Envisioning Your Future, Pt. IV – Future Self Emulation
As I mentioned in the last article, an important component of reinvention is clarity, that is, holding a clear vision of who you’re becoming and where you’d like to go. I’ve found that the most effective way to gain this clarity is by defining, exploring and working toward your future self, a powerful tool for envisioning the version of yourself you’re striving to become.
This is the last installment of a four-part series to help you envision your future. The last article included a visualization to meet your future self. And today, I’ll share a number of ways to work with your future self vision, including how to emulate the future self you met during the visualization.
Emulation works because your future self is about what’s possible, about what you can achieve. It’s meant to be inspirational, not something you measure yourself against, because the most compassionate way to measure progress is by looking at how far you’ve come, not how far you have to go.
As your future self begins to emerge, it can feel like you’re bridging two very different worlds – one that is familiar and one that is elusive yet compelling.
So how might you move toward that compelling, elusive vision? You probably won’t know all the answers at this point and you may not see a clear path yet. That’s part of the process. Right now, it’s about taking those initial steps.
It can seem counterintuitive. You may be thinking, “I don’t know how to get to this new place.” The good news is – you don’t need to know how; you just need to pick a direction. And that’s why having a clear vision of your future self and learning to incorporate her ways of being is so helpful.
Your future self holds valuable clues and can provide fun ways to bring that spirit into your life today. Let’s explore how to emulate your future self.
Think back to results from the future self visualization. Consider finding ways to spend time or handle situations as she would, trying on your future persona a little at a time. Get specific. Envision different aspects of your future self’s life.
Here are some questions to consider to get you started:
What is her demeanor? How does she feel about life?
How does she spend her time?
Where does she live? What do her surrounding look like?
What does she look like and how does she dress?
How does she carry herself through her days?
What habits, routines and practices does she have?
How does she nurture her mind, body and spirit?
How does she express herself?
How does she make decisions and handle difficult situations?
How does she handle her finances?
What are her relationships like?
Who is in her circle of family and friends?
What does she like to learn about to help her continue to grow?
What does she do for fun, exploration and adventure?
Using these prompts, you can journal about her and how you might have some fun “acting as if” you were your future self. You might choose to enjoy a meal, dress, spend time, handle a situation, or nurture yourself as she would, the wiser version of yourself.
As you do, take notice how these small steps make you feel. If it feels heavy and uncomfortable, you may be on the “should” track. If it feels free and exciting, that’s a good indicator that you’re in alignment with your future self.
Overall, you’re anticipating how the future version of yourself shows up in her daily life and then incorporating more of her essence into your life today. The more you make decisions in alignment with how you envision she is living, the more likely you’ll create a future self mindset that focuses on what truly matters most. It’s a wonderful way to create a new identity for yourself.
Author James Clear has said, “In order to believe in a new identity, we have to prove it to ourselves.” I love this quote. He believes, as I do, that creating a new identity is the key to building long lasting habits because they change the belief we have in ourselves.
James calls this developing identity-based habits and has a simple formula to create them:
Decide the type of person you want to be; and
Prove it to yourself with small wins.
What’s great about this two-prong approach is it allows you to build a new identity while attending to your current life responsibilities. It’s been my experience that over time, the new life overtakes the old one. This is because good habits build on each other creating more confidence. You get to a point where you can’t not help thinking of yourself in this new way, it becomes part of who you are.
Another way you can use this exercise is as a journaling prompt. Set aside five or ten minutes and do some exploring. Write down whatever comes to mind as you consider these two questions: 1) Who do I want to be? And 2) How can I prove it to myself?
You can also ask your future self for advice. Does she suggest a lifestyle change? Perhaps there’s a career transition or a new business on the horizon. How about healthier habits? More travel? More time with loved ones? New hobbies or interests?
Most importantly, you can use the output from this journaling exercise to determine one small step that you can take – and then take it.
Envisioning your future self is a useful tool to create a clear vision of who you want to be and help you to stay focused and motivated to make steady progress. Emulating your future self can help you to make better decisions by pausing to ask what your future self would do and take action that’s in alignment with her.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this series and found working with your future self to be a valuable resource to create your next life chapter filled with purpose, joy and fulfillment.
Journal Reflections: How has your future self helped you envision your next chapter? What actions are you taking as a result? How can you incorporate her essence in your life today?
Note: If you prefer, you can listen to this article here: Episode 227
If you have any questions or comments about this series, please do reach out by email at hello@athenawellness.com. I’ll be sure to receive it.