Living from your future self is one of the tools I taught last week for accomplishing your goals. I want to put that into practice this week. I’m going to provide you with four specific exercises that will help you choose your future, create the future you want, and trust your future self to be your guide.
Take the time to write out these scenarios. It doesn’t have to take long. I took three minutes for each exercise – so 12 minutes total. Getting words on paper creates clarity that cannot exist while the thoughts are merely swirling in your mind. Take the time to do these exercises and contemplate the future.
What is the goal you want to accomplish? Choose anything – big or small. Hopefully, you have an idea after reading last week’s blog. Pick the goal that comes up naturally as you make changes at the beginning of this school year. Do the following four exercises based on that goal.
First exercise: If you accomplish that goal, who will you be in the future? A year from now, who will you be if you achieve this goal? What will you think? What will you feel? How will you look? Who will you hang out with? What will you be most proud of? Where will you be living? How will you spend your time? What will be different about your life? What will be the same?
Write the answers to those questions and contemplate your future self.
Second exercise: Now, write yourself a letter from your future self – the one who is right where you want to be. Have your future self give you some advice. What would she tell you to stop doing? What would she ask you to start doing? What else might she say?
Third exercise: I want you to try another activity that I learned about his past weekend at my coaching mastermind. Ask yourself, what does my future self look like if I DON’T accomplish this goal?
Imagine that for a few minutes. What if you don’t make changes? If you don’t accomplish your goal? If you don’t adjust your habits now? What does that future look like? A year from now, what will you think? What will you feel? How will you look? Who will you hang out with? What will you be proud of? Where will you be living? How will you spend your time? What will be different about your life? What will be the same?
Write out that future. What does your future self who doesn’t accomplish this goal look like?
Finally: From that future self – the one who hasn’t done the work to accomplish the goal – write yourself a letter. Have her give you some advice. What would she tell you to stop doing? What would she ask you to start doing? What else might she say?
After doing those four exercises, you now have details about two futures to contemplate. You get to choose the future you want. Your future doesn’t just happen to you. You create it by the decisions you make today.
Today, start living as the future self you want to be. Start thinking her thoughts. Start feeling her feelings. Start taking the actions she would take. When you don’t know what to do, ask your future self. She is wise. She knows things. She can help you. Trust her. She is you. Let her be your biggest cheerleader and a trusted guide.
Now go make her proud!