Your PAST actions result in your CURRENT OUTCOMES
You can’t perfectly maintain coherence between today’s actions and their fruits
Indeed I advise to do more things that benefit you IMMEDIATELY (but CONTINUOUSLY), aka ‘WHAT YOU IMPROVED TODAY’
-because you can VERIFY them immediately
-AND because they grant you the REWARD immediately
(even if incomplete)
But most things you’ll do will deliver rewards only OVER TIME
Alas, merely knowing this logically is not always the perfect consolation
It’s best to rewire your brain entirely to derive satisfaction from DOING THE RIGHT THING specifically
This way delayed gratification is becoming less and less relevant
More importantly — this indeed is the one ROBUST way to weather life’s vicissitudes
Since your happiness and well-being ultimately can ONLY EVER OCCUR NOW
So though you can’t hack your brain to permanent happiness in ALL circumstances,
we can surely prove that you can RUIN your brain to feel UNHAPPINESS in all circumstances — including favourable ones, enviable even
The latter is of course undesirable – so we’re trying to do the very opposite — learn to FEEL HAPPY
having said that,
if you DO desperately need some MOTIVATION NOW…
VAIN DREAMING is NOT the main recommendation
-it’s often counterproductive — it teaches you to WANT things — instead of GETTING things
-it also hardly reinforces the MEANS of acquiring those ends
There are some advantages to dreaming:
-getting ACCUSTOMED to the thought of having something, gaining something
-REMEMBERING what the goals are, remembering where the TRUE NORTH is
However,
Using your EXISTING ACCOMPLISHMENTS is PREFERABLE
-because those are the TANGIBLE REFERENCES to already existing actions, behaviours, mindsets — which brought about those gains and accomplishments
-because mere attention brought to them creates a positive feedback loop = you remember again how you wanted them, how you appreciate them and are grateful for them
-and of course that positive emotion FUELS your current motivation, it is an immediate reward
-fuels the ‘winner effect’
-etc
Therefore,
Use PAST ACTIONS and TODAY’S WEALTH as the best REFERENCE for TODAY’S ACTIONS BEGETTING tomorrow’s wealth
-best motivation
-best action reference