Sunday is meal prep day. I’ve been doing it for several years and just about have it down to a science. Yet, it’s not always how I want to spend a portion of my Sunday. Sometimes I want to do anything else other than meal prep. On this particular Sunday it seemed like one of the more stronger battles I’ve had with myself, but I buckled down and got to prepping. In the process of cutting up my sweet potatoes, there were what looked like smiley faces in the slices (actual picture above). Had to laugh to myself in the little lesson the universe just dealt me.
To me, that was a two fold reminder. First, enjoy the process. As I have mentioned in a previous post, we often look at the work we need to put in to achieve a goal or improve as a boring slugfest that we have to suffer through to ultimately reach some far off level of enlightenment. Second, and the one I want to focus on here, is that our tomorrow self is at the mercy of our today self.
“Tomorrow You”
What if I told you that time travel is possible, or at least some form of it? You would think I was off my rocker. Yet, what you do right now in the form of those tasks/work/mini goals is constantly impacting and changing the future. Come with me on a journey into the future of “tomorrow you.”
“Tomorrow you” get’s up and finds the workout clothes “today you” laid out for them. How nice of “today you” was it to do that. “Today you” even packed up work clothes so “tomorrow you” could shower at the gym and head straight to work. On their way out the door, “tomorrow you” grabs the lunch that “today you” prepared. After a great workout, “tomorrow you” gets to work and finds the task list “today you” laid out for them. “Tomorrow you” also gets the reminder “today you” put in their phone that they need to pick up the kids this afternoon, and “today you” was kind enough to set it to remind you in the morning and remind you one hour before you need to leave. Around noon,“Tomorrow you” finds out your company just won a big project and needs to work through lunch. Good thing they have that lunch “today you” put together to power through. Also, because “Tomorrow you” was able to work through lunch, they were still able to make it to pick up the kids on time.
Now, I know there was not a time machine involved, no flux capacitor or 1.21 gigawatts, but I hope it was an eye opening journey. The actions and efforts of “today you” impact “tomorrow you” 10 fold. What “today you” does, or doesn’t do, impacts “tomorrow you” more than virtually anyone or anything.
You Are Worth It
“Treat yourself like you are someone you are responsible for helping” – Jordan Peterson
We’ll happily pack lunches for our kids, make sure we get our pet to the vet if something is wrong, or a plethora of efforts for the sake of others. Yet, when it comes to making the effort for the sake of ourselves, we can’t find the time or justify the effort. You have to look at “tomorrow you” as someone you are responsible for, and their health (physical & mental), safety, and happiness is up to you. If it helps, think how much better you could be at helping your family, friends, and others if you take the time and make the effort to improve the day-to-day of “tomorrow you.”
I need to…
The one thing I wanted to improve this year, if I had to have a New Year’s resolution, was taking more action on things I need to do. When I catch myself saying I need to do something, I try to do it immediately or write it down and make a plan of action so I don’t continue to say I need to do it, I am doing it. This plays into taking care of “tomorrow you” because every time “today you” says that they need to do something and doesn’t do it, you’ve just tossed it over the future fence for “tomorrow you” to have to deal with. Before you toss over the next one, take a moment to think if “tomorrow you” will be better suited to handle whatever “today you” is deciding to delegate to them.
In the End, It’s Just You
To wrap this one up, we’ll finish on the fact that it all comes down to you. How you choose to handle a situation, how you choose to react, and how you choose to move forward is totally up to you. It’s easy to point a finger, let something eat away at your mental stability, or put tasks/work/goals off to a later date. Yet, that often does nothing to improve you. Be the hero, the helping hand, the support that you have been looking for, that you need. You’ve got it in you!
Bonus Meal Prep Info
One of my most common meal prep menu items is slow cooker chicken thighs and chili pepper sweet potatoes. This is mainly because it is easy and yields a tasty meal, high in protein and complex carbs. 1 ½ to 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs with ½ to 1 bottle of marinade of your choice makes for a quick (prep) and easy protein source. This will yield enough for 5 days of 4-5 oz serving sizes.
For the sweet potatoes, I slice approximately 2 – 2 ½ pounds of sweet potatoes and throw them in a rice cooker. Yes, a rice cooker. I put a small amount of water in with the potatoes, ½ cup is sufficient. I sprinkle with a chili powder, a little salt, toss around and reapply. Cook on “Brown Rice” setting and voila, you have a savory clean carb source.
Mark Braithwaite
Mark has competed in Bodybuilding, Triathlon, CrossFit, Weightlifting, and Strongman. He is dedicated to maintaining health and overall wellness while navigating the day to day grind and enjoys helping others along their journey.