Be The Person You Can Be Today, So You Can Be The Person You Need To Be Tomorrow
I have a friend in the S&C industry in the Chicagoland area that would consistently end all of his fitness Instagrams with the same hashtag. He would end each of his posts with #PayHim. I had seen this saying before. There is a famous person in the fitness industry that would post this same hashtag. His post would get thousands of likes, my buddy would get one hundred or so. I didn't think much of it. If anything I was really confused about who he was paying and why he felt the need to tell everyone. Years later this saying popped into my head and clicked with me.
Over the last 6 months since graduating college I have become weirdly passionate about personal finance and for that #PayHim has begun to resonate with me. In a financial sense, you save and invest money because at some point in the future you will need it. For my friend, he was paying the future version of himself so that when he needed to perform some feat of strength or endurance he was able to make a withdrawal on himself and perform the feat.
"Be you, everyone else is taken". It took me 4 years of college, a great defensive coordinator, and a Dr. Seuss quote to learn this lesson. It has changed my life, my relationships, and my pursuits for the better. Part of this lesson is knowing yourself. You can't "Be You", if you don't know who you are. Part of knowing who you are is knowing what you can and can't do. I can't deadlift 800 lbs today, I can't have a paid-for house today, and I can't be a great husband or father today. On the other side, I can choose to push myself physically today, I can eat and sleep well, I can save money and invest, and I can work to become a more patient, kinder, and more generous man. I don't know exactly what I will need to do 1 year, 5 years, or 10 years from now.
I may need to inspire others and act as a role model. I may need to be financially stable to give my future family a sense of peace. I may need to be a kind, caring, and strong husband to a wife someday.
I can't do these things today. What I can do is #PayHim, because that guy needs my help.
Be The Person You Can Be Today, So You Can Be The Person You Need To Be Tomorrow.
About the Author: David Danhauer
David was a student-athlete at the University of St.Thomas, where he was a 2-Sport All-American in Football and Track and Field, team Defensive MVP and a track and field captain. Currently, David works at Emerson Automation Solutions as a New Product Development Buyer, while training for strength and life. You can follow David on Instragram @daviddanhauerstrength