Jerry Seinfeld has a routine about people always messing over their “future selves”. Be it “night me” vs. “morning me” or “present me” vs. “me in 12 months”, it’s all the same idea. He talks about staying up at night is great for “night me” but it will mess over “morning me”. He can party and drink all night long and not worry about it because you can just let “morning me” worry about it.
The same goes for store promotions that offer “don’t pay until 2009”. I can afford anything I want right now. I’ll let “future me” worry about that when the time comes. I remember growing up with commercials with a little jingle “don’t pay a cent right now at Leons”. They offered no payments until whatever year was coming up. People love those deals because they really do think of themselves as 2 separate people. They think to themselves “well, I need a couch now and I’m definitely going to get a raise before the payments are due so I might as well buy it and pay for it later.
Everybody at one point or another sees something that they like but don’t necessarily need and they say to themselves “I deserve it”! They think “I work hard and it is time to reward myself”. I look at this and think that this is a little selfish. Why treat yourself to something and leave nothing for “future you”?
Think about it. If you took the $100 or $1000 or more that you are about to spend and invest it or even just put it into a savings account, “future you” can will be able to buy more for the money.
This world is about helping others and future you is one of those others. If you help him, he will be able to help more people in the future than you will ever be able to help in the present. Just like parents saving money to give to their kids when they move out, go to college or get married, “present you” can do the same thing for future you.
This concept is how the world works in a very simplified comedic delivery. “Present you” goes to school so that “future you” can get a job. “Present you” works hard so that “future you” can get a promotion. That is why “present you” should think twice about buying knickknacks and other things that you don’t need and instead put the money to work for “future you”. The way that luck works is that you have to be ready for the opportunities when they come. “Present you” is all about preparing for the opportunities that “future you” will be presented with. And if “present you” is handed an opportunity, just think of how much it can pay off for “future you” as well as the future generations that come from you.