Chapter 1
The Power of Becoming Your Future Self
"The only person who can transform your life is the one you see every day in the mirror. Be the one who shapes your own destiny."
FEDERICO NAVARRETE
Humans have the great ability to envision a future that's yet to be realized. Throughout history, we have shown our capacity to imagine and strive for something beyond our current situation. According to Kinga Lewandowska, we must first imagine whatever we want to bring to life. ‘What ifs’ will push us to make new discoveries and invent better solutions so that one day, we can live in a more satisfying reality. You can never have a dream come true unless you have a dream. When you unlock the door to a clearer life vision, what awaits on the other side is whatever you want, and you can make it real. Imagination triggers visualization. It will guide your feet towards fulfilment and give you the courage and confidence to live life on your terms.
Tapping into our ability to envision a future self helps us to unleash a powerful force that can propel us toward achieving our dreams. We are able to close the gap between where we are today and where we aspire to be tomorrow. However, getting to that future state really depends on the choices we make and the actions we take today. Whether you are disciplined or indulgent, persevere or procrastinate, these are building blocks that all contribute to shaping our future selves.
There is a connection between our actions and our future. We can reach our desired future selves when we recognize this and make the appropriate choices while keeping our long-term vision in mind. We must also be aware that challenges will cross our path on the journey. With resilience and, at times, bravery, we can confront these obstacles and let go of any limitations that might be holding us back. This is our path forward to unleash the potential of our future selves.
I learned the power of becoming your future self from my late mother. She decided in her mid-fifties that she wanted a different life for herself and her family. She had been a high school teacher and assistant principal throughout her career. Political upheavals and certain economic pressures were happening in our home country, and she grew weary of them. She convinced my dad, who had just retired after many years as a senior public health officer, that moving to the United States would be a good idea. When my parents mentioned the move to one of my aunts, they were met with comments of discouragement like “You are too old to make a move like this.” and “It’s not going to work out, and you’ll have to return home.” However, my mom decided the negative remarks would not dissuade her. She convinced my dad to sell one of their properties, put our family home up to be rented, and we moved to the United States. When we arrived, my mom found a job as a teacher in a private elementary school, but the pay wasn’t that great, so she wanted to work in the New York City school system. Two years later, she was provisionally hired by the Board of Education in New York City, with a stipulation that she had to complete her master’s degree within three years for the role to become permanent. My mom returned to school in her late fifties and began her studies toward her master’s in special education at Hunter College in New York City. It wasn’t always easy, as she was teaching full-time, and, during this time, my dad had some health issues that she had to navigate, including finding caregivers while she was at school in the evenings. Mom graduated from Hunter College with honors in her early sixties, and she was so ecstatic. She then went on to become a celebrated teacher of Special Education in New York City and made a lasting impact on the lives of many children for the next ten years.
Imagine a future version of yourself. The person you hope to become who embodies your dreams, aspirations, and full potential. Envisioning who you want to become is foundational to becoming your future self. You might think, “It’s too late for me,” or “I’ve made too many mistakes.” Let me reassure you that there’s power in envisioning your future, and it’s never too late to start.
According to Margie Warrell, a useful exercise is to ponder what advice our future self would give us in our final chapter of life with the years of wisdom we have gained. If we mentally wind forward the clock and imagine ourselves in our later years, what would that future self be urging us to do today? Research published in Social Psychological and Personality Science found that people who are connected to their future selves are better able to save for the future, delay gratification, and make more considered decisions that help them live healthier, happier lives—with fewer regrets—than those who felt less connected to their future selves.
To become our future selves, we must set clear intentions and align them with our values and purpose. This allows us to direct our actions with purpose and meaning, ultimately propelling us toward our future selves. So, how do we define intention and purpose?
Intention is a declaratory statement about your future goals and what you want to achieve.
Purpose is why you want to do something and its meaning or significance.
Setting intentions and meaning can provide the guardrails to help you to:
Stay focused on your long-term goals.
Make better and more informed decisions.
Overcome any challenges you face.
Find more fulfillment in life.
To illustrate my point, here are some examples of intention and purpose:
1) I will not buy fast food this week to be healthy and fit.
2) I will spend more time with my children every evening to build a better relationship with them.
3) I will return to school to get my degree so I can advance in my company.
Setting intentions and purpose that are aligned with your values, and authentic to you, will enable you to have more success in achieving the goals you have set for your future self. Ensure they are your intentions and purpose, not what someone else thinks or says. And keep going on the journey, reevaluating from time to time whether your intentions and purpose are serving you well.
It’s also important to cultivate a growth mindset, where you are open to the personal development required to become your future self. With this mindset, you constantly learn, accept challenges, and see potential setbacks as opportunities to improve. With curiosity and resilience, you push yourself beyond your comfort zone. When you have a growth mindset, you believe you have no limitations that will prevent you from improving your skills if you receive the training and do the required work.
Having this disposition for growth is critically important and brings numerous personal advantages:
1) You are more motivated
2) Your performance improves
3) You increase your ability to deal with failures
4) You are more creative
5) You build better relationships with other people
Maybe you might tend to have a fixed mindset; however, it's possible to cultivate a growth mindset by:
1) Seeking opportunities for learning and development.
2) Believing it's possible to learn something new.
3) Staying open to constructive feedback and suggestions.
4) Viewing any obstacles as opportunities to grow.
Here are some real-life examples of people with a growth mindset:
Malala Yousafzai: Although she was shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating for girls' education, she went on to win a Nobel Peace Prize and supports girls' education globally.
Steve Jobs: He was fired from Apple, the company that he founded, but went on to build the highly successful companies Pixar and NeXT, eventually returning to Apple as CEO.
J.K. Rowling: She was a single mother on welfare when she wrote the first Harry Potter book. Twelve publishers rejected the book before it was finally published and received bestseller book awards.
Adopting a growth mindset expands your horizons. You take chances, try new things, and endure difficulties when they come your way. Here are some things you can do to develop a growth mindset:
• Hang around people who believe in the value of personal growth
• Read books and articles to learn more about growth mindset.
• Interview others to learn lessons about their success despite adversity.
• Look for the silver lining even when you face a challenge.
While cultivating a growth and development mindset takes time, it is one of the best things you can do for yourself. It is a personal way of thinking that will be very beneficial in becoming your future self. One of the things we must constantly tell ourselves when we are working on shifting our mindset is that we can learn and grow. The power of becoming your future self doesn’t mean you have all the answers or there won’t be discomfort or risk in the process. The power is in knowing that you can create your future self, which is authentic and realizes its full potential. So, if you want to become your future self, take the reins today and put the power in your hands to become your future self.
