What would your future self thank you for?

On the days that I feel demotivated, and I just want to crawl back into bed, I take a quick moment and wonder, “What would future Clara thank me for?” I am sure you all know that I am a MASSIVE advocate of resting to support your wellbeing, but sometimes that just isn’t possible. This is not about productivity; this is about those days when I just CBA. But, by asking myself that quick question, I can get a temporary spark of energy to get what I need to, complete. So, today, I ask you to consider what would your future self thank you for?

 

 

What my future self needs vary. At times, it is as practical and time-saving as prepping the school uniforms and the lunchboxes the night before. Other times it’s sending an email that I’ve been procrastinating on because I am fearful of the response. There are occasions where the “future me” is months in waiting; like when I say YES to something the present version of me wants to say NO to.

 

Why is your future self important?

 

I imagine you are reading this blog as you are looking to create a career to enjoy. There is no doubt that this desire is influenced by your life right now. The outcome of the decisions you make now can only be judged by future you; hindsight is a great thing! But remember, your career won’t stay still. What you do now may not look the same as it did five years ago; and who knows what it will be in the future?

 

But remember:

 

Your skills are generated by your experience.

Your experience is influenced by your circumstances.

Your circumstances are influenced by your decisions.

Your decisions are driven by your values.

 

Whilst the way your work connects to your values may change in the future, once you understand your values, your lifelong career journey becomes easier. The things that matter to you most now, are likely to matter to you in the future. This is what you and your future self have in common!

 

So, let’s practise making some steps to help your future self. We are going to do an activity.

 

Write a letter to your future self, as if a career or personal goal you have has been successful.

Imagine what you will see, feel, hear and detail what you have achieved.

 

Write this all down as if you are describing it to “past you”. (Yes, ironically past you is present you. Stay with me on this!)

 

Now, send it to your future self, at a date in the future that you hope this goal will have been achieved. One way of doing this is writing an email, with a time delay. Another is to seal your letter away, and store it somewhere with an “open by date”. My preferred way is to write a letter to your future self, through Future Me. I do this regularly, and I’m always encouraged by the letters that arrive at my email and what has transpired in the interim.

By writing, “as if”, you can start to visualise not only what you want for your future self, but to consider what it takes to get you there. And, before you know it, you are motivated to act!

 

It’s a great way to get creative to work on your goals and start creating a career to enjoy. Are You in? I’d love to know what your next steps are, so come along and join over 500 people that happen to be parents in Creating Careers to Enjoy.