Thread: What can I do to prepare for the future?

So the question is, what can I do while I'm young (23) that'll benefit me in the future? I have a few in mind such as saving, exercising and taking care of my body. Any others?

Also, those who have quit smoking tobacco, what got you to quit and how long did it take? I have been thinking of putting cigarettes down permanently but haven't put any real effort into quitting yet. I've been smoking for about eight years so I fear it will be agonizing. Would an investment into one of those vaporizors be worth it?

Hey Nagir, about those cigarettes. I have smoked for about 3 years fulltime and I simply quit because I turned my thoughts around. Instead of looking at it like "Ah... time to smoke a cig, get away from everything" I now think "Let's smoke a cig so I can poison my body while gaining nothing positive from it!" which is in fact the truth. Just the thought puts me off immediately. Also it costs a lot of money. Besides that, when I would jog or go to kickboxing I'd have more trouble breathing than when I would not smoke and it was bugging me.

Things that will benefit you in the future is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. You mentioned exercising, so I assume you mean weightlifting or some form of cardiovascular exercise. How about martial arts? It might save your life someday.
Ask yourself this question: What do I want to grow in?
It can be anything, personality wise or perhaps skills like drawing or making music and then focus on that goal.

One helpful hint is to stop putting the burden on "future me" to accomplish things. You cannot quit smoking cigarettes, you can only abstain from smoking the next cigarette. I find the assumption is that one must distract themselves from the desire for a cigarette, and the opposite is more helpful in my experience. Put all your focus on the desire, do not run from the desire either by distracting yourself or giving into it. Be aware of the desire, and treat it with equanimity (see it as it is rather than as you judge it. The desire is part of you, scolding the desire means you scold yourself. Accept yourself)

The same can apply to everything else meant to prepare you for the future. Do not put the burden on "future me" to exercise and eat right, see what you can do now. Take all of your worry regarding your habits and place that wasted energy on your present actions.

That's actually very helpful OP, thanks.

Make sure you have clean underwear for tomorrow.

Very insightful comments you all.

Originally Posted by Athylus

Hey Nagir, about those cigarettes. I have smoked for about 3 years fulltime and I simply quit because I turned my thoughts around. Instead of looking at it like "Ah... time to smoke a cig, get away from everything" I now think "Let's smoke a cig so I can poison my body while gaining nothing positive from it!" which is in fact the truth. Just the thought puts me off immediately. Also it costs a lot of money. Besides that, when I would jog or go to kickboxing I'd have more trouble breathing than when I would not smoke and it was bugging me.

Things that will benefit you in the future is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. You mentioned exercising, so I assume you mean weightlifting or some form of cardiovascular exercise. How about martial arts? It might save your life someday.
Ask yourself this question: What do I want to grow in?
It can be anything, personality wise or perhaps skills like drawing or making music and then focus on that goal.

The amount it costs to smoke was originally my core reason to quit. I travel hundreds of miles a day and while a pack of smokes may cost about $3.75 in Missouri, they can easily be up to $10 a pack in other parts of the country and stocking up had become a chore. I quit on the seventeenth and bought a vaporizer which has helped with the nicotine crave. Yet I still wanna watch the world burn because of the other chemicals, poisons and what not they have me addicted to which are obviously more worrying then the cost.

In terms of exercise, running would probably be my main course of action.
I use to run up to five miles a day when I was younger. Martial arts would be nice though work doesn't permit it as much as I would like to. Seeing as how I'm in a different state everyday it seems the sights would be nice a nice reason to go for a run.

Music has long been a passion and I've played the guitar for years. I'll have to grab it from home the next time I get there. I've recently started on the harmonica though and it can be a truly infuriating instrument but that's only because Ive just started to learn. Lol.

Ill give your comment, what do I want to grow in, some deep thought as well. That's sound advice thank you.

Originally Posted by Original Poster

One helpful hint is to stop putting the burden on "future me" to accomplish things. You cannot quit smoking cigarettes, you can only abstain from smoking the next cigarette. I find the assumption is that one must distract themselves from the desire for a cigarette, and the opposite is more helpful in my experience. Put all your focus on the desire, do not run from the desire either by distracting yourself or giving into it. Be aware of the desire, and treat it with equanimity (see it as it is rather than as you judge it. The desire is part of you, scolding the desire means you scold yourself. Accept yourself)

The same can apply to everything else meant to prepare you for the future. Do not put the burden on "future me" to exercise and eat right, see what you can do now. Take all of your worry regarding your habits and place that wasted energy on your present actions.

That's an excellent way to put it, thanks.
Ill keep this heavily in mind as well as using it as part of my ADA.

Originally Posted by ♥Mark

Make sure you have clean underwear for tomorrow.

As a truck driver, this couldn't be more true. About time to do some laundry!

For the smoking...nicotine patches are a miracle! After applying one, the smell of someone smoking is REVOLTING.

Oh God I love the smell of cigarette smoke. It makes every cell in my body pulsate with desire.

Originally Posted by Original Poster

Oh God I love the smell of cigarette smoke. It makes every cell in my body pulsate with desire.

Hah! I just read your signature, it reminds me of one of my favorite songs, and is topical to this thread:

Look up: "You're Gonna Die" by William Shatner on YouTube.

For such a "depressing" topic it's actually a pretty joyful song. And don't dismiss it just because it's by William Shatner.

Originally Posted by Nagirroc

Also, those who have quit smoking tobacco, what got you to quit and how long did it take? I have been thinking of putting cigarettes down permanently but haven't put any real effort into quitting yet. I've been smoking for about eight years so I fear it will be agonizing. Would an investment into one of those vaporizors be worth it?

I'm not the best answerer as I only smoked for about a year and a half. But for me what helped was to quit with another smoker. When you both decide to quit and kind of lean on one another for moral support. Then you have a huge weight on your shoulders to stick to it.

Thanks Dianeva. My companion and I decided to quit together and this has probably been the best way to do so. Simply being aware of the desire has helped as well. I've also started to notice the smell of other smokers and its rather off putting.

A foot note to those that want to quit, it's much easier to recall when the first thing your thinking about isn't a cigarette and as an added bonus I've noticed an increase in vividness as well.

Primarily, I'm seeking creative ideas or advice that you wish someone told you. Essentially, anything that will benifet me in the future outside the norm. The rest is pretty basic knowledge (I would hope) as in saving, exercising, brushing your teeth etc.

Ah, then this is what you're looking for:

Haha, very nice.