At the same time, he saved and invested almost every dollar he earned, logged more than twenty habits in a nightly tracker, and dedicated countless hours to the gym to build muscle—all with the single goal of preparing a future ‘Jack’.

Last month, when he turned 30, Waters realised that the future‑focused version of himself was actually making it difficult to appreciate the life he had already built.

He explains that constantly planning the next improvement created a mindset that kept him looking ahead, so the present moments felt empty, even though his finances, health, and discipline had improved.

Now, Waters says his new goal is simple: to allow present‑day Jack to enjoy hobbies and activities for their own sake, without treating them as steps toward a later version of himself.