Why you should think about choosing Long-Term vs. Short-Term Feelings.
Your Feelings Matter — PERIOD. Your feelings can be like guideposts, but it’s important to take a step back and look at what kind of feelings you’re choosing! Each day holds a million decisions — and that sometimes means choosing between a short-term feeling (a “quick fix”), or a long term feeling. In this post, I might step on your toes a little bit… but I think you need to hear this.
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DISCLAIMER: I’m sharing this as someone who has REALLY struggled with choosing long-term feelings over short ones! It doesn’t come easily (or naturally!) to take a step back, and choose the more difficult path. It’s not always comfortable.
You get to decide if the long-term feeling you desire is worth the temporary discomfort.
First, let’s unpack the difference between short-term and long-term feelings:
Choosing a short-term feeling is, essentially, choosing the quick-fix. It’s deciding that what you want RIGHT NOW matters more than what you want in the future (OUCH!).
Choosing a long-term feeling is choosing short-term discomfort, self-control, or consistency for a long-term feeling that you know is worth it in the end. It’s deciding that what you want in the future is MORE IMPORTANT than how you feel right now. (DOUBLE OUCH!)
I’m going to share two stories from my own life that have really impacted me when it comes to choosing Long-Term Feelings vs. Short-Term Feelings:
Being on a Business Yo-Yo:
I used to REALLY struggle running my business. Doing anything on your own is scary enough, and there’s no rule-book for entrepreneurs! (Especially if you’re building something from the ground up!) I found myself being stuck in was this “yo-yo” effect:
I would get myself all pumped about an idea (the “high” of the yo-yo), and then when life happened, or my idea didn’t pan out the way I thought it would, I would get SO discouraged. (The yo-yo is on the floor.) The cycle was SO frustrating! I would question everything. Second-guess my decision to be an entrepreneur, and worst of all: Lose growth and forward momentum because of my inconsistency.
It all changed the moment I decided to choose to run my business for as long as it took. I decided that I didn’t care how many products flopped, how many years it took, or how many times I failed. The crazy thing? When I intentionally chose a long-term feeling over the short-term… and my business changed within WEEKS. 🤯Choosing Boredom:
Hang with me here. 😂 At the beginning of 2022, when I was doing my goal-setting work, I asked myself “How will I feel when I reach these goals?” And, I realized that I would feel… well… BORED. 😐 Now, that thought didn’t light me up with joy, but I realized that if consistency was my goal, I had to be willing to sit with the boredom. The most amazing thing has happened from that decision to sit with boredom and press in instead of stopping:
Before my decision to accept boredom, when I didn’t want to do something (because it felt boring), I would ignore my to-do list, and put it off. But what I was really doing what ignoring my goals for my future — and essentially giving up on my dreams.
Nowadays, when I start feeling bored, I think “Ha! I’m getting closer!” Since I’ve chosen to accept that feeling of discomfort, and I know the real trick behind boredom now: It’s actually the door to FREEDOM! It means I have the brain-space to get more creative and do more of what I love. But I wouldn’t have discovered that if I wasn’t willing to sit with an uncomfortable feeling in the short-term.
Please hear me — it is OKAY if you’re not ready to choose long-term feelings! As you start chasing wonderment, you’ll probably go back-and-forth on them… just like I still do! Sometimes, you just want to ignore the dishes and watch Netflix. (And that’s okay!) 😉 Just know that when you are ready to choose long-term feelings, it’s never to late to start. 🌿
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