Where do we start this journey? For me, I wanted to give you all some information that I wish I has when I was younger.
Have you ever been in a situation where a person had told you something and it has just completely changed how you perceive the world you are living in? I have. It was when I was listening to the Jocko Podcast and Jocko Willink said something along the lines of “ Focus on the Long Game”
Focus on the Long Game, what does that mean? What is the long game? What is the game? How long are we talking here? These are all questions that I had as well until I went out and did some more research and really started to figure out what it all meant.
What is the game we are talking about here? The game is life. It might sound insensitive to call it a game, however, when we look at it, that’s what we can compare life to. We are making moves each and every day that allows us to play the game of life.
What is the long game? The long game refers to life further on down the road. It refers to looking at the game we call life in a distant time. We don’t want to only be focusing on the here and now. We want to know that the decisions we make are helping us, not only in the short term but also in the long term.
So where can we focus on the long game? Well in all aspects of life. As we go through everyday life there are decisions that we make, in fact, there are about 35,000 decisions that we make each day. Do I get out of bed when my alarm goes off or do I snooze? Do I leave my bed unmade or do I make it? Do I eat breakfast or skip it? Do I take the time to make myself nourishing meals in the day or do I go to the shops and get something at lunch? Do I have the doughnut that someone brought in for the workplace or do I have the apple that is at my desk? Do I go home and sit on the couch or do I go to the gym?
There are so many decisions that we make every single day that more often than not, we are not even aware that we are making a decision. More often than not we resort to our default, we resort to a habit or behaviour we have cemented in our brains 1000 times before. We more often than not resort to the easier route.
When compared to the decisions that our ancestors had to make, the decision-making process is not as dire as it once was, however, the hardwiring of least resistance is still within us. It is something that modern society thrives on. Don’t believe me? Just watch a group of infomercials on the morning tv shows and watch how much they advertise to make your life easier.
So what does it mean to focus on the long game? It means that sometimes we are going to have to take the time to sit down and do the harder tasks. The tasks that may not give us the short term gratification that we are seeking but will have a longer-term payoff.
We live in a society where short term gratification is rewarded. It is the 30-minute abs, 8-week challenges, Instagram, Facebook, Google, smartphones, click and collect, two-hour delivery. Everything we want is there, right in front of us. All of those things give us a short term gratification. We then seek more of it. We seek more of the short term bumps in our serotonin levels to keep us going throughout the day, week or month. Sometimes we look back at all the little things that we chase and we may not be fulfilled as we thought we would be.
This is not to say we should not have short term goals that contribute to an overall long term goal. It is to say in the first place we need to have a long term goal so that our short term, everyday actions can contribute to that long term goal.
With everything I have written above, it may come across as if I am perfect and I never make decisions that only focuses on the here and now.
However, I am not perfect. The reason this lesson has resonated with me so much is that I was once that person that was constantly seeking the short term gratifications. I used to be a person that was stumbling through the days, weeks and months, just doing the things that made me feel good. My main problem, has for a long time, been food.
My thing to eat was and still is to a certain extent, McDonald’s. Those golden arches used to draw me in. If I had worked a 15 hour day, I would eat some Maccas. If I was bored at home, I’ll go for a drive and eat some Maccas. I had a rough day at uni, I would eat some Maccas. This went on for a few years. I would eat Maccas 6-7 times a week.
I was not playing the long game. I was thinking here and now. I wasn’t thinking about my health and how the decisions I was making was going to affect my health. I was thinking, get this delicious food inside me so I feel amazing for the next hour or so.
So what changed? I came into the world of health and fitness in 2014 and realised I loved the way my body felt after I had pushed it to the limit of what I thought was possible. I then rested for a bit and did it all over again.
I then started to change my thinking about the decisions I was making every day. Is this meal going to help my lifting total go up? Is going to bed at 3 am and having 2 hours of sleep going to affect the way I perform? Is sitting up at night and watching YouTube going to help me in the morning when I need to go and lift?
My decisions changed from the short game to the long game. The questions I ask myself now go along the lines of; How are these actions going to help me out in the future? What do I need to sacrifice today to ensure that I can perform tomorrow?
This doesn’t just apply to lifting either. It applies to my work life, it applies to my university studies and it applies to my social interactions with the people I love. It even applies to me writing of this blog right now.
It has taken a long time, five years in fact for this lesson to really cement itself into my head but I am slowly starting to become more aware of some of the 35,000 decisions I make every day. I am catching myself out more often. I am now more aware of the decisions that I make each and every day.
I am definitely not perfect at this yet. I have a long way to go. But for me, that is the exciting part. I have so much to learn and that is what is great about navigating life. There is always so much to learn and it is such an amazing journey.
If you have made it to here, I would love to hear from you 😊 what is the one lesson you have been taught that you wish you knew when you were younger. Leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you.
Until we get our maps out again and try to navigate our way through life, stay safe, stay healthy.
Nathan
Loved this Nath, as a maccas lover I can certainly relate to that idea of grabbing a feed after a long day or for an early start rather than making something more nutritious that takes a bit of time and effort.
One thing I’ve learned that I wish I knew when I was younger was an appreciation of the time I was in and being present. I found myself reflecting on past times and how I wish I could go back to them as well as wishing to be in the future once I’ve got my own house or have a greater bank balance. Not that it’s bad to look back fondly or be excited for things in the future, but more to just be grateful for where I am now and make sure I am making the most of and enjoying where I’m at now. I’ll never get to be here again and have the environment I have around me now. Even during Covid, when there’s so many things we can’t do, instead of thinking about all of those, looking at the things Covid isolation has given me the opportunity to do that I might not have had the chance without.
“Money isn’t everything.” And…. “Follow your passion.” The intricacy with these two is that I did hear them when I was younger, but I chose to ignore them. I feel we are handed pieces of gold early, but perhaps we’re not ready for them at such an early age. Maturity in opening up your thoughts, challenging your core values, reflecting on your patterns, listening to others, learning life’s truly important lessons, these do eventually come, but you need to be ready to embrace.