Here's why you should write a letter to your future self! 💌

Have you ever thought about writing a letter to your "future self"? In the past few weeks, I have come across this idea again and again among my acquaintances and on social media. 📝

So I've been wondering what it's all about and why each of us should take the time to write a few lines to ourselves? 🤔

Here is why ...👇🏼

In the chaos of everyday life, we often feel that there is always something more important to do than take an hour to reflect on ourselves and assess our own lives. A letter to your "future self" can be one of the best opportunities to do this and is a big step towards self-awareness.

Furthermore, this exercise offers you the opportunity to consider your "future self", to set goals, to consciously shape your future and to plan your own path without blindly walking through life. 🙈

So let's move on to the best way to structure a letter to yourself. You can see these 4 areas as a small suggestion 💌:

• 🕵🏽 Reflection on the present

• ❌ Changes to be made

• 🎯 Goals for the future

• 😅 Funny and crazy predictions

Let's go! ...

🕵🏽 Reflection on the present

This is about deconstructing the present, which requires a fair amount of self-reflection.

• Some questions that can help you do this are:

• What is going on?

• What is not working?

• What gives you energy?

• What drains your energy?

• Which relationships really bring you joy?

• Which relationships are toxic?

• What is currently surprising you?

• Are your current habits in line with your goals?

❌ Changes to be made

This area results from the reflections in the previous section. In particular, check the answers to the questions about what drains your energy, what relationships are toxic, and what habits are distracting you from your goals.

• What changes should you make in your life today?

Always be aware that even tiny deviations from your normal course can mean big deviations for the future. For example, imagine an aeroplane: For every degree a plane deviates from its course, it misses its target by 1 mile for every 60 miles flown.

So the ability to adapt in real time is critical to achieving goals.

🎯 Goals for the future

Here are some questions that can help you work out your goals:

• What are my big, ambitious long-term goals?

• What are my short and medium term goals that set the right path?

• Why am I trying to achieve these goals?

• What would success look like in the next 5 years?

• What new habits or systems would be needed to achieve these goals?

• What are my anti-goals? (Here, you can read what is meant by the term "anti-goals").

😅 Funny and crazy predictions

You're writing to your "future self" so it's time to get a little crazy! These predictions are usually very funny - and often wrong - when you read them in a few months or years.

So now it's time to get started! Take a pen and paper and start writing your letter to your "future self", you won't regret it - I promise! 💌

If you prefer a digital solution, tools like FutureMe can help you write your first letter.

Whylab wishes you lots of fun with this exercise! 💙