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Most of us have watched The Lion King. Beautiful plot really. Simba, our boy, is living his best Hakuna Matata life. Eating bugs, belting out songs, ignoring royal responsibilities. He’s like, “Bridge? What bridge? That’s a future Simba problem.” Fast forward Mufasa’s ghost shows up looking majestic in the clouds, hitting him with that “Remember who you are” speech. Suddenly, Simba’s world has changed now. In fact! It’s ON FIRE.
Let's be honest we are all living the Simba life. We say it more often than we would admit. 'We will cross that bridge when we get there', you and who Chief?
"Future Me"
We love lying to ourselves about how capable our "future selves" are, don’t we? Future Me is disciplined. Future Me wakes up at 5 a.m. and runs marathons before breakfast. Future Me definitely knows how to file taxes, fix leaking taps, and have hard conversations. Future me this future me that 🙄
But here’s the kicker boys: Future Me is nothing more than just Present Me, but with less time and more stress. 😬Yes, read that again and let it sink it.
Matthew 6:34: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Translation? Tomorrow’s drama is inevitable. You can’t avoid it, but you can handle it today's drama, today.
That being said I believe it is a crucial decision that we need to make. Whenever you feel like saying 'I will cross that bridge when I get there', appreciate the fact that you are already there. In fact start saying "Screw it, Let's Do it".
Bringing the Bridge to You
So how do we get that metaphorical bridge to come to us? Simple:
- Ask Yourself: “What bridge am I avoiding right now?” Bills? Gym? Apologizing for eating your sibling’s leftovers?
- Cut the Drama: Break the task into the smallest, least terrifying step. “Apologise” becomes “Text: ‘Hey, I ate your food. Sorry.’” Easy.
- Cross It Like a Pro: The longer you wait, the bigger the bridge feels. Rip off the Band-Aid. Or, as the great Nike once said, “Just Do It.”
The Science of Now vs. Later
Psychologists call this phenomenon Temporal Discounting, the tendency to prioritise immediate rewards over future gains. It’s why “just five more minutes of Netflix” always beats “I should start that assignment now,” even when you know the latter is the smarter choice. We’re wired to seek instant gratification, often ignoring the long-term stress or consequences. It feels good to put things off momentarily, but it’s a trap that sneaks up on you, leaving you with an even heavier mental load later on. The irony is, the act of delaying only adds to the anxiety, creating a cycle of avoidance and unease.
Epictetus once said, “Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems.” Basically, the bridges we fear most aren’t even that scary once we get to them.
So, instead of waiting for the bridge, send it a WhatsApp: “Hey, meet me halfway.” And then, cross it.
Your challenge for today? Take one bridge you've been avoiding. Big or small and just cross it. Whether it’s an email you’ve been avoiding, an awkward conversation, or that pile of dishes you’ve been side-eyeing all week, bring that bridge to you and walk across it like a boss.
Because this is what we do now.
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