What Will Your Future Self Thank You For ?

Happy New Year to you all. In this article we identify a 7 point method to help you become your 'future self'.

In our recent CC Club Community Connect we were discussing Self Care and the importance of taking time out to look after yourself and restore the balance between what we give to others and how we treat ourselves.  

One of the ideas that we discussed was that there may be some tasks we do now which may not feel like nurturing self-care at the time (eg. It's cold outside, do I REALLY need to go for that run today? Couldn't I just have a hot bath instead?) but these actions may in fact be gifts to our future - the things which add up to a positive change that our 'Future Self' will thank us for later!

The kind of future that we write for ourselves depends on the sum of all those small actions we take now.

➡️Want to secure that new role? Start now with learning the first of those new skillsets you will need!  

➡️Want to lead a healthier lifestyle in later life? Maybe you can skip those extra helpings and eat plenty greens to keep your body operating at its best!

➡️Want to become a great chef? The practise cakes that you make today, even if they fail to rise in the way you had hoped - are a step along the way of your new You!    

How do I know what my Future Self needs?

It can be tricky figuring out which noises in your brain are unhelpful 'inner critic' voices, full of 'shoulds' and 'need to do' tasks, versus genuinely helpful thoughts.

If you sense that 'you need to go to the gym' - ask yourself the following questions:

• WHY do I need to go to the gym?
• Who says so?
• Is there a clear purpose to the session?

The idea is to give yourself the opportunity to identify whether you are simply giving yourself a hard time because you had ideas of perfection drummed into you as a child or whether the action you are considering will influence a specific outcome that you want as part of your 'Future Self'.  It may be that what you truelly want is to have good cardio fitness level -and going to the gym is one option for that, but there are other ways to achieve it besides a gym session.

Seven Point Method - An Exercise to Help You Become Your 'Future Self'

Write a letter from your Future Self

1.Take a piece of paper and set yourself a date in the future from which you are writing this letter - eg. 12 months in Future.

2. Address a letter to the version of you now  - this letter will  include what  your future life is now like.

3. Break the paragraphs into 5 key areas of your life and identify specific things that will be different about your ideal Future Self in a the time frame you have specified.

• career
• relationships
• health
• wealth
• leisure and skills

3. Write a paragraph for each area of life, explaining what you are grateful for and acknowledging the activities which went into making that achievement possible. i.e. you write as if you have already achieved your goals.

For example, perhaps you wish to say "Well done Future Me for becoming fluent in another language!" If so, then your letter would say "Well done for learning Italian! Thank you for attending those conversational classes every week and pushing through the self-doubt that you wouldn't get here. Now you can really hold your own when you meet a native speaker!"

4. Write all the actions from the end result back to where you started (ie. to your current date). What I call right to left planning!

What was the last thing you did before you achieved your final goal. Then look at the actions before that and then the actions before that. Give it your best guess. The actions may change along the way when you start them.

5. Now you have a plan. Identify what it would mean and feel like to ahcieve each step / action. Live the process for just a short while as you write. Adjust the action if you feel it may not be the right one.

6. Then put the plan somewhere useful so you can refer to it regularly to keep on track to your desired outcome.

7.  Start with the first step. If it's too big, break it down further. Include this positive 'Future Self Focused' behaviour as part of your new Self Care actions throughout the year.

Wishing you an amazing 2024.

Thanks to Maggie for this insight and contribution to the article.

If you would like some help in 2024 - book a 30 min discovery call with me here.

Joanne