The Future is NOW

Do you know who you want to be in ten years?

We’ve heard this question so many times in our lives. When we were in elementary school, it was more so, “What do you want to be when you grow up” and it was broad and limitless. We could be astronauts, veterinarians, or future presidents of the United States. As we got older, the future picks up and starts becoming more foreboding. We make decisions about our future before we fully understand who we are and what we want to be.

So who do you want to be in 10 years? What does the future you look like?

I was recently listening to a podcast, The Mindset Mentor, where the host was discussing this. In the episode, he said in order to figure out where you want to be, you first have to know what kind of person you want to be.

This calls for one of my favorite things. It’s time to make a list.

Make a list of what you dream of for your future What characteristics you have, material possessions you’ve acquired, career achievements, what your daily routine looks like- everything.

Here’s an example of what I wrote down:

Now you should have an idea of what your future self looks like, it’s time to start working towards it, immediately. The next step is to make another list of the actions you need to take in order to become this person. Maybe you need to start waking up an hour earlier and avoid electronics an hour before bed, or maybe you have to start putting aside a percentage of your paycheck into investing for retirement.

Here are some of my current actions I’ve begun to implement:

Now this list is constantly evolving. Since I wrote it a little over two weeks ago, I add something whenever it comes to me. If it’s in the direction of my goals, I write it down.

I strongly believe this is a great way to set yourself up for the future. If it’s overwhelming, you can start with one thing on the list a week, and build yourself up over time. The most important thing is just to start now. 

I’ll sign off with this quote I found the other day:

The future depends on what we do in the present

Mahatma Gandhi

Podcast to Listen to! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindset-mentor/id1033048640?i=1000533968189