Arabic version: السعي إلى تحسين الذات جعل كاتباً يجد صعوبة في الاستمتاع بالحاضر

According to ABC News, writer Jack Waters says years spent pursuing self-improvement, financial security and personal progress did not make him happier. After turning 30 last month, he says he has found it difficult to slow down and enjoy the life he worked to build.

Waters writes that, in his twenties, he often believed happiness would arrive after a future achievement. He consumed self-improvement videos, podcasts and books, then tried to apply their lessons. His habits included saving and investing nearly all his earnings, working to build muscle, meditation, journalling, cold showers and attempts to learn French.

He kept a habit tracker containing more than 20 habits at various times, using it to record daily tasks. Waters says he sometimes rushed through activities, including reading, meditation and journalling, primarily to tick boxes and feel he was progressing.

Some efforts brought benefits, he says: saving gave him financial security, gym training improved his health and confidence, and consistently following habits built discipline. But he also says the focus on future gains created an unhealthy mindset and made it harder to appreciate what he had already achieved.

Waters now wants to pursue hobbies and activities for “present-day Jack”, rather than treating them as preparation for a future version of himself. He says the next improvement was often better in his imagination than in reality. Waters is a writer and former journalist who lives on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast/Kabi Kabi country.