Future you is a complicated gal.  She’s always making demands of you, driving you to Succeed, pushing you into the person you will become (her). You might ask her, “When will it get easier?” or “When will I finally feel successful?” Eh, maybe tomorrow? Maybe never? Who knows. Some days life gets easier and some days it’s harder.  Some days I feel successful, other days I feel like a failure.  I think that’s just life.  So when you feel like you’ll never figure it out, remember, there are things you can do now to set yourself up for success later. You will never again be as young as you are today.  Enjoy it!

Future you is a complicated gal. She's always making demands of you, driving you to succeed, pushing you into the person you will become (her).
Click To Tweet

Keep your friends close.

You know what’s amazing? Talking with people I’ve been friends with for more than 20 years. More than 20 years. That’s some serious sh*t.  Those kinds of friendships are incredible; they make up for the friendships that come and go and can cause pain and stress.  And while you’re at it, get rid of the people in your life who cause drama. It’s really not worth it.  Be  boring. That way you can sit back and enjoy watching other people’s drama without having to participate and deal with the stress.

Get rid of the people in your life who cause drama. It's really not worth it. Be boring. That way you can sit back and enjoy watching other people's drama without having to participate and deal with the stress.
Click To Tweet

Travel

Spend your money on experiences, not things.  Backpack through Europe or Asia or wherever you want to see.  Stay on a yoga ashram.  Go cross country in a van.  Do all of this before you settle into your career and Family and stuff, if that’s your thing. See as much of the world as you can!

Stop letting fear make your choices.

Seriously.  If there is one piece of wisdom that you actually absorb from this article, please let it be this.  Do what you love and f*ck the haters. No one gets to live your life but you, and you have to live with the things you didn’t do.  So do them. Fail.  Be embarrassed.  What’s the worst that will happen?  You’ll get up, dust yourself off, and try again.  Is that so bad?

Do what you love and f*ck the haters. No one gets to live your life but you, and you have to live with the things you didn't do.
Click To Tweet

Start building a savings and your credit.

My rule: 10 percent.  But if you can only put aside $5, then $5.  Every little bit helps.  And start budgeting just as soon as you can. Future you will thank you. And do yourself a favor: stay out of debt and pay attention to your Credit score.  If you have credit cards, pay the balance every month.  If you can’t, pay them down as quickly as possible.  Having a high credit score is hugely important in buying a car, a house, and sometimes employers even check your credit score these days.  Keep it high and your bills paid on time.

Move.

Is there a place you’ve always wanted to live? Do it.  Go there.  Because once you settle down and have a family or whatever your path is, picking up and going gets harder and harder.  Always wanted to live in Chicago, LA, New York? Pick up and go.  Don’t make it something that you always wanted to do but never did.

Take care of yourself.

I mean, have fun, but don’t destroy yourself.  Eat well.  Exercise.  It gets harder and harder to get into shape every day you get older, so keep yourself in good shape! Trust me. Go to the doctor and get regular physicals.  See the dentist every six months.  You don’t want to end up needing $10k worth of dental work because you avoided the dentist for a decade (*me*). Visit with a therapist.  Take care of yourself 24x7x365. And balance your diet. I’m not talking about the food pyramid here.  I mean balance your eating out and eating in.  Go out and try new places! It’s a wonderful part of life.  But also, learn how to cook at home.  Save money when you need to by cooking for yourself. Learning to cook is such a great investment in yourself.  Especially if you live in a city where you can’t get takeout 24-7.

Put together a resume.

A real one.  Have someone else look it over.  Hell, have five people look it over.  Even if you’re solid in your career, you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Make sure you’re equipping yourself with the best tools available.  If you need extra help, hire someone. A professional resume specialist can be a great investment.

Stop comparing yourself to other people.

This really applies to any phase of life.  Comparison, remember, is the thief of joy.  And that’s true.  I never feel worse than when I’m comparing myself to where someone else is.  Those other people aren’t you.  You don’t know their journey and they don’t know yours.  So stay in your lane, try to focus, and find your own way. Other people are not better than you; they’re just taking a different route.  Everyone has something they’re struggling with, and just because you can’t see it on Instagram doesn’t mean it’s not there.  Comparing yourself is useless, and the sooner you can train yourself to stop doing that, the better off you’ll be.

I never feel worse than when I'm comparing myself to where someone else is. Those other people aren't you. You don't know their journey and they don't know yours. So stay in your lane, try to focus, and find your own way.
Click To Tweet

Listen to your gut.

I’m getting better at this, but I’m still not great.  You know that weird inkling you have that’s like, “Oh, I shouldn’t take this job,” or “I know he’s X’s friend, but I don’t really want to go out with him”? Listen to those feelings.  They’re built into us for a reason.

Stop being embarrassed, sorry, and anything else that doesn’t serve you.

Look, you can’t please everyone. It’s literally impossible.  So stop trying.  Do what makes you happy and let there be people who don’t agree.  It’s fine. If we didn’t have different opinions and views floating around in the world, can you imagine how boring life would be? But don’t try to make all of those people happy; you’ll drive yourself crazy.  Be silly. What is the worst that could happen? Someone will laugh at you.  They don’t know your life (said in the voice of Tiffany Haddish).  If you spend all your time being serious-face-no-laughing-nostril-flare-not-an-option, you’ll never have any fun.  Nobody gets out of this alive; lighten up! While you’re at it, tell the haters to go f*ck themselves. I mean, not really.  But do it in your head.  Not everyone is going to like you in life.  Me? I have a polarizing personality and people either love me or hate me.  That’s just the way I’ve always been.  But at least I know where I stand. There will always be people who don’t want to see you succeed simply because they want to see you fall down.  And there’s a mentality in some people that if you succeed, they fail.  This doesn’t have to be true.  There’s enough success to go around.  So ignore the people waiting for you to fail.

Be silly. What is the worst that could happen? Someone will laugh at you. They don't know your life (said in the voice of Tiffany Haddish).
Click To Tweet

Don’t settle.

Explore. Don’t settle into a job you don’t love because you’re scared to leave.  Don’t stay in a relationship because you’re scared to be alone.  Ain’t nobody got time for that.  Make mistakes.  It happens.  But don’t give up and settle in because you are scared.

Fail.

Failing is the best! I mean, it doesn’t feel like the best.  But it’s through failure that we learn and grow and, ultimately, succeed! Push through it and try again.  Do you know how many times Steve Jobs failed before he succeeded?  I don’t, but I bet it was more than once. So just. Keep. Failing.

Set goals.

Write them down.  Whether they’re yearly, monthly, weekly, daily, whatever, just set them.  Then you have a concrete vision of what you’re striving for.  Financial, relationship, health, career, whatever goals you have, write them down and look at them as a daily reminder of what you’re working so hard for.

Accept that you know. . . nothing.

Do you remember how much you thought you knew when you were 16? 20? 25? Haaaahahahahaha.  Yeah.  Truth is, you never really know it all.  Nobody does.  Except for maybe my 100-year-old grandmother.  She’s 100.  But do your best, listen to your elders, and keep learning.  Stay open to experience and wisdom.

Do you remember how much you thought you knew when you were 16? 20? 25? Haaaahahahahaha. Yeah. Truth is, you never really know it all. Nobody does. Except for maybe my 100-year-old grandmother. She's 100.
Click To Tweet

Spend time with your family.

Life will get in the way more and more the older you get.  Make time for those people in your life who are important to you.  Whether your family is your biological family or a family you have made on your own, make time for it. If you’re far away, call them.  Keep in close contact.  Make the time.  You’ll never regret this. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Relax.

Yes, I know, there’s so much to do! Now sit down and chill out for a little while.  The world is not going to end if you’re not going, going, going 24 hours a day.  You’re not going to win any awards for running yourself ragged.  Take moments and enjoy your life.

Remember: You are not alone.

There is a word for the feeling that your experience as a human is unique even though every other person is going through a lot of the same things. . . and I can never remember what it is. It’s something long and German, I think. Everyone feels like they’re on an island going through life alone.  There are many, many people who are going through the same struggles that you are. We’re all in it together!  Not that it necessarily makes it easier or worse, but you’re definitely not alone.

Look, nobody has it all figured out.  And I mean nobody.  But I hope these tips will help future you be healthy, wealthy, wise, and proud of you.

The post 17 Things To Do Now Your Future Self Will Thank You For appeared first on Beauty Chaos.