"Remember tomorrow."

Recently I’ve been immersing myself more in the world of Jesse Itzler, If you don’t know who he is, check him out. He’s one of the most resourceful, clever, entrepreneurial figures in modern business. He also has a liking for endurance sports and pushing himself to the max, which is representative of the way that he chooses to live life.

One of the expressions he lives by, that has really struck me, is “Remember tomorrow”.

What he means by that is, when you’re facing a choice, remember that tomorrow you’re going to have to own up to it. Did you choose the path that builds character and contributes to what matters most to you… Or did you give in to short term inconvenience, fear, and laziness?

Jesse uses this philosophy in every area of his life. Does he want to pull over during a road trip and jump into a frozen lake? Or take 3 days to climb the distance of Mount Everest? Today it’s hard and tiring, but tomorrow it makes you proud.

And less extreme, is he going to stay too late scrolling on his phone and snacking on popcorn? No, because when tomorrow comes and he doesn’t have the same level of energy and enthusiasm, he’ll wish he would have made a different choice.

That’s the spirit of “remember tomorrow” - it holds you accountable to what you choose to do today.

And that’s the beautiful part about it. In reflection, when the emotions and inconveniences of the present moment have gone, that’s when you can be really honest with yourself. That’s when you can see your choices without bias, and think about if that’s what you really want.

The actions you take create the realities you experience. Creating more personal accountability goes a long way in shaping your future how you want it to be.

But don’t be mistaken, it’s not like Jesse is superhuman. He’s not fearless, but he can get himself to act despite fear. It’s not like he never feels like being lazy, he’s just intentional about what that looks like and doesn't let it slow him down. He has the habit of being discipline and doing what most serves him and the life he feels most proud to lead. 

His example in inspiring, but it’s also achievable. We each have within us the same opportunity to live and extraordinary life and make an extraordinary impact.