Future Self

Concepts for Thriving
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Future Self

Our Future Self is the person who benefits (or suffers) from the choices we make NOW. Being considerate and generous to our Future Self helps us take a much longer view as we invest time and energy now.

  • A sustainable, thriving lifestyle is structured to support our Future Self (and those we hold dear) the next hour, day, week, month, year, decade, lifetime, and beyond for generations to come.
  • Taking concrete action to benefit our future self (for example, the “you” who will rise from bed tomorrow morning) creates a virtuous flow of self-care energy to nourish us now and tomorrow.
  • Acting with love and thoughtfulness toward who we will be and what we will need and appreciate “tomorrow” is a kindness that strengthens our character and our sense of self-worth.

I Appreciate Myself For…

Food in the refrigerator. Clean clothes in the drawer. Soap to wash with.

Chances are that you did that. Whether aware of it or not, the groceries you bought, the clothes you washed, and the soap you put where you could reach it when bathing were kindnesses from your past self… to your Future Self.

Most people do not live by this concept. “I have to go grocery shopping.” Once done, it is checked off the list.

But when is it appreciated? When does that act of service get to feel like the thoughtfulness it is?

Life feels quite a bit more thriving when you at least nod in appreciation to those who made food available to you — including you. Many people were involved with every stitch of your clothing (and its cleaning) — including you.

Appreciating yourself for simple things means you’ll more naturally appreciate others, too. It acclimates us to abundant and generous service so we all have our needs met (and more).

You and Me A Year from Now

There’s a version of You and Me that is a year older. And there will be 8,760 hours where we’ll be choosing what that person — our Future Self — will have in their life.

What resources might we save? What skills might we hone? What relationships might we cultivate a bit more deeply?

How will our physical vitality be? Will there be progress on what matters… or not so much?

Thriving is grounded in devotion. We take inspired actions, no matter how seemingly insignificant now, for the benefit of our life to come.

It’s possible to imagine that if we walk a bit more today and a bit more next month and keep that up, our Future Self will have more freedom. The extra stamina would open up paths to explore. And, after a year of morning miles, for example, our Future Self would identify as someone who “regularly moves for the pleasure in it.”

Save $10 a week, and your one-year-older Future Self has a gift from you of $520 to spend however they choose. It’s true $10 doesn’t buy much. It’s true walking a mile doesn’t suddenly change our vitality.

But compounded over just a year (and not projected too far into the future), the extra freedom and enhanced thriving can be felt. If you like being generous with others, include your Future Self a year from now in your thoughtfulness. Then, collect.

Collect by noticing what you’ve done over the past year that matters to you now. Collect by appreciating how hard it was at times, how when you got off-track, you got back on… and here you are, now, with more options and real skills that you would NOT have without the kind-hearted, courageous efforts of your Past Selves.

Useful Questions

  • What might I do NOW that would be appreciated by me tomorrow?
  • What do I have in my life right now that was a gift from my Past Self to the Future… that I am enjoying now?
  • How do I feel when I “collect” a kindness done for me in the past?
  • How might I “pay it forward” to the Future Me that might have a need for ease, support, resources, or nourishment?

Resources

Related Concepts

Abundance, Choices, Comfort, Devotion, Healing, Inspired Action, Kindness, Lifestyle Design, Power With, Resilience, Self-Care, Simple Uplifts, Stewardship, Thriving, We-Space

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