My daughter and I like to sit in our recliners in the loft and have life conversations. Nothing makes me happier than being able to share some life wisdom with a teenager who’s actually interested in hearing about it.
So the other day we were talking about the future. And I said, “What could your present self do today that would make your future self happy?”
She said “What do you mean my future self?”
I replied, “In other words, right now you’re 16 right? One day you’re going to be 26 and 36 and 46. That’s your future self. Right now you’re very focused on your present. You think about what you want to do today that would be interesting or fun or even kill some time. But what if you tuned in to your future self and asked her what she would love for you to do today because what you do today is going to affect you future self tomorrow.”
She said, “Oh I get it. Okay. How do I tune in to her? Is she even there?”
I said, “Well, some aspect of her is there, yes. Just as one day you may look back on this conversation as a memory, you can also cast your consciousness forward and connect with your future self. At least, you’ll be connecting with one possible version of your future self.”
She said, “Okay, what do I do?”
I said, “Sit back in your chair, close your eyes, and calm your mind. Ask to speak to your future self. Tune in to her energy. Tune in to her essence. ” I paused a bit for her to do this. “Now have a conversation with her. Ask her what she wishes you would do today to help her tomorrow.”
My daughter sat in meditation for a few minutes. Then she said, “Well, she’s definitely telling me to exercise. She’s saying she wants a strong, healthy, clear-minded body to live in and she’s telling me that I can make that happen now.”
“Good,” I said. “What else?”
She continued, “She’s saying to prepare better for college. She wants a good education. She’s also telling me not to be so self-critical because she’s saying it doesn’t matter later so don’t let it matter now.”
I loved it! Some great things were coming through for her. When she was done meditating I asked her, “What did you think of the exercise you just did?”
She said, “Was that really my future self or just my own mind?”
I said, “How did the connection feel to you? Did it feel positive, strong, and familiar?”
She said, “Yes.”
I said, “And did the information make sense to you? Did you agree with it?”
She said, “Definitely. I can see how all those things could be important for my future self.”
I replied, “Great, so what did you get from this experience?”
She said, “Well, it seems like my present self has a lot of power to help my future self. The more I do today, the better off I may be in the future.”
“Seems sound,” I said. “But it’s also important to live in the present. However, I like to sometimes ask my future self if there is anything I can do for her. She usually tells me to stop eating cheesecake. We’re still discussing that one.”
We laughed.
Sometimes I ask my present self to meditate on what my past self did and how I feel about it today. My present self is very happy with my past self for much of what she did. My past self stayed clear of drugs, she didn’t drink, and she never got addicted to illegal substances. I am very grateful for that.
I’m also grateful to my past self for her work ethic. She was never lazy, she always worked hard and worked smart.
I love that she recognized at a fairly young age that debt was something to be avoided at all costs. I’m in a much better financial situation now because of that and I’ve been able to drum that into my kids’ heads ad nauseum!
But it wasn’t all perfect. My past self was submissive and let people abuse her. She let others steal her power. She was dependent on other people for a very long time because she was afraid she couldn’t handle life on her own.
But her future self, me, took care of that.
There is great value in tuning in a little bit to your future self and seeing if there’s anything he or she would like your present-day self to do. It’s an investment in a better future.
And there is great value in sending some love and acceptance to your past self for what he or she has had to endure.
Check in with your future self today and see if he or she has some suggestions for what you can do now that will help later. It’s fun! And possibly beneficial as well.
