Why you should start your Future Self Journaling Routine

Okay, so this will be my third blog on your future self. I am going to include some of the ideas (and links) from the previous two blogs, but what I would like to focus on in this blog is journaling. We’ll look at the idea of practicing future self journaling as a way to really tap into, and build on, that future vision for yourself.

In one of my previous blogs I wrote a letter to my future self, which absolutely qualifies as a type of future self journaling and in this blog I’ll share an excerpt of that original letter.  I’m also going to write a revised letter. The reason I want to do this is because as we grow and evolve things change.  The things that we have to say to ourselves change. The things we reflect back on change. We grow. At least that is the point. Because of this I have new reflections and new comments to share with my future self.

Who Is She?

My first question to you is this. Do you see your future self as the same person you are today? Or, do you recognise the potential for that person to be someone braver, more confident, more successful than the person you are today? The reason I believe future self journaling is such a powerful tool is that it allows us, firstly, to see that there is room for growth from who we are today to who we want to be and, secondly, to step into the mind of that future self that we aspire to be.  To put ourselves in their shoes and imagine what it would feel like to actually be living as that upgraded version of ourselves.

Journaling about the future version of yourself will help you to distinguish between the two versions of you.  Doing that helps you to appreciate where you are now as well as appreciate that you still have life experiences to go through that can help you get to where you need to be.  This entire exercise of future self journaling, to me, is an exercise in visualisation and I love that!

Journal on your Differences

A great exercise is to journal on what, you believe, you want to be different about your future self.  So, if you are looking for a partner for example, write about how that is showing up for you in your future.  What kind of person you will need to be to attract that special someone etc.  If you are wanting to buy a house write about where you are today and then where your future self is that is the proud owner of your dream home.  What did they need to do (or become) to be able to achieve that goal?

In other words, what differences are showing up between the now you and the future you?  Is it determination, patience, kindness, confidence?  When you sit down and take an honest look at where you are different to your future self you can identify the areas of growth that you will need to work on in order to become that person.

Letter to my Future Self

In my first blog on the future self I wrote a letter.  This is a deeply personal exercise that can help you extract all the good stuff about what you envision for your future.  Sitting down and writing this letter requires dreaming big and seeing this future version of yourself reach her highest potential.  You’re not exactly going to dream up a future version of yourself that has completely failed at life, are you!  No, you want to create a beautiful and fulfilling life for yourself.

So, you visualize being all you can be.  You visualize the love and success that you want for yourself.  And, the magic happens when you understand that to visualize yourself as successful, confident etc. actually gets you one step closer to achieving that outcome.  Here’s an excerpt from the original letter that I wrote:

Dear Future Me,

I so admire you.  I admire your heart.  Your courage, and determination.  I admire your confidence.  I know it took a lot for you to overcome your insecurities.  But, you saw it was all down to self-love.  You saw that confidence can be built up and taught.  And, like everything else in life, you kept going when you made up your mind.  You showed up, and you showed them all.  I feel silly saying this to my future self, but I am proud of you. 

….you can read the full blog and letter here:

Future Self Journaling is Powerful!

This was my first attempt at future self journaling and, honestly, it is quite a moving experience.  I don’t think we take the time to separate ourselves from our future self and because of that we forget that the future version of us has gone through different experiences that we have not yet gone through.  We forget that this person both is and isn’t us.  This person has evolved.  She has become what life’s experiences has moulded her into.  This happens whether you are looking for change and growth or not!

We get so caught up in our lives that we don’t take the time to realize that we are creating our future in every moment, with every decision that we make.  This exercise can help put that into perspective for you.  It is a powerful reminder that for you to have the life you want tomorrow, you need to be more in tune with how you live your life today.

Be your own Cheerleader

Take your future self journaling exercise as a golden opportunity to jump up and down and go all ra-ra about how incredible this upgraded version of you is.  Tell her she has blown your mind with her courage and determination.  Tell her you are so proud to know that you get to step into those kick-ass shoes one day.  Get yourself hyped up about how incredible the you in 5 or 10 years from now is going to be.  But, why?  What purpose does it serve to pretend that your future self is some kind of rock star?  Well, if you believe she can be, she WILL be!

Because, this person at this very moment is only a figment of your imagination!  Please, hear this, because that is such great news!  She is what you make her.  She is putty in your hands.  Want to be confident?  Shape that future version of you into the most confident person you can imagine.  Successful?  Healthy?  It’s all something that you get to choose.  ‘But, if I don’t have these things now, how will I have them in the future?’.  That is the beauty of this exercise because you are planting a seed in your heart and mind that will grow if you keep watering it!  Each new morning that you wake up with a clearer and clearer vision of the future you is helping to bring that picture into focus.

sitting-at-desk-future-self-journaling

My Updated Letter

Dear Future Me,

 

My heart swells with pride when I see who you have become.  Not only have you stepped up and taken control of your life, seeing the power in your own hands to create your own life experience, but you have done it from a place of love and integrity.  You are truly an inspiration to me!

I feel empowered to know that through my toughest days I can look ahead to my future and see that you have grown from all your experiences.  You have taken all the greatest challenges that life has thrown at you, all the hardest lessons, and turned them into gold.  You have not let anything keep you down, but instead have grown into someone who I am both proud and excited to become!

Seeing you transform has given me the strength to persist.  The courage to believe in myself.  The faith to keep going.  And, knowing that although we feel like separate people you are the culmination of all my experiences.  You are the true me, the one that has released all the weight of self-doubt, expectation and uncertainty.  You are me at my highest and happiest point in life.  Thank you for reminding me of my own worthiness and my own capabilities in this life.

All my love,

Present Day Me

Can I Wear Your Shoes?

Now, let’s get creative here.  Step into her shoes for a moment.  Go from seeing her as someone to look up to, to someone you embody.  Because, after all, this is YOU we are talking about.  So, how does it feel?  Do you feel good in your skin?  How do those shoes feel?  Are they boots that have weathered the storm?  High heels that have walked through corporate boardrooms?  Sandals that have graced the sands of tropical islands or strolled the streets of ancient Rome?  Who is this woman?  What have YOU designed her to be?

Let that vision of your future self inspire you.  Take a day in the life of this incredible human being and use it as fuel for your future self journaling.  Detail the clothes you would (will!) wear, the company you will keep, the places you will go.  And, make sure you journal about how it feels to be this ‘new and improved’ version of yourself.  It may be imaginary now, but nothing is created in reality until it is dreamed up in the heart!  So, build this biggest and boldest vision for how you want your future to look, because you are actively moulding the clay as you do so.

Happy future self journaling, and happy future life creating!

Steph x

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