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Write a Letter to Your Future Self

futureme.org

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41–50 of 111 posts

Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#41

Post by barbazoo »

TheAceOfHearts wrote: post #39

I did this once and the resulting message was incredibly depressing so I don't think I would do it again. For me there is no value or point in engaging in such actions. It's probably only worth it if you have a positive outlook on life.

I was wondering too what I would use this for. I'm a bit worried that this would become a depressing exercise if goals or hopes do not come true. And boring if they do come true. I think I'm just not sure yet what a sustainable way to use this service is.

Also I wish you the best and hope your outlook on life gets more positive.

Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#42

Post by wanderingstan »

I’ve been using futureme for over a decade.

Best use I’ve found is for when I have a huge decision to make. I’ll email myself at some time after the decision must be made; right when I might be having regrets. I explain to my future self how hard it is to decide right now and why the correct choice isn’t clear. Usually with some encouragement of “I hope you know we made the best choice we could”

Of course, I also send some occasionally on birthdays or when I’ve just give through something dramatic — a reminder to future me to remember.

Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#43

Post by wanderingstan »

throwuxiytayq wrote: post #38

As a kid, using this site or some other, I wrote an email to myself and received it some 15 years later. That was awkward. I don't really know that guy.

That’s a good insight right there. I journal and use futureme and the biggest takeaway is how we really are different people at different times in life. (But with common threads you have to squint to find.)

Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#44

Post by RajT88 »

Ashbt wrote: post #40

I've done a similar thing using calendar events in the future. It's easy. Just open up your calendar app to a date like 5 years from now and type away. This derisks the possibility that the "future you service" goes under, taking your cherished letters with it.

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.

Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#45

Post by Lance_ET_Compte »

This is something you can do at the post office at Burning Man.

If you write to someone in the city, someone will deliver your letter/card. If you write to someone outside the city, they will pop it in USPS in Gerlach. If you write to someone no longer living, they'll deliver it to the temple. If you write to your future self, someday, someone may put it in USPS.

Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#46

Post by forgot-im-old »

RajT88 wrote: post #44
Ashbt wrote: post #40

I've done a similar thing using calendar events in the future. It's easy. Just open up your calendar app to a date like 5 years from now and type away. This derisks the possibility that the "future you service" goes under, taking your cherished letters with it.

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?

Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#47

Post by OJFord »

Retr0id wrote: post #2

I've used this a few times over the last decade, and while I can't predict the future, it's been rock solid thus far from my perspective. Per their footer: > FutureMe™ brought to you by Memories Group Limited © 2002 - 2024. > Yup - we've been sending letters to the future for about 22 years now

Must've been weird at the beginning, to have presumably more than (chances of the first ones being for only one year thence?) a year accepting letters but making no deliveries, other than to test.

Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#48

Post by netsharc »

suketk wrote: post #22
dmccarty wrote: post #11

I highly recommend doing this. I also highly recommend not doing it digitally. I recently came across an email I'd sent to myself a decade ago. It was a serendipitous find and could've easily been lost for all time among the 100K emails floating around. But the process of writing it is worth it, and the reading of it some time later can be deeply rewarding.

I made a service to do this physically, i.e it sends you a paper letter in the future! https://dearfuture.carrd.com

Hah.. the Swiss Post has an app that lets you design a postcard and send it, it even has a "every user can send 1 free postcard every day" that cool kids use a meme-printing service. I feel like they should also offer a "print-a-letter-in-the-future and send it to user" service. As a bonus they can probably track the movements of their customers because of their "address change" service (if you move houses and use this service they'll let companies know of your new address). And it's the Swiss Post, it shouldn't be disappearing any time soon..

Re: Write a Letter to Your Future Self

#49

Post by OJFord »

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 self. What we really want is to hear from them isn't it, but writing's no substitute at all.

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