12 Promises to My Future Self
I’m often asked what advice I’d give to my younger self. Trouble is, my younger self wouldn’t listen.
“What would I say to my future self?” is a more interesting question.
Dear Future Dan,
I want you to be proud of me.
It seems to me, as I think of you, that you’ll laugh at some of the things I’m getting all worked up about. I’ll try to chill out, but I can’t make any promises.
12 promises to my future self:
- To deal with nagging frustrations so you wont have to.
- To seek out new and interesting people so you won’t lack for fulfilling relationships.
- To follow curiosity. I’ll ask two questions before I speak. I’ll pause and listen, especially when I know they’re wrong.
- To compassionately – but aggressively – expect myself and others to live up to our talent. I’ll keep asking, “Is this the best I can do?” I’ll make progress, not excuses.
- To expect more of myself than of others.
- To take the stairs, not the elevator.
- To say what I really think with kindness and clarity.
- To reflect on patterns in my life with you in mind. I think I need to remember the trouble my short-sighted decisions will cause you.
- To expand my capacity to serve. I promise to pour into my life so you can pour into others.
- To eat healthy 80% of the time. That’s the very best I can do.
- To daily nurture relationships with my wife and God.
- To live below – not beyond – my means.
This morning, I’m remembering that in a few ticks of the clock I’ll be gone and you’ll be remembering me.
I want you to be happy.
With deep regards,
Dan (Your past self)
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Imagine your hopes for your future self.
Which promises to my future self are important to you?
What promises would you make to your future self?
Dan,
All well thought out.
Which promises to my future self are important to you? 5 & 9 hits me Dan, to expect more of myself than others. Expand my capacity to serve! Really hits home, life truly is not fulfilled if we do not serve to our limits. Many of the items listed we surely could tweak ourselves with too!
What promises would you make to your future self? Do your best, no matter what the task, stands out for me!
Thanks Tim. As I read your comment, it occurred to me that you and I are our future selves.
Best for the journey.
I love this! You’ve inspired me to work on my list.
Thanks Karin. If you think of it, drop me a line when you have something.
Hi Dan and all LF community
I like this a lot. I will make my own and it will surely include something about the value of my time, and where I spend (will have spent) it. And where not
Kind regards,
Cate
Thanks Catie. I can see the real value of adding a “time” component to promises to our future self. Cheers
Very thought provoking. Must think on this a bit more.
Thanks Lucille. Best wishes. Thinking is hard work.
Thanks Dan, this is an amazing list and a wonderful twist on what I would change/improve in my past life. It started me thinking (always a good thing) and…..I would like to get better at facing fear rather than fighting fear. And I’m sure that over the next few days/weeks, as I approach more hurdles in life, I will come up with more. So again thank you. – from the current and future me. 🙂
Thanks J. I must say that the idea of facing vs fighting fear is fascinating. I hadn’t thought of it in those terms. Your future self has my best wishes.
I LOVE this, Dan!
Brilliant!
Have a great day
By the way, if I were your futur self, I’d be very proud- keep on trucking my friend,you’re doing great!
Best
Lori
Thanks Lori. I appreciate you kind and encouraging words. Best to you
Great list of 12, especially the aspect of self-reflection (it will lead to self-discover); and using the stairs versus the elevator. (I do this when I see my cardiologist, even if it raises my blood pressure.) Add a few more to your list from your past postings – show appreciation / say thanks;
and always be authentic. Paul
Thanks Paul. Adding gratitude and appreciation are so powerful. I think those behaviors may fit in the broader category of building a positive life with strong relationships.
Love the connection between self-reflection and self-discovery. It’s pretty hard to deliver great results if you don’t know yourself…including strengths and weaknesses. Cheers!
I love this post! Forward thinking – based on past experiences no doubt! Your list seems grounded in reality too (#10) 🙂 I think I may use this concept as a concluding activity to my next workshop! Thanks!
Thanks Learning. My wife chuckled at #10. It’s pretty real.
If you think of it, let me know how your activity works out. Cheers
This is definitely one of the best posts. Although I find all interesting, this one is very reflective. Thanks!
Thanks Sandy. I don’t typically use the “I” voice. I’m glad it worked for you today. It feels a bit awkward to me. 🙂
Great list. Thought provoking. I might add to mine, “stop worrying about making mistakes and go ahead and make them – I will learn from them.”
Thanks Katie. Brilliant! It makes me think about taking the next imperfect step. Cheers
Love the 12 promises! I think I might try to do these myself!
Thanks Christine. It’s great to be on the journey with you.
Excellent, one of your best advices
Thanks, Blessings & Peace, Bill Sent from iPad
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I might add “Try not to make any mistakes that get us both killed”.
Hi Dan, What are the two questions you ask in #3?
Very inspiring! Thank you for such a great list. And my future self thanks you too.
I had some fun thinking about this today and am going to spend some more time in the next week thinking about what I’d want to tell my future self. It is such a great method to clarify some things that need addressed or to inspire action toward a renewed commitment with SELF toward aspirations toward a shared vision and modeling the way to get there even if it is modeling the way for my future self.
#3 Really got me thinking about all the times I’ve shut people down too quickly because I know they are “wrong”… maybe they are… but by exploring their idea (motivation, intent, purpose, reach, etc…) it has so much potential to pour into others, search for other opportunities, strengthen relationship, etc… Scheduling time to think on both of these and work on a plan to begin to implement #3 in my daily life.
Thank you for sharing! very inspiring… boring some of yours for my future self.
Dan, thank you my friend, your activity is beyond amazing, it flabbergasts me every time… Just a quick “Thank you” note.
Very inspiring blog, Dan. I share many of the same ideals. With that said, I really think that I need to work on 11. Thank you for the clarity.
This should probably be a required writing assignment for every year of life…
Thank you for your inspiration.