Take a moment to imagine yourself in 10 years. Perhaps you might have a few more grey hairs and wrinkles, maybe there are changes to your material circumstances, too. But does the person you imagine feel fundamentally, very close to the person you are today? ... Or do they feel like a stranger?
According to psychological studies from the past decade, the relationship that you have with your ‘future self’ has a significant impact on your behavioural tendencies.
People with a vivid sense of their future self that feels very close to their current identity, are more likely to act in a way that will make life easier in the years ahead. They tend to be more responsible with their money, more careful about their health, more concerned about their relationships with others and more ethical in their treatment of others as well.
Conversely, people who struggle to imagine their future self as a continuation of the person that they are today, tend to be far less responsible in their behaviours. If they see their future self almost as a separate person that has little connection to their present identity, they generally think less about the impact of their actions on that person.
Thinking about your future self as an important relationship and developing a connection of empathy and compassion for the person you will become, can therefore have profound consequences for your health, happiness, success and financial security.
Deepening that connection and relationship, by envisioning that future version of you as everything you hope to become, can also provide a kind of template or ‘road map’ to achieving that ideal.
Imagine having the ultimate mentor leading you to be the exact 'you' that you want to become. You can see them as a kind of guide and seek their advice asking “What would future ideal, happy, fulfilled, wise and wildly successful, me do?”
If you look to your ideal future self and see her in that ideal life she’s living (or He's living) - What is she doing? What is she thinking? How is she feeling? What are her thoughts and feelings about herself? … about her work? ... about the people and things she surrounds herself with? … about those she loves? ... about how she engages in the things she’s passionate about? … about her experiences that brought her to this point? ... about her future plans?
When you can truly tap into his/her mind, it of course begs the question... What are the thoughts that the current you has?
If you are being honest and radically transparent… - How are they different? - What do you need to change in order to align with and match the energy, perspective and vision your future requires? - What thoughts and feelings do you need to focus on and adopt to create the inflow of your ideal life? - What do you need your outflow of energy thought and action to be so that your ideal future can connect, match and draw you towards it?
SO - Take a moment to breathe and picture your future self in her ideal life – See her over there? Shes in the flow, glowing with happiness and lit up with the energy and enthusiasm she feels! She’s chatting with a friend telling them about everything she’s been doing… What is she saying? And what does she know?
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