I heard an interview with star poker player Annie Duke. She said something quite profound about happiness. When something happens to you, ask yourself, “If this happened to me a year ago, how would I feel about it today?” Then, come “back to the future” and act accordingly.

I love that idea. It’s a brilliant version of a concept you may have heard–the strategy of stopping yourself from getting too worked up about something by asking yourself, “Will this matter a year from now?”

I like Annie’s version better: It’s easier to imagine how you would feel about something today, than a year from now, because you know yourself today.

It’s a simple concept. That doesn’t mean it’s easy.

The secret to making it work for you, is to turn it into a habit. Unlike other new habits, this one could take longer to adopt because you won’t be faced with these kinds of decision moments every day.

This strategy can be so valuable to you that I suggest working on it for as long as it takes. Make a note to yourself and read it daily to remind yourself. That will increase the chances you will remember to use the strategy when those decision points arise.

What do you think? Join the conversation with your comments…

Best regards,

David

p.s. You can read about the great work Annie and her organization do here.