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Use Your Future Self for Today’s Decisions
When I am overwhelmed with anger, fear, or embarrassment, when I need to do something difficult or make an important decision in life, sometimes the only thing that gets me through is the ability to imagine my future self and look back from that future perspective on what it is that I am currently dealing with.
This allows me to get over anger that otherwise would have gripped me, to get over embarrassment that otherwise felt deadly, and to get over fear that seems silly in hindsight.
The next time that you’re embarrassed, think about whether it will matter in 10-days or a year. Will it even matter?
Use that perspective to settle down.
I encourage you to practice this idea of putting yourself in the future and looking back in order to overcome the difficulties of the present.
If you can, try it with both the little things, like controlling your anger and fear, and with more significant things like making big decisions.
There are definitely times when I realize that I am doing something that my future self would not be proud of and I stop whatever that thing might be and do something I know my future self will be proud of.
You can use this thinking to help you get through otherwise difficult times.
