Self Improvement
Why Time Travel Is the Best Super Power for Decision Making
When I was younger, the Flash was one of my most favourite superheroes. The main reason was that we had a similarity, which was that we were both fast. I used to run for my school and would always imagine what it would be like to be as fast as him.
Well, once I found out that Flash could use his tremendous speed to travel through time, I fell in love with his super ability. Time travel would be up there on anyone’s list as one of the most impressive superpowers.
We would be able to undo the wrong steps we took in the past. And mend the future as we look into it. However, few relate the power to having the ability to make good decisions.
During my early years at school, I refused to go to extra classes that could have helped me become better. I thought it was pointless and stopped me from having fun with my friends at lunchtimes. But those who partook in those classes became top students and excelled me in everything.
At that moment, it seemed like the right thing to do. I was able to play football with my friends and enjoy my lunch. It brought me more happiness and made my school days more satisfying.
But when I turned 18, I bumped into one of the students who took those extra classes. She explained to me how she got a scholarship to go to an elite private school. Also, she was on her way to get into a top university. I was young and stupid, so I do not regret any decision I made. But I sure did kick myself when I heard that.
Making decisions is part of our everyday life. And they are essential to how things turn out for us in the future. As Albert Camus once said:
“Life is the sum of all your choices.”
And to some extent, I agree with him. Our lives are governed by the decisions we make. Every choice we make comes with a trade-off. By saying yes to one thing, we are saying no to something else by default. And this can make our choices very difficult.
However, if we could time travel, we would be able to evaluate each choice and all the outcomes of it. Or we could potentially go back and change the bad choices we made, which led us to our current situations.
Although none of us can time travel, we may tap into its power every time we decide. And by doing so, we can make better-informed life choices to lead to happier and more fulfilled lives.
The Past Has Much to Offer
We see many motivational quotes telling us not to look back at the past. Or to not be defined by our past mistakes. The problem is, it plays an essential role in our current situation. In fact, people can only make a judgement of you based on your past.
When you go into a job interview, they ask you about your experiences to see if you are a good fit. Even in dating, people want to know why your past relationships failed. So, our experiences do matter, but so do our past results.
For example, failing an exam in the past may have negative implications for your current situation. Also, not achieving a good performance review at work could limit the amount of bonus you get.
The past, although not something we should be defined by, influences our current lives. And whether we like it or not, we are sometimes reminded of our past mistakes and failings in the present. But this is not a bad thing. I would say it is good.
When deciding in our lives, the past can often guide us to make better-informed decisions. You can draw from experiences that are like the current one you are facing. That way, you will make a better decision.
I was one of the children who did not really understand or like history. I used to think it was pointless, but now I appreciate it. We study history to ensure that bad decisions made in the past are not repeated. But also, good choices made in the past can be encouraged by society today.
In life, we often evolve from our past selves. So the decisions we would have made in the past may have changed. However, here are three questions you can ask yourself to help assist with a decision you are facing.
What Would My Past Self Do?
Sometimes, it may be easier to understand what your old self would do rather than your current self. As we are constantly going through growth and change, it may be hard to know what we want to do at the moment. However, if you knew your past self well enough, they can assist your decision.
The decision they would have made may not have been a good one. But this helps. That is because you will now have reasons you should not decide one thing because of experiences.
Would My Past Self Agree With My Decision?
To grow from your past self, you may find that you make decisions that your past self would not. So this may be a good indicator to see if the decision you are making is developing you.
Also, for those who wish to stay true to themselves and who they are. You can see if the decision you are making is going against who you believe you are.
Would This Decision Improve My Past?
Of course, we have no power to improve our past. However, if we could time travel, I am sure most of us would. So, this is a question to ask yourself when making a tough decision. Try thinking about how the outcome would make you a better person to deal with past situations.
Even better, think about how the specific decision could have equipped you to make your past easier or even better than what it is.
The Future Has Much in Store
If you are a bit like me, you tend to be a bit more optimistic about the future. You hope that your current position will improve and things will get better than they are. However, some people do not think like that and are a bit more reserved.
Either way, the future is something no one can see or predict. And unlike our past, we can not learn from it. There is also much risk when thinking about our future. Who’s to say that the decision you make today turns out the way you want it to.
So thinking about the future can be a scary thing. But it does assist us in our current situation. If we could tell the future, we would align all of our decisions to suit the best outcome it has in store for us.
With so much banking on the future, it can be hard making sacrifices and preparations for it. No one has guaranteed us tomorrow, and we are unsure as to what could happen. But we can think about who we hope to be and what we wish the world to be.
The idea here is to paint your perfect outcome for the current decision you have to make. If we could time travel into the future, that is what we would all be doing. We would shift the forces of nature to align our future with the best possible outcome for us.
Here are two questions you can ask your future self/future outcome to ensure the best decision in your current position.
What About the Decision Makes Your Future Self Happy?
Similar to the question concerning your past self agreeing, you must be sure that your future self will be happy with the decision made. By thinking about the best outcome from a decision made, you have to ask why the decision brings about the ideal situation.
Start by listing the benefits of the decision and align them with who wish to be in the future. If it appears to match, then you are on the right track. You can not guarantee everything will go to plan. But what you can do is make a decision that will hopefully lead to what you so desire.
Will Your Future Self Have Any Regrets?
Regret is one of the worst feelings we can ever experience. It hurts because we can not go back and change the decision we made at that moment. Regret often comes from a decision that did not work out for us. But it can also come from decisions we did not make.
I often ask myself this. If I was to fast forward to my deathbed, would I be happy with the decision I made? Before embarking on writing a book, I asked this question and realised I would have regret if I did not write. So, I decided to write the book.
If you can see your future self asking, What-if? Then you should reconsider the decision you are making. It could harm your overall satisfaction and fulfilment in life.
Closing Thoughts
When making tough decisions, I have found that the past and future assist me a lot. But there is also much value in the present. By practising mindfulness, you can understand how you feel in the moment and pay close attention to it.
Write what is making you feel that way and what you would wish to do if there were no future consequences. This way, you get an overall picture of the situation and can make a well-informed decision.
However, deciding purely on any of the three would be detrimental. We must consider all three because they all make up our experience in life. I would like to leave you with this simple thought:
“The past has already gone, and the present is ever becoming the past. That means that the future is now.”
Time travel is the best superpower for making choices because our present is only an instant. We live most of our lives in expectation of the future. So remember to use the power of time travel the next time you have to make a decision. I am sure it will help.