Ep. 47 - Unlock the Wisdom of Your Future Self

In this first episode of the new year, I help you connect with a version of your own future self who you can use as a source of wisdom and perspective.

Check out Leslie's website at www.YourWordsUnleashed.com

Transcript

YWU Podcast Episode #47

Unlock the Wisdom of Your Future Self

Hi writers. Happy 2024!

I hope you’ve had a lovely and restful transition into the new year.

I was lucky to spend two full weeks in California with my family. 

We pretty much ate our way through Los Angeles.

We also took our son to the beach almost every day just to watch the waves of the Pacific Ocean, which experienced historically huge tides this year. 

We even spotted dolphins three times.

It was such a great reminder that nature is in charge and our own individual lives are so small. 

To me, it’s always comforting to connect to something much bigger than myself and be in a state of awe about things I won’t ever fully understand.

So we’re all getting back to work now, hopefully with a refreshed state of mind.

With the start of a new year, it’s possible to wipe the slate clean and rededicate yourself to your writing and research (if that’s important to you, and it probably is if you’re listening to this!)

It always feels amazing to begin again, and I invite you to set an intention for 2024.

Think of ONE word to serve as your theme for the year.

What is a word that feels resonant to you in this moment that you’d like to draw on as a continual source of inspiration this year? 

For me, last year was all about peace. 

I was in the first full year of my business and trying to figure out what my limits were, raising a three-year-old, and things got pretty stressful at times.

Therefore, I focused on creating peace, finding peace, embodying peace, and inspiring peace in others. 

Now that things have settled down a bit and I’ve found a good rhythm, I’ve decided that this year will be about joy.

Creating joy, finding joy, embodying joy, and inspiring joy in others.

For me, joy and peace and gratitude are very much connected.

I’ve been doing a practice lately that helps me to reframe my state of mind when things get overwhelming.

I try to look at the situation through the eyes of my future self. In particular, I imagine looking back at this time when I’m 80 years old.

As you can imagine, this is particularly useful when it comes to parenting!

For example, my son is sick and pretty much kept me up all of last night.

As I was lying awake, I tried to see this through 80-year-old eyes.

I reflected on how much I would appreciate having another tender moment with my young child and how grateful I would be to reinhabit my own healthy, middle-aged body.

In short, connecting with my future self helps me infuse even the most challenging moments with joy and gratitude.

So being that this is my first episode of the new year, I thought it would be nice to help you connect with a version of your own future self who you can use as a source of wisdom and perspective.

Connecting with Your Future Self

But first, I want to talk a bit about why it’s so important to connect with your future self.

To be clear by “future self” I mean not only an older, but also a wiser, more grounded and more centered version of yourself whose confidence comes from experience and knowing how everything will work out.

Because not knowing forms so much of our present-day stress and anxiety and fear. 

The future self was actually a big part of my life coach training.

I have sought out, and received, useful advice from my own future self many different times.

I have also coached many of my clients to obtain support from their future selves, which is usually a very powerful experience.

Your future self can provide valuable insights, motivation, and direction to you when times are tough. 

Through talking with your future self, you can gain clarity on your long-term goals and aspirations and what’s really important to you.

You can start cutting through some of the noise and create a clearer vision of your priorities, your strengths and see how those factor into your achievements.

You can make more strategic, thoughtful and intentional decisions that are aligned with your values and how you want to show up in the world.

In short, your future self can be a trusted guide who gives deep insights into what more might be possible for you. 

And in case you’re feeling skeptical, let me assure that connecting with your future self can be totally transformative.

For example, I did some career coaching with a client who was on the job market for the nth time and feeling a huge amount of trepidation and self-loathing.

He was in a contingent Visiting Assistant Professor position in a field with very few jobs available in any given year.

He was feeling overworked, overwhelmed, and pessimistic about his chances of landing a tenure-track job.

We did a number of different coaching exercises and reframing exercises, but the one that was the most impactful was connecting to his future self. 

What’s fascinating is that he saw his future self as a calm, confident professor who reassured him that it would all work out.

But more than that, my client took solace in the fact that he would make it through this current dark period in one piece and eventually get to a better place emotionally.

So, I had no idea how this was all going to work out because there are truly hundreds of applicants for every job he applied to. 

But about six months later, I got the news that he had obtained his dream job—a coveted tenure-track position in a top-rated program in his field.

Now, obviously we can’t know for a fact that his future self had anything to do with it.

But this individual really connected with the version of himself that knew it was all worth it. 

And I know that helped him get through the job market in a better mental state. 

Future Self Visualization

So, this raises the question of how you actually connect with your future self.

It happens through a guided visualization. 

I’m going to take you through a roughly 10-minute-long meditative exercise where you will encounter your future self. 

Before you do this, make sure you are in a comfortable, quiet place where you can fully relax. 

Meaning that you are definitely not driving! 

Okay, so let’s get started by getting into a comfortable and relaxed position. (Lay down if you’d like,) 

Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. As you take in each breath, allow the tension to drain from your body. 

Let your body completely relax. 

Notice and release any tension starting from your head, down your chest and stomach, down your legs, and finally running out through your feet. 

Let any thoughts and worries drift away and disappear. 

As you become more relaxed, you find yourself becoming quieter and more peaceful.

Now, I’d like you to imagine that you are standing beside a large body of water. 

It’s your favorite lake or pond and small enough that you can sail across to the other side. 

It’s a beautiful, sunny day with blue skies. 

There is a boat waiting for you to take you on your journey. 

Step into the boat and notice that you are being carried away from your present reality. 

You face back toward the shore and see your current life getting smaller and finally fading away from view. 

Just let it go. Relax and enjoy the journey. 

Allow yourself to release any attachment to yourself and your current life. 

You are free to move forward now, stepping away from your present self and moving toward your future self. 

You are going to meet and be welcomed by the person you are meant to be.

Now you are getting close to the shore. 

The boat docks, you step off of it, and you walk down a short path. 

You see something appearing up ahead. 

It is the place where your future self lives. 

Something seems very familiar about this place. 

Take a moment to soak in the details of your surroundings. 

Where are you? What does this place look like? What sounds and smells are in the air? 

Walk to the door and know that on the other side is your Future Self, waiting to greet you. 

As the door swings open, what do you see? 

Let yourself be in the welcoming presence of your future self. (And just so you’re aware, I’m going to use the pronoun “she” moving forward).

What do you notice about her? What does she look like? How much older is she than you? What is she wearing? What kind of energy is she giving off? 

Get a sense of her essence. 

Notice how you are feeling while in her presence. 

Now look around at the inside of the dwelling. What kind of person lives here?

Your future self invites you to go to a comfortable place to talk. 

She has been waiting to have this conversation with you. 

Ask your future self these questions and listen for the answers:

Who are you as a person? What is it about you that people value?

What are you proud of? What has added the most meaning to your life and given you a sense of fulfillment?

What have you achieved in the past decade?

What is the contribution you make to the world?

What did you need to let go of to fully claim your power?

What is my next step to becoming the person you are?

What do I need to pay attention to most right now in my life?

Knowing what you now know, is there one piece of advice you can give me?

Now take a couple moments and ask your future self any questions that you want. 

Now, stand and face your future self. 

Take a breath and step into her body. Look out at the world through her eyes. 

What does it feel like to be in the world this way? You step back out into your own body. 

It’s time to bring your visit with your Future Self to a close. 

Thank her for being with you today and for sharing her wisdom with you. 

Say goodbye and head out of the dwelling. 

As you are leaving, your Future Self gives you a box with a gift inside. 

Open it and look at what’s inside. 

As you begin to walk away, turn around and look back one more time. 

What was said and what will you remember most about your experience?

You walk back down the path and towards the boat that is waiting at the shore. 

You get back onto the boat and sail across the water towards your current life. 

You reach the other side, your gift still in your hands, and disembark onto the shore. 

Take a deep breath, stretch, and rejoin your present reality.

Now go ahead and grab a pen and some paper and write down everything you can remember.

Include what your future self was like, what her home was like, how you felt in her presence, what words of advice she had for you, and what present she gave you. 

Summing It All Up

So let’s sum it all up.

I hope I’ve made a strong case for unlocking the wisdom of your future self.

Another thing you can do to set your intentions for 2024 is to imagine the ideal version of yourself just at the end of this year. 

What do you see? What have you achieved? How do you feel? 

And what exact steps did you take to get there?

In the end, envisioning yourself as calm, confident, and successful in ways that feel meaningful to you is critical in creating that as a reality.

I hope that this has been helpful, and I’ll talk to you again soon!