Three of You  

I love Reddit. I hate Reddit.
It is the arm pit of the internet. It has the most uplifting moments that Humanity might ever experience. Some Posts and Replies catch my attention immediately, and some have to percolate for a day or two. This is a story of the later case. If you don’t already, I suggest that you quit lurking, join Reddit, and subscribe to r/bestofreddit. That is where the cream often rises.

There are three of you. Every second that passes adds to the experience of Past You. Every second Present You has new opportunities, and with each tick Future You is steam rolling down our brain’s interpretation of “time.” You know this. This has been true since you had the cognitive ability to cry get milk. I knew it, too. I had been joking with someone about finding a nail in the wall exactly where I wanted to hang something.

“Thanks, Past Kenton. What a great guy.”

The thing that kept me focused on this idea was that, with effort, Pastself and Presentself could do so much to help Futureself. Presentself could think more about what Futureself will need. When the dots finally connected, in that moment of clarity, I recognized what I will propose as a difference between those with great success, those with none, and those in between.
I think that there are people who naturally live every second with the thought of how to make things for their Futureselves easier, better, and more successful. At the same moment, there are people who think only of Presentself; only about what would make this moment better. The same holds true for people who only focus on what could have changed things for Pastself.
Who is going to be more successful? It stands to reason that the those focused on their past may learn something about who they were, but who they are will continually be a mystery. Try to run backwards, and let me know how that goes. The Presentself focused might have today figured out, but taking everything as it comes has limitations when a crisis comes down the pike. What about the Futureself focused? Do you think that person will find their path smooth? Do you think that will result in a more substantial existence? I think so.
No matter your predisposition, there needs to be a healthy mix. Focusing on only one You will leave you polarized; unable to look forward, live in the moment, or look back.

Let this marinate in your brain.

It seems obvious that preparing the way for our Futureself would lead to the most possible success. Yet, I procrastinate here writing this, when my Pastself set aside this time to work on a specific project. (thanks, Past Kenton. That was good thinking.) So why am I writing this now? I hope to change something for your Futureself.
Can you make someone else’s future better today?