Have you ever written a letter to your future self?
There are many times we capture memories for our future self to come back to.
We create time capsules to be opened in a prescribed year.
We put photographs in albums to come back and remember moments in our lives.
These examples have a goal of reminding our future self what our past self was like.
We don’t often flip the idea and share our goals.
That’s where letters to our future self can come into play.
We can explore our dreams and aspirations in a different format where ideas we haven’t considered may emerge.
My Perspective
Writing a letter to ourselves may seem both daunting and awkward.
However, we should remember that no one else needs to read them.
The letters are just for us.
You could choose to shred or burn the letter right after it’s written.
I’ve spent some time thinking about topics these letters might cover.
A few of the ideas to get you started are below:
- Vision – Dear future self (5-10+ years out), I hope you are enjoying the life we have built together… You would answer questions like: What do you want your future life to look like? How will you be spending your time? Where will you live? What work will you do?
- Goals – Dear future self (1 year out), I hope you are looking back at the year and feeling good about… You would answer questions like: What do you want to accomplish this year? How will you know those goals are complete? How will you feel? What change do you see?
- Challenges – Dear future self (3 months or more), I’m having a tough time right now. As you read this, I hope you are looking back with pride on how we moved through this together…. You would answer questions like: How am I feeling now and how do I want to feel? What might I do to move toward those feelings? What can I control and what needs to be left behind?
- Memories – Dear future self (5-10+ years), there are a few things about our life right now that pictures and scrapbooks won’t remind you of, but I hope this letter will…. You would ask questions like: What do I feel right now? What significant moments are happening that might be forgotten years in the future? What are you grateful for?
- Hopes and Dreams – Dear future self (5-10+ years), I hope you look back on this event and remember how magical it was and all we wished for the future (wedding, child’s birth, retirement/semi-retirement, side hustle, etc.) … You would answer questions like: What do I want my life to look like? How do I hope to show up as a parent, spouse, in my career, etc.?
Your Turn
Have you written a letter to your future self?
Did you connect with any of the potential topics above?
Are there other topics where you see this process being valuable?