Back to Past!

The search

"Tomorrow, when you wake up, you see the DMC DeLorean, the car from the movie Back to the Future. It's ready to take you to any time in your past. Which time would you choose, and what would you say to your younger self?"

The other day I listened to a podcast with Jeffrey, featuring business coach Simon Chan as a guest. Overall it was a really pleasant episode. Why do I mention it? Because I was looking for interesting podcasts about consistency. That topic has been on my mind for a while, and I'd been searching for more clarity in my free time. What caught my attention, though, wasn't consistency itself — even though it came up several times in the episode. It was the questions above that Jeffrey asked Simon at the end of the podcast.

Those two questions cost me two hours of sleep. I thought about them so intensely, with follow-up questions constantly swirling through my head: where — or rather, when — would I travel? And above all, what would I want to say to my younger self?

I came to a conclusion: I'd like to talk to my younger self during my school years. Why that time exactly? Because, in my opinion, at that age I could have started laying the foundation for a "better" version of myself. I would tell myself: "Learn to take action, and don't start anything new without finishing what came before." Yes, exactly that!

I realize that's very personal advice. But those two principles could have helped me develop much further if I'd learned them earlier than at 30.

During this deep reflection I had a sudden realization: what I'm trying to achieve with this imaginary "trip to the past" is something I could just do right now! I can think about what I need to do — and simply do it. Easier said than done, of course, but the lesson I wanted to pass on to my younger self boils down to exactly two points: take action and stay consistent. That very advice still holds true today.

The most important takeaway is this: there's absolutely no point dwelling in regret over the past, no matter how much I wish I could go back and change things. No! But I'm convinced it's not too late. Everything you'd want to say to your younger self can still be applied today and be just as useful. At least that's true in my case.

I wish you much success on your journey.

Begli