How Our Daily Choices Impact Our Lives
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more information.
I came across a thought provoking video this past week, after hearing it mentioned on the Choose FI podcast.
The premise is about how our small everyday choices ultimately impact our lives. You can check it out below:
Throughout the video we see the main character faced with a series of choices, including:
- What food he eats – healthy vs unhealthy
- His morning routine – yoga and checking his to-do list vs watching TV
- What he listens to in the car – an audiobook vs the news on the radio
- How he spends his workday – tackling the hard projects vs wasting his time on social media
- What he does after work – going to the gym vs watching videos online
- How he spends his evening – working and going out for one drink with friends vs chatting on the phone and then getting many drinks
The longer the video goes on, the more choices he makes. We see his mood and appearance slowly changing based on the choices he’s been making. Gradually, these changes become more and more pronounced. I love this concept, and it’s a good challenge for all of us to be more conscious with the decisions we make everyday.
Here were some of my other key takeaways from this video:
Thinking long-term
The message isn’t that you can never eat junk food, watch TV, or have drinks with friends, but the video clearly shows the importance of thinking long-term. Rather than always indulging in whatever feels good in the moment, we need to practice delayed gratification to prepare ourselves for the future. By making the long-term choice, you’re giving yourself more options in the future. By exercising, eating healthy, saving money, and working hard, we’re setting ourselves up for a happier and healthier future.
Focus on what you can control
There are many circumstances in life that are outside of our control. We don’t get to choose what country we’re born in, our nationality, how much money our parents make, and countless other factors that make up where we are today. However, there are decisions that we make everyday that fall within our circle of control. You can’t control what the number on the scale will say, but you can control what you eat and how many calories you burn. You can control your effort and how hard you work. You can control whether you take an online class or pickup a side job instead of spending all your free hours watching TV or going out drinking at bars.
Being aware of the choices you’re making
Sometimes we go through life on autopilot, without stopping to think about what direction we want to be heading. Gaining awareness is the first step to making positive progress. Take time to reflect on your daily choices, and whether they align with the life you want to lead.
Building habits
The last line of the video is the one that stuck with me: “Small choices become actions, actions become habits, and habits become our way of life.”
With each small choice we make, we’re building our future life. We don’t have to be perfect, we just need to make small consistent actions over a long enough period of time, and the results will follow. Rather than relying on willpower, set up systems that help push you towards success. Some examples of this include automating your finances and putting your gym bag right next to the door so that you see it on your way out. As the video shows, when we string together many days of eating healthy, exercising, and working hard – the results are incredible.
Thanks for reading! Be sure to get updates on all of my latest posts by subscribing via RSS, following me on Twitter, and liking my page on Facebook!
- SeatGeek is my go-to app for all sports and concert tickets. Click here for $20 off your first purchase! (I’ll also receive a $10 referral bonus)
- Rover is my go-to app for dog-sitters. Click here for $20 off your first booking
- Lively is my top recommendation for HSA’s, click here to open a free account
- TurboTax is how I file my taxes every year, click here for 20% off
- Plastiq is how I pay for monthly bills with a credit card, click here to get your first $500 in payments with no fees
