“If I’m the same man at 50 that I was at 20… I wasted 30 years of my life.”
Well, I’ll turn 50 this January… and I’m definitely not the same man I was at 20! Or 30. Or 40. Or 45. Or even 48.
And for that, I’m grateful.
There are numerous differences between the Previous Me and the Current Me.
The Previous Me reacted emotionally and impulsively.
The Current Me responds thoughtfully and intentionally.
The Previous Me was judgmental and self-righteousness.
The Current Me is empathetic, compassionate, curious, open minded, and accepting.
The Previous Me made excuses, blamed others, complained, and deflected responsibility.
The Current Me takes extreme ownership (hat tip to Jocko).
Here are several examples of how the Previous Me and the Current Me would handle certain situations differently…
When having a disagreement:
Previous Me: “(Eye roll) What don’t you understand?”
Current Me: “Hmmm… what don’t I understand?”
Or
Previous Me: “Are you insane? How could you possibly believe that?”
Current Me: “That’s interesting. I’d love to learn why you believe that!”
Or
Previous Me: “You are an idiot.”
Current Me: “What am I not seeing?”
When my kids screw up:
Previous Me: “Why would you do that? What’s wrong with you?”
Current Me: “This is on me. I failed to teach you.”
When I make a mistake:
Previous Me: “It’s not my fault!”
Current Me: “How was I complicit? What role did I play?”
When I face adversity:
Previous Me: “Ugh. This sucks.”
Current Me: “What can I learn from this? What’s the opportunity here?”
When an inconvenience arrives (delayed flight, traffic jam, or inept cashier):
Previous Me: “Why is this happening to me?”
Current Me: “While this certainly isn’t my preference, oh well, it’s out of my control. Next Play.”
When someone is rude to me (either online or IRL):
Previous Me: “Who the BLEEP do you think you’re talking to?”
Current Me: “Thanks for sharing….”
Please note… these Current Me responses are what I consider ideal… how I would behave in a perfect world.
But we don’t live in a perfect world and I’m certainly not perfect.
No matter how hard I try or how noble my intentions are… the Current Me is not batting a thousand and does not have straight A’s!
I occasionally fall short of these ideals and unconsciously revert back to my Previous Me tendencies!
When I fall short… I own it, learn from it, apologize for it, and move to the Next Play.
What’s the biggest difference between the Previous You and the Current You?
