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Write a Letter to Your Future Self

futureme.org

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Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#51

Post by RajT88 »

forgot-im-old wrote: post #46
RajT88 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just use text files, with the dates stored in them. I make sure my folder is always backed up. I have a few that go back to 1999. It's always a trip to go back and reread them.

I like how this approach trusts your future self to look back at these files, while the other methods implicitly distrust the future self motivation to look back at your present self. Can we deeply trust the concept of our future self as being equivalent and worthwhile of replacing our present? Do we treat that future self almost like a child of our own?

I absolutely trust my future self to go back and look at the files.

I do not think I would have started this practice without knowing this about myself.

I do wish I made more of an effort to leave these notes. I have in my archive chat logs from various messaging services and there is contextual headspace which clearly has changed over the years without me really knowing it. For example: I had a conversation back in 2006 where it sounded like I thought very positively of Apple as a company. I have no recollection of thinking positively of Apple back then, and certainly not since.

Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#52

Post by ClaraForm »

runamuck wrote: post #17
ClaraForm wrote: post #5

Starting at 16 years old I wrote a letter every birthday to my 30 year old self with ideas of who I want to become and how I ought to judge my success. I hoped when I turn 30 to open all of them up and realize how much I accomplished would be satisfying. Through the project, I actually discovered two things. First, I estimated a rate of progress that exceeds the real possible magnitude of accomplishment by about two…

Can you post these letters online? This fascinates me!

No promises but maybe. At 16 my family was breaking down so it's all a bit too personal. I'll see if some are worth sharing publicly. If I do I'll respond back here again to let you know.

Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#53

Post by ClaraForm »

OJFord wrote: post #49
ClaraForm wrote: post #5

Starting at 16 years old I wrote a letter every birthday to my 30 year old self with ideas of who I want to become and how I ought to judge my success. I hoped when I turn 30 to open all of them up and realize how much I accomplished would be satisfying. Through the project, I actually discovered two things. First, I estimated a rate of progress that exceeds the real possible magnitude of accomplishment by about two…

I did similarly (once though, not every year) and dreaded its arrival - I remembered enough to know some misses/failures - it arrived and I instantly archived it, without reading more than I couldn't help but catch a glimpse of. I would say don't do it young and naïve, it's just depressing, except that I am now at least mature enough to realise one's probably always too young and naïve to write like that to the older…

16 year old me got more right about the world than I ever predicted he could. I encourage you to read it. Especially to see how much about your younger self your current self gets wrong! The opposite effect of depressing.

At the end of all of my reading even though my younger selves couldn't hear it I whispered to all of them: "You turned out okay little one. Rest."

Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#54

Post by ericmcer »

ClaraForm wrote: post #5

Starting at 16 years old I wrote a letter every birthday to my 30 year old self with ideas of who I want to become and how I ought to judge my success. I hoped when I turn 30 to open all of them up and realize how much I accomplished would be satisfying. Through the project, I actually discovered two things. First, I estimated a rate of progress that exceeds the real possible magnitude of accomplishment by about two…

I started doing the same thing a few years ago, but on New years day instead of my bday. It is way better to just see where your head was at and what you wanted from the year ahead than to make a list of resolutions/achievements. Really wish I had started at 16 that is invaluable.

Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#57

Post by doakes »

After a 4-week backpacking trip (via NOLS), you're given the opportunity to write a letter to yourself that they would send to you in the future (can't remember how long, maybe a year). After 4 weeks of living out of a backpack in the Alaskan mountains, your perspective changes. They knew this and wanted you to give yourself a reminder of that perspective after it has faded back to the complexities of normal life. You really develop a different, and imo healthier, mindset about life.

Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#58

Post by thierrydamiba »

ericmcer wrote: post #54
ClaraForm wrote: post #5

Starting at 16 years old I wrote a letter every birthday to my 30 year old self with ideas of who I want to become and how I ought to judge my success. I hoped when I turn 30 to open all of them up and realize how much I accomplished would be satisfying. Through the project, I actually discovered two things. First, I estimated a rate of progress that exceeds the real possible magnitude of accomplishment by about two…

I started doing the same thing a few years ago, but on New years day instead of my bday. It is way better to just see where your head was at and what you wanted from the year ahead than to make a list of resolutions/achievements. Really wish I had started at 16 that is invaluable.

I do the same thing periodically, except with voice notes. Whenever I feel like I am in a big moment in my life, or have a new understanding of a concept, I’ll record a note talking to myself. I wonder how different these would be if I wrote them down with pen and paper vs an audio recording.

Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#59

Post by mckravchyk »

I have done it with the past self (no I don't have a tachyo-something anti-telephone, just a theoretical exercise). You can look at the obvious mistakes you have made. How much more could you accomplish or get out of life if you just applied those few paragraphs of instructions. Then look at it and wonder, in 10 years from now what kind of letter would I write to my present self, what obvious things am I missing now...

Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#60

Post by system2 »

I sent myself many emails in the last 15 years with Futureme. I am reading the sad times and remember how I felt those days. It also fascinated me how much I improved in 15 years; mentally and financially. There were some about loved ones' cancer treatments and every year the letters got more depressing. Hopes diminishing in emails feels very strange. Regardless of what it made me feel I recommend this to my friends. I write myself every few yes with it.

Also, their Cron scheduler must be working its ass off. God knows how many are waiting to be sent out.

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