6 years - A Retrospective

I graduated college 6 years ago. Back then, my days generally consisted of waking up around noon, avoiding class and anything else school related like the plague, playing cards and/or video games with friends, finding toxic foods to pour into my body, and not really having to worry about anything other than whether or not I had a clean pair of boxers in my dresser.

I am not sure who originally came up with the following concept (it wasn't me), but it is so right on: We tend to overestimate the changes we will make in the short-term (think 1-3 years), but underestimate the changes that will occur in the long term (think 10 years).

RE: Short-term: I am certainly anxious for short-term progress to happen (like I should be able to make my retirement savings happen in 2 years time -- definitely not patient with respect to things like that). So I think that means that I overestimate the progress I will make in the short term? A lot of my short-term expectations (generally financial) are not overly plausible.

RE: Long-term: Going from year to year in the 6 years that have followed my days at the good ole U of I, it doesn't seem like a lot has changed. I don't really feel like I look or act any different than 6 years ago. Bad and fattening food still quenches my palate more than healthier choices. I still like (love?) fantasy sports and video games*. If you ask Elijah and Matt, I have even been holding the same 12 conversations over and over again for the past 10 years.

But when you look back at the life events I have gone through in the last 6 years, its crazy:
- Met, got engaged and married to Lindsey
- Started and graduated from law school
- Got a cell phone**
- Moved to Kansas City (we have been here 3 years!)
- Bought a house
- Had a baby! (you may have guessed that reading this blog)

Point is, there is no telling what the next 6 years may bring. I can't imagine that they will bring about as many life changing events as the past 6 years, but thats the thing about thing trying to predict long-term - we often underestimate the changes we will see. Here's to the next 6 years being even better than the last!

*Though my skills have thoroughly diminished - Josh Luther couldn't carry my video jock back then, and now I can't even stay within 2 tds of him in a game of NCAA)

**Do you remember the days before cell phones? It wasn't that long ago. Now, even 3rd graders have them. Unbelievable change. Heck, the internet is only about 10 years old for the mainstream world. What did we do before the internet and cell phones?