks. Keep your mind on your long-term goals and embrace the uncomfortable feeling of the present moment.

At some point, it comes down to how badly do you want it? You can go on and on about how hard you're going to work, all of the things you're going to do, the diet you're going to follow but if you keep quitting on those things then you don't really want them. End of story. Talk is cheap, man. Talk doesn't do work and accomplish goals. It just makes us feel good inside for a little while. It paints this picture of what we would be if we did all these things we talk about. Then, at the first sign of resistance the first sign of trouble, we quit. We give in. We sacrifice what we want in the long-term for what we want right now.

Work on this. Get yourself out of the mindset of instant gratification and short-term pleasures. It won't be easy that's for sure. But don't start with the big things. Start small. Instead of picking up your phone and scrolling through your social pages pick up a book and read a few pages. Instead of staying up an extra thirty minutes to watch a tv show go to bed and wake up thirty minutes earlier and workout. Try this and watch as your mind begins to function in a new way and you begin thinking about things differently. It still won't be easy but it will get more and more manageable as you go. Accomplishing meaningful goals never should be easy if they're truly worth accomplishing!

The bottom line here is to forget about how you're feeling right now. I don't care if it's as simple as fighting off an intense craving or as complex as breaking your leg in the middle of a big race. Picture what that end result looks like. Tattoo that image on your brain. Think of how you will feel then, at that moment. Let those emotions take over and understand that nothing lasts forever. No amount of pain and discomfort lasts forever. Everything ends. Train your mind and your body to understand that and you'll unlock a new part of your brain that you never even knew you had. Performance, in all areas of life, will skyrocket.

Get After It.