What if you had a future you that was a tangible reality right now
One that could come back and show you what was holding you back and what you needed to do in order to change
In order to be a more desirable future you
This is the stuff of movies
No – it’s a reality
Anyone can have access to that sort of information you just have to analyse your own data
We are
Right now
What our past patterns made us
Largely, we operate as creatures of habit
Auto pilot on
Thinking the same thoughts over and over
And even if we try to break free
Our habits are extremely sticky
So it takes effort
We can wander around all day with ephemeral thoughts (probably the same ones as yesterday and the day before that and the..)
Yet until we pin them down
Turn them into a reality that we can observe and influence
These thoughts keep us in a kind of holding pattern
Have you ever had a song stuck in your head for days?
Then you are witnessing the mind regurgitating itself
🚘 Do you follow the same path to work daily
👗 Choose the same sorts of outfits when you go shopping
😔 React the same way when someone is mean, frustrating etc
🥓 🍷 🍻 🍉 Eat and drink the same foods and in the same quantities?
All of these things seem unremarkable events and actions
The fodder of our human lives
But you are creating who you will become tomorrow, next week, next year and ten years from now
Things such as
🚬 smoking
🍷 alcohol consumption
🥘 food choices
🎰 gambling 🐎
All impact how your future self will look, how much money you will have to spend and how you will feel – whether you will have abundant health or need weekly check ups at the doctors surgery and expensive medication
People can get to fifty or so and they begin to attend appointments where they complain about their health and it seems a nasty surprise to them how they got here to this place of illness
If they had had that future version of themselves come back earlier and say hey! You won’t like where this is leading believe me – you had better change because otherwise this is your reality.
Would they change?
Perhaps – people can be pretty stubborn though.
But how do you at least have a shot at seizing that opportunity
Some advice from your future self
Journaling – in a different way
I have an app I use called Day One. It’s the most beautiful journaling app I have used and the only one which made me switch away from beloved analogue style of notebooks.
Day One is a lot like blogging (to yourself) you can insert pictures videos links voice recordings etc – you can do it on the fly from a smart watch if you have one (I do this if I’m out walking and think of something interesting to explore further or need a reminder about) from your phone, iPad or computer and it is seamless across all your devices
The feature that makes it particularly interesting though is that each year on the same day it will bring up a memory of what you wrote this time last year?
And hearing from your past is nearly as edifying as the phone call from your future – because if you don’t change your patterns – they are one and the same thing.
I also explore this idea of a future self by implementing new habits and then setting a reminder in a month to come back and check on how that went – and writing the results into the entry where the action was originally instigated.
A visit from Future Kate
If the results are progressing well that’s good – a pattern is changing. If the results are not so good – it is also good because then I can analyse why
We have a chance to be creatures of growth and progress
Equally we have a chance to be creatures of habit and repetition
Not all progress is linear
Sometimes it is circular or even sideways for awhile
But if it is witnessed and analysed, Then at least we have a chance to move into a better version of our future self – one where we are healthy, happy and financially secure.
We truly do reap what we sow
Analysis of this kind does not prevent the accidents and unforeseen events that can occur but it does give us the best chance of living a more intelligent and consciously chosen life.
Thoughts?
Header picture – my son plowing one of our paddocks on his grandfathers (now my husbands) old John Deere tractor
What a wonderful post. I need to do this as I am going to try to lose weight. Thanks for the inspiration!
I’m so sorry I didn’t see your comment before – I didn’t know I even had a spam folder until I read about it on another blog. I’m glad you found some inspiration – look forward to hearing from you again 😊
I think I need to download that app! Lol. I’ve been trying to make some changes, but I do seem to wind up stalling at times for various reasons. Usually I get distracted by people, but then sometimes it’s just because I’m lazy. I’m getting older, and I know I should start organizing my time better. I think I spend too much time coming up with great ideas for how to accomplish my goals, but then not enough time actually implementing those ideas. Great post! 😉
I sleep walked through my twenties and thirties with so much of me absorbed in my kids and working life – bring self employed and with the boys all grown up – I’m lucky to have more time to reflect and read and follow other interests – I wish I could have all my earlier life back to re do but I can’t so …just got to go from where you start and the younger the better – it’s a great app – a lot of my blog posts start there now and and finish here. Distraction and procrastination are my two demons so the app helps me go around them or at least recognise where they are repeatedly showing up – thanks for your comments, I really enjoy reading them 😊
A thought-provoking post. You make some very valid points. I try to change my negative behaviors, but sometimes I take longer than I should.
It must be pretty freaky to be reminded of a recording you took a year or two ago. A couple of years ago I started writing a letter that I never send. I do it every year. I keep them all in one place and sometimes re-read them all. Quite interesting.
Awareness and provoking is what I want to do for myself. I spent a few years visiting my Mum daily in a high care facility – she had Alzheimer’s. Old age was in my face every single day – how the body deteriorates, how the mind does – it is very confronting. You can be forgiven for thinking that this is just the way that it is but its not. I’ve seen alternative “old age” with spritely people who are fit – highly intelligent and continuing to contribute to the world around them in a myriad of ways. We need the wisdom of age and we need, more now then ever to have an aging population that is healthy and independent because otherwise it is a great drain on our economy and our emotional lives (it is harrowing to go through as a family member watching your loved ones in this system) Woah – this is a long reply – I feel passionately about making the best choices that we can and approaching life with full awareness. Thanks for reading and commenting 🙂
I’m with you on that. My only concern is that you cannot control everything. There are “fit” people who make good choices and yet they end up dying at an early age due to illness. Your control only goes so far.
Absolutely! And I think I did say that somewhere in the post (or if not I meant to) very fit people die of heart attacks and stroke – but they do not linger and live miserable lives of compounding and exacerbated health conditions due to inflammation, sore joints, obesity and other things which can be avoided. And – by and large – they also avoid cancer, diabetes, heart attack, Alzheimer’s and stroke. It still occurs – but far more rarely in this bracket of fit and healthy people.
I choose to believe this and do the best I can.
We are, right now, what our past patterns made us.
Gooodness have I been reflecting on those words lately. You put it quite eloquently. It is an important reflection–thank you for the reminder! <3
My pleasure – I write from stuff that is happening to me and making a difference in my life so I know what you mean – it is both empowering and a little scary when we realise how much responsibility we have for our own life experience.
What a great idea – I’ve journaled before but have been afraid to reread what I wrote lol
I used to just treat journaling like a brain discharge – hey it works. But doing so in this way really does kick my own bum into gear 😁 it’s so hard to look at reality and lie😊