Future You Wants a Word
Spoiler: They’re Counting on You
Imagine meeting the future version of yourself—the one who’s finally living the life you’ve always dreamed of.
They’re confident, successful, and absolutely smashing life. But here’s the kicker: future you only exists if today’s you shows up and does the work. I know—it’s hard. Fear, doubt, and the never-ending chaos of daily life have a way of derailing even the best intentions. But what if there was a simple mindset tweak that could help you cut through all that noise? Let me share a game-changing hack that’s been working wonders for me—it might just do the same for you.
Probably the most powerful hack I’ve come up with recently has been the one I wrote about on Sunday, which is based around the motto “if you feel the fear, you are not here”, but this one I’m sharing today comes a close second, and I’m currently using it in conjunction with the above, to great effect.
I’ve written before, at length, about just how easy it is to put ourselves last in this life.
It’s understandable that we do that. After all, if we have family, friends and a job, then we have commitments to those people, ones which we do not want to break or can’t consistently risk missing the mark on. When it comes to those we love, it’s because we want to show them that their needs matter to us, and of course with regards to a job and our boss, we know that there’s a chance it’d be noticed, and our livelihood might then be at risk.
But when it comes to things we decide we want to do where no one else is relying on us for them, or no one will even know if we don’t do them, it’s all too easy to put those tasks right to the bottom of the list, where they continue to slide off into oblivion, time and time again.
This wouldn’t be such an issue, if it weren’t for the heartbreaking fact that those kinds of things tend to be the kind of stuff which can really light up our souls, the sort of activities, hobbies and side hustles that can really help us to live a richer life, and sometimes even be the sort of things that can lead us down the path towards the life of our dreams.
What kind of things do I mean? Starting a side business, one perhaps based on a hobby or a skill you know isn’t being fully utilised at your current place of work. New hobbies such as crafts, or taking up a sport or a regular exercise habit. These are the sorts of things which lead to us being more well-rounded, happier people, and that means we’re different people for those we love as well.
But it’s understandable that these things fall by the wayside when you have kids and other people in your life yelling at you to do things for them, when your boss is demanding that you take on yet another project when you’re already at your full capacity or that you finish the report you thought you had plenty of time for by the end of the week. Life is hard, and keeping all of those plates spinning can be tricky. It’s all too easy to end up feeling dejected, like there must be something wrong with you when you consistently let yourself down, year after year, and to decide that these ‘failures’ are yet another metaphorical stick for us to beat ourselves with.
I’ve written about a couple of ways you can try to ensure you keep these things going, here’re some articles if you want to read more:
Consider this mindset shift:
Future you, the person living the life of your dreams, is relying on you to do the hard things which gets you there
i.e. without you working hard today to push yourself out of your comfort zone and doing the things that will move you closer to being Future You/living the life they lead, that person simply won’t ever exist!
Now, this might not be an incredibly motivating thought for some people. It might seem like a lot of pressure, which I suppose it is. But it works for me, and so it might well work for some other folks, too.
You can bring this idea into your life in a number of ways.
I like the motto:
Would future me just do this?
As you’ll know if you’ve read more than a few of my articles, I do love a motto, and a couple of easy ways to bring that into your daily life are to use the following ideas:
So, whenever I’m about to do something which makes me feel fearful and anxious, whenever my resistance rears its ugly head, I remind myself that future me is counting on me…
I sometimes write ‘WFMJDT?’ and stick it on a post-it note on my computer monitor, bathroom mirror or the back of my front door.
And finally, as a bonus, I’ve recorded a short visualisation using the Voice Recorder on my phone, which I listen to if I’m feeling stuck/paralysed by my fear.
Here’s the script, so you can record your own version and play it back any time you need that little extra push of motivation!
Take three deep breaths, dropping down into your heart centre. One… Two… Three…
Close your eyes, and see Future You in your mind’s eye.
<30 second pause>
Describe future you here, where they are, what they're wearing, how they live, where they live, what their finances are like, in as much detail as you like.
They're crossed-legged, meditating, reaching back towards the you of today.
See their loving kindness, their love and support, shining out from them, their strength and the wisdom of their experience, their knowledge that you absolutely can (and did) do the hard things which got you from here to there.
Drink it in, feel it filling up every atom of your being. Know that they are grateful to you for pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and doing this hard work today.
<1 minute pause>
Now go, go and do the things which’ll transform you into future you!
Your future self is counting on you to take the small, brave steps today that will lead to the life you’ve always wanted. So, what’s one thing you can do right now to move closer to your dreams? Need more ideas, tools, and support to stay on track? Subscribe to Reboot & Rise today and join a community of ambitious, like-minded people committed to building the lives they deserve—one action at a time.