It might seem strange to be friends with your future self. It’s certainly abstract. But it is one of the surest ways to ensure that you are taking the necessary steps now for the life you want in the future. Knowing your future self has immeasurable benefits for personal growth and fulfillment.
Developing friendships with your future self can help you gain direction, motivation, and a sense of responsibility. Harnessing their wisdom and resilience will help you overcome challenges and make more informed decisions.
8 reasons you need to know your future self
I hope you like who you are now. And if all goes well, you will like the person in the future. And there are many reasons to want to know that future person now.
Here are eight specific reasons to be friends with your future self.
1. Gives you a sense of direction
Befriending your future self gives you clarity and direction in your life. Visualizing who you want to be helps you set meaningful goals and work toward them with purpose. By cultivating friendships with this ideal self, you can tap into their wisdom and insight to guide your present actions into a future that aligns with your values and aspirations.
2. Give Motivation and Responsibility
Think about this. Are you more likely to care and make the right decisions with people you know or people you don’t know at all?
Being friends with your future self gives you a source of motivation and responsibility. Future you know the importance of consistency, discipline, and perseverance. Nurturing this relationship allows you to tap into their determination and dedication, which can be a powerful catalyst for personal growth.
You become responsible for your future self, creating a strong sense of responsibility to follow through on your goals and aspirations.
3. Ensure better decisions today
Research conducted Hal HershfieldUCLA social psychologists suggest that visualizing and connecting with vivid representations of your future self can have a profound impact on your decisions and actions. Hershfield’s research found that people with a stronger emotional connection to their future selves were more likely to save money for retirement and choose a healthier lifestyle.
“My research asks, ‘How can we transition people from where they are to what they will be in the future in a way that maximizes their well-being?'”
Hal Hershfield
The concept of future self-continuity refers to the degree to which an individual perceives himself as connected to his future self. Numerous other studies have shown that a sense of a strong continuity between the present and future selves is associated with higher saving behavior, academic performance, and health-related decision-making.
A sense of personal identity across time enables individuals to make choices and take actions that will contribute to their future well-being.
4. Helps keep you disciplined
Research shows that when people perceive their future selves as separate entities with whom they can relate, they are more likely to exercise self-control in the present. This connection helps us make choices that prioritize long-term goals over short-term gratification.
People who think a lot about their future tend to:
- eat well
- exercise
- retirement savings
5. You are more likely to reach your goals
Research conducted Daniel BartelsA behavioral scientist at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business suggests that an emotional connection with your future self is an essential factor in achieving your long-term goals.
Building a positive emotional connection with your future self increases your motivation, self-discipline, and tenacity to pursue your desired outcome.
6. Better planning
Implementing intent refers to the practice of specifying a detailed plan for achieving a particular goal. When you befriend your future self, you are more likely to form action intentions that tell you when, where, and how you will take action toward your desired future.
Research demonstrates that implementing intent increases goal attainment and drives behavioral change.
Will you be friends with your future self? Be sure to incorporate them into your written financial plan. NewRetirement Planner is the most robust forecasting engine and perfect for planning for the future.
7. Helps you balance today’s priorities with tomorrow’s possibilities
It’s very easy to make the right decisions if you only consider what makes you feel good today. you know what you want now
What’s more difficult is making the best decisions for your present and your future. But by anthropomorphizing your future as a living, breathing human being, you’re more likely to balance your priorities today with what you want for the future.
8. You can have a happier, safer future
By making friends with your future self, you are more likely to make decisions that will help your overall well-being in the future. If you want a happy and secure future, take care of your health and save money for important jobs in retirement.
So how do you make friends with your future self?
Well, you might be convinced that making friends with your future self is a good idea. But how do we do that? You can never ask them out for coffee when your future self doesn’t even exist yet.
Here are some ideas.
visualize your future self
Take time to visualize your ideal future self. Envision the qualities, achievements, and experiences you want to embody. Engage all five senses and create a vivid image in your mind.
Do this for you to do so in 5 years, 10 years, 30 years.
start from the end
When imagining your future, you can think of many different versions. It may be easiest to start at the end. Who do you think you will be at the end of your life? How old do you want to be? how will you survive? Work backwards from there.
document who you want to be
Record (write, draw, record a video) what happens to you. This is an important step, a way to embody your future self in your imagination.
Be as specific as possible. what do you look like? how do you dress what do you believe What have you achieved? How do you feel about these achievements? Where do you live? Who is in your life? What is your daily routine?
to make a decision? Ask your future self for advice!
yes. This may sound crazy. But you will want to have some kind of imaginary dialogue with your future self. They will also say helpful things about big decisions and everyday actions.
Ask them for advice and imagine what kind of guidance they offer. As you make decisions, big and small, think about them.
please think about it. When you’re 70, you don’t want to smoke or eat fried chicken. You need to eat well and exercise. You may be encouraged to splurge on expensive vacations, but only if you can also save for retirement.
Check your future self regularly
As indicated above, it’s important to check with yourself about your decisions. And you should make regular contact with your future self.
Not long ago, there was a trend where people would put on bracelets saying, “Who does what?” For example, he can buy a bracelet that says WWJD, which stands for “What if Jesus?” Some replace the name of Jesus with the name of their father, mother, or favorite teacher. In addition, it is very effective to consult virtually with people you respect and respect.
Likewise, it’s important to check your future self regularly. Make them part of your thinking. Ask yourself, “What will my future self do?”
Write down the big milestones you need to achieve to become your ideal future self
Set specific, realistic goals based on your vision for the future and document the milestones you need to achieve to reach your destination.
Budget for your future self
If all the above suggestions sound a little too abstract, here are some concrete ideas. Document a detailed budget for your future self.
Knowing what you want (or need) to spend in retirement can go a long way toward understanding how much you need to save for a secure future. And this process is very helpful in imagining who you will be and what your life will be like.
NewRetirement Planner walks you through this future budgeting process step by step.of budget manager has over 13 categories and 70 subcategories to help you envision your future.
- You can set different expenses and expense levels for different time periods, so you can budget yourself for all future versions.
- Set the levels to always spend and the best to spend to help you plan your income and investments.
- Additionally, there are features for better tax treatment of expenses.
