Your Future Self

Change Academy

Our current actions are creating our future reality. Sometimes, we have to choose between what we want right now and what we want for our future selves. Research shows that the more emotionally connected we feel to our future selves, the more likely we are to make choices that benefit that future self. In this episode, we explore ways to form a more intimate connection with your future self.

Takeaways:

People who can picture their future selves with great clarity make choices that are more likely to support that vision.

One way to picture that future self is to follow what is likely to happen if you continue to practice your most consistent behaviors and imagine what the outcome will be.

Alternatively, picture how you'd like your future to look and ask yourself what (if anything) needs to change now in order to make that picture a reality.

Don’t fret if every single choice you make is not in alignment with this vision, just make sure that the majority are.

Lab Experiment:

Step 1: Pick a specific date at least 3 but no more than 10 years in the future.

Step 2: Bring the future you that will wake up on that date into focus: Look into the mirror. What do you see? What will your day look like? What’s going on with your health? Your work life? Your home life? Your finances? What will the world look like?

Step 3: Now, write your future self a letter.

• Tell your future self about things you are doing today that you hope they will be benefiting from by the time they read this letter.
• If you have concerns about the way some of the things you are doing right now might cause pain to your future self, you might want to talk about those as well.
• What would you like future you to know (remember) about present you?
• What questions do you have now that future you will know the answer to? How will knowing those answers change you?

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