The future oriented mindset that Warren Liao describes below was incredibly effective for me while also being detrimental to my mental health, because I was never “enough” and each goal achieved just created a new challenge to aim for. ”
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“I’ve come to focus more on how I feel building a skill in the present moment, rather than treat myself as a means to a future end (similar to Kantian ethics). ”
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“If I am grinding my present self for a dubious future payoff, that is no longer attractive to me, especially after having burned myself out doing that in the past. Instead, I look for activities that are both meaningful to me now _and_ have potential future benefits.