Ready to transform meal making? The thing about Meal Making Transformation is that it is a process and processes take time. We need a good driver to get and stay motivated.
I just read an article about a newish self-improvement idea that might be of help in the motivation department. It encourages us to keep our Future Selves in mind when facing tough decisions around our well-being, e.g.:
- I know it would be best to take a few minutes to cook some vegetables for dinner instead of just eating a big plate of pasta.
- I know it would be good to get in some protein at breakfast instead of just grabbing a coffee and sweet roll.
- Yes, I brought a good lunch to work, but I really want a slice of the pizza I can smell from my office.
These are tough decisions because our Present Self wants the whole stage to itself and demands immediate gratification And how can we argue with the allure of yummy, filling, comforting pasta? Or pizza? Or the sweetness of a breakfast pastry?
Sharing the Spotlight The Future Self approach says, “How about sharing the stage?” Instead of just appeasing Present Self, consider how a decision could impact Future Self, too. In the examples above, obviously, Future Self’s health definitely gets short-changed.
The Benefits We probably sense that a tug of war is going on almost every time we’re faced with food and eating decisions. So what does the Future Self approach add to this often guilt-ridden decision making process?
First, it’s a helpful and engaging way to frame what’s going on when facing tough eating choices so we have a better understanding.
Secondly, research shows that people who connect more with their future selves make decisions that are better in the long-run. This is especially helpful in the health area where the benefits of good eating begin pretty quickly, but only fully root over months and years.
Finally the approach puts a face–our face!–on the part of us that is encouraging healthier choices. The voice of caution isn’t our mothers or some doctor, a health guru or friends or family. It’s us–just a few years down the road–the part of us that wants to be alive and thriving in the months and years ahead. Maybe it could be called our Better Selves.
The Problem As a recent article pointed out, “in many ways, our future selves can seem to us like other people, even strangers.” And it’s hard to trade immediate gratification to benefit some stranger.
The Advice Spend a little time getting to know that stranger. Instead of being some hazy, far-off-in-the-future alien, how about befriending our future selves so we feel more connected to their fates. For example:
- Visualize your older, grayer self (because age really does happen despite our culture’s fascination with youth and insistence that we can defy age.) To help people relate to their Future Selves, one group of researchers took advantage of graphics technology to picture them as older adults.
- Communicate and get to know our future selves. Another group of researchers had study subjects write letters to and from their older selves. If you don’t mind talking to yourself (which I think we all enjoy secretly!) I’m guessing that a few conversations could also better acquaint us with our future selves.
However we connect with our future selves, the larger lesson is clear. “If we can treat our distant selves as if they are people we love, care about and want to support, we can start making choices for them that improve our lives–both today and tomorrow.”
Mary’s Approach Much as I like the Future Self approach, honestly speaking, I have a hard time applying it. That’s probably because I have an embarrassing tendency to believe that I never aged past 18. And I’m not sure I want to envision myself any older than that!
My key to making good eating choices lies in comparing Past Self with Present Self. My past self was bloated, plagued by viruses, overwhelmed by airborne allergies, gaining weight and likely on the road to becoming a diabetic. I couldn’t think much farther than the next week, much less 10, 20 or 40 years down the road.
My drive to eat well came from a much simpler, primordial need to just not be sick anymore! And bit by bit, as I cobbled together one good meal after another, l started feeling better. I didn’t have to wait years, months or even weeks. Good health began sprouting immediately. In the weeks and months after that my health grew and grew and became stronger and stronger–as long as I continued my good eating habits.
So now, it is remembering my sick and sorry past self that keeps my present self on track!
What About You? Does your Past Self or Future Self do a better job motivating you to make health-benefiting food choices? Or have you discovered a better motivator? Leave a comment below!
NOTE: Information and quotations from: “The Benefits of Getting to Know Your Future Self,” The Wall Street Journal, June 17-18, 2023, p. C6, by Hal Hershfield author of the newly released Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today.