advice to my future self essay

Well-Being • Wisdom

17 Nuggets of Wisdom We Wish We Could Tell Our Younger Selves

Marina Khidekel

There are a lot of great things about being an adult — including, but not limited to, setting our own bedtimes and owning the pet of our choice. But perhaps most importantly, with age comes the wisdom and perspective we only wish we had when we were younger.

This Is Us actress Mandy Moore opened up to Variety about some of the key lessons she’s learned since she first entered the entertainment business: “I feel like I’m operating at my best now. I know what I want; I know how to ask for it; I know how to not settle until I get that,” she told the magazine. “I’m better at stepping up to the plate and acknowledging the value I bring to the plate . I guess that just only comes with the wisdom and clarity of time and age.”

Though we can’t go back in time, we can reflect on the hard-earned knowledge we wish we had known then. We can even use it to inspire our future selves.

So we asked members of the Thrive Global community to share the advice they would give their younger, greener selves . Here’s what they wished they’d known earlier:

Stop changing yourself to make other people happy

“My younger self probably wouldn’t listen to any long-winded advice, so I’d keep it simple and say: ‘Stop trying to change yourself to please others, and start focusing on the things that fill you with joy. You’ll see that you’re enough…exactly as you are.’”

—Susie Ramroop, mindset coach, London, England

It’s OK to fail

“I would tell my younger self that it’s OK to fail and keep trying. I spent so much time beating myself up and feeling depressed over my first business that didn’t work out. Only years later, I now realise that it was merely a stepping stone to bigger and better things. Without failure, there’s no lesson. Every idea won’t be a success — especially the first one — and you’ll need to get back up many times in life. Entrepreneurship is built on belief, courage, and strength, and unless you’re willing to fail, you’ll never succeed.”

—Raimonda Jankunaite, entrepreneur, speaker, mentor, and founder, UK

Know your worth and ask for what you want

“I would stop believing the lie that I wasn’t qualified or worthy to ask for what I deserved. My male counterparts seemed to have no problem asking for exactly what they desired. If I wanted the job or the opportunity, I would say to ask for it — I don’t need to wait until I feel 100 percent qualified, because that won’t happen!”

—Kelli Thompson, life and leadership coach, Omaha, NE

Don’t believe your inner critic

“Just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true. For years I believed all my negative self-talk, as if it had some useful information or was helpful, impartial advice. Now in my late 40s, I understand that this thinking is nothing more than a glitch in the system. It can’t advise or help me — it’s simply a thought, nothing more, nothing less. I have everything I need within me and when I let the unhelpful thinking go, I return to being completely ok.”

—Andrea Morrison, personal performance coach, York, UK

Focus on what you can control

“Time has taught me that we control very little of how life turns out. However, we control nearly every aspect of our response to the situations and events that are out of our control.”

—Colleen Wildenhaus, teacher, writer, and founder, Columbus, OH

Remember that you’re the director of your life story

“Surround yourself with people, places, and things that make you feel safe, lucky, and successful. You are the director of your life story, so live it the way you’d want to see it on the big screen.”   

—Carrie McEachran, executive director and founder, Mooretown, Ontario, Canada

Cut yourself some slack

“I’d say that it’s okay to relax a little, lighten up, and kick back. It’ll be alright.”

—Janice Taylor, career coach and writer, Brighton, UK

Don’t let others’ expectations drown out your desires

“It’s fine to not want what others expect you to. Everyone doesn’t want to get married and start a family. Taking ownership for your own needs and desires requires deep introspection and bravery. Always honour yourself.”

—Marian Toledo, marketing assistant, Ontario, Canada

Bask in the moment

“Memento mori. ‘Remember that you shall die.’ This isn’t morbid — it’s befriending your death and letting it inform your life. Let death drive urgency into your life. Let it make you grateful for all the beauty that elates you.”

—Paul Boardman, funeral chaplain, Seattle, WA

Show people how you want to be treated

“People will treat you the way you let them. Whether it’s a friend, lover, or family… you dictate how they treat you. If you let people disrespect you, there will be a vicious cycle of anger and forgiveness. Often times, when you set emotional boundaries at the start of a relationship, both people understand that respect is a must.”

—Tina Johnson, family travel blogger, Windham, NH  

So much of what we worry about doesn’t matter

“Many of the things we stress out about aren’t that big of a deal. Petty people, deadlines, and our unsure future are all parts of life. While some require our attention, we don’t need to feel extra stress from making things a bigger deal than they need to be. If I had to give my younger self advice, it’d be that there are more important things to worry about. I spent way too much time wondering if a girl liked me, if I would pass my class, or if I would look like an idiot for speaking my mind. Once I let that go and realized that most of our daily challenges aren’t that major, I handled them a lot better, and I began feeling a lot better. I didn’t hold myself back. I had more space to focus on life’s big challenges.”  

—Andrew Kuttain, communications and recruitment specialist, Ontario, Canada

You don’t need a 5-year plan

“Throw that five-year plan out the window! I used to lose countless hours of sleep coming up with how to best position my accomplishments in order to set me up for those notorious one-, three-, and five-year career plans. I’ve learned that if you focus on the now, you’ll still be successful and probably much happier. Harness that energy towards executing your current project well, and the opportunities will naturally present themselves.”

—Hank Hoang, data analytics, Washington, DC

Be more open to feedback

“Accept and value criticism and negative feedback because it’ll be extremely valuable in the years to come. Also, take it less personally because it might not be about you, but rather, the person sharing the feedback.”

—Sabrina Cadini, certified brain fitness coach and life-work balance strategist, San Diego, CA

Invest in yourself

“Invest in your goals and dreams, and allow yourself to become the person you truly want to be. Invest in your mental health, educating yourself, eating healthy and taking care of yourself. Invest in your future and security by investing financially as soon as possible, even if it’s only a nominal amount. You only get one you, so treat yourself like gold. Clothes and trends come in and out of style, but who you decide to be and the body you’re living in is yours for a lifetime. Also wear your sunscreen — sun damage isn’t fashionable at any age.”   

—Karla Kueber, health and wellness blogger, Chicago

Just go for it

“Just do the damn thing, whatever it is! Stop focusing on why it can’t be done or the fear, and just do it. No one’s going to give you permission or an invitation, so stop waiting for it. Stop looking over your shoulder for fear you’re going to be ‘caught’ or called out for being a fraud — you’ve got just as much of a right to be here, engage, and participate as anyone else. You’ve worked so hard, so it’s time to step into your power and intentionally choose success instead of withdrawing and worrying about failure. The future hasn’t happened yet, so make your future whatever you want it to be.”

—Heather Larivee, founder and CEO, Milford, NH

Use your unique traits to your advantage

“Everyone’s a little messed up. The older you get, the more you start to notice how everyone you meet has this side to themselves, and no matter how hard they try to hide it, whatever issue they’re dealing with, your intuition will detect it. What’s important is having the capacity to embrace your craziness, come to terms with it, understand it and learn how to control it because despite its ability to ruin your mindset. It has its purposes, so use it to your advantage.”

—Adam Young, filmmaker, Manchester, UK

Everything’s going to be OK

“I would tell my younger self that it’ll all work out! All the stress and being overwhelmed isn’t worth it. My mom told me once that three bad things may come down the path, but two always fall in the ditch. It took me many years to finally understand that! But it’s the truth. Somehow it all works out.”

—Sharon Torrence Jones, Ed.D., computer science/technology educator, Charlotte, NC

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I’ve seen a lot of letters to past selves. Here’s what I would say to my post-pandemic self, they read. Don’t be so hard on yourself. You are the only one you can count on. Slow down. You can’t go through life afraid to live it. You’re going to be so proud of yourself! I even wrote one in 2019, a tough love letter to my twenty-something self. But why look back? What about our future selves? What questions do we want to ask? What do we wonder?

The theme on Wit & Delight this month is “Show Up As Yourself.” So, I was intrigued to write about the possibility of change and speak to a portion of myself I don’t know. I want to explore how the future me might feel. I want to dedicate time to that mystery soul. This person could have children, not have children, experience loss, grow old, find growth, experience unknown pain, and develop new habits. When we write to selves about the past, we know them and there’s a pompous clarity in the writing. Sure, giving advice to our past selves is fun. But is it helpful? How can we best explore who we might become? How can we best break down the walls of the person we’re afraid to see? How do we write about the unknown?

I want to write a letter with more intention. I want to ask questions and discover what scares me about getting older. In a way, that’s what the most honest writing does for us anyway.

When I think about it, we are always (sort of) writing to future versions of ourselves. We write through dreams and aspirations, ideals, and healing. We imagine the future in great depth, struggling to center on the present. But, I want to write a letter with more intention. I want to ask questions and discover what scares me about getting older. In a way, that’s what the most honest writing does for us anyway. Right? Okay, here goes nothing/everything.

Dear future self,

Hi, it’s me from the past. I’m thirty-five. I don’t know how old you are now. I’m envisioning you’re in your sixties. You’ve lived an entire life. You’re as old as your mom was when you wrote this letter. I guess this letter is sort of like inception. I’m so afraid to write this. I’m struggling to imagine who you are. Can I be honest? You’re you, after all. Right now, I feel selfish. I want to tell you all the things I want in my life. I hope you got them. Right now, your thirty-something self is needy. I want a baby. I don’t want a baby. I want more money. I want to live within my means. Beyond my means. I want more time. I want to scoop minutes up and feel like I can’t possibly carry all the hours to the end of my driveway. I want everyone to live forever. I don’t want to experience deep grief. I’m so lucky. I’m so selfish. 

If you’re sixty, lucky enough to live until then, I know you’ve experienced pain by now. The deep kind, the oceanic kind, the kind that is so dark and expansive, you wouldn’t be able to explain it to me. Are you okay with that grief? I read this quote in Susan Cain’s book Bittersweet recently (you should read it again and see how you feel). “If we could honor sadness a little more, maybe we could see it—rather than enforced smiles and righteous outrage—as the bridge we need to connect with each other. We could remember that no matter how distasteful we might find someone’s opinions, no matter how radiant, or fierce, someone may appear, they have suffered, or they will.” I didn’t mean to jump right into suffering. That must be my fear pouring through. You’ve always been a deeply melancholic person. You love sad music. You have an acute awareness of passing time. You have a joyful curiosity about specific beauty points in the world. Lately, I’ve identified with the Arabic proverb, “Days of honey, days of onion.” You are the definition of bittersweet. Are you still? 

I also read in Bittersweet that, as we get older, we find comfort with the passing of time. I imagine you don’t try and slow it down. You are a quiet way of being, a force of storied tradition, loss, and joy. Does that feel beautiful?

I’m sure you’ve turned toward many humans, loved them, held them, and cared for them. But I hope you’ve done the same for yourself. Somehow, I know you will.

I have some wishes, as well. I hope you transform your sorrow and longings into art. I hope you’ve written a lot of letters. I hope work didn’t consume you, even though you let your job get away from you in your thirties. I hope you gave your parents the stage and the time. I’m sure you’ve turned toward many humans, loved them, held them, and cared for them. But I hope you’ve done the same for yourself. Somehow, I know you will. I want you to remember a few things about this time in your life. I want you to remember how light you felt when you rode Crow, that big chestnut horse you adored. I want you to remember how it felt to see your words in print for the first time, proof you exist. I want you to remember your little yard in front of your first home, the mow lines, and how much you care about grass and impressing the neighbors. I want you to remember late nights in the garage with Jake, refurbishing furniture so everything in your home always reminds you of the work, the polish. I want you to remember the smell of hot tomatoes and summer with your small niece and nephew. I want you to remember their sticky cheeks and bursting, tiny voices. Remember that Jake loves to build you things. Remember the ocean with your mom and sister, how it feels to reach out to them, and love them in the morning fog of Carmel. Remember the Northwoods with your friends when none of you had children. Remember hot, fried buttered buns at fish fries and how much time you had to watch your peonies grow. Remember the feverish wanting of pregnancy , the unknown hope of craving expansiveness, a physical outwardness. 

I also want you to remember the hard things. I want you to remember living paycheck to paycheck, not being able to get the things you wanted because you didn’t have enough money. I want you to remember the doctor bills you struggled to pay, crying on the way home from work, not being able to imagine traveling to other countries, and wondering if your life was limited to 200 miles north, east, south, and west of your home. Did you travel more? Do you still feel this? All these things will feel different to you now, perhaps as distant memories. Small moments in your thirties that you’ll read later like you’re starving. Perhaps there’s something else entirely that makes you feel light. I hope you’re still riding. I can imagine you still care about clean yards and a pretty lawn. That’s what makes you a lot like your dad. We carry our family with us everywhere.

When you were in grade school, you’d write long lists of “favorite things” so you could look back years later and read about how much you’d changed. You were obsessed with seeing that, five years ago, you had a crush on so-and-so and loved (god forbid!) The O.C. and the color blue . 

All these things will feel different to you now, perhaps as distant memories. Small moments in your thirties that you’ll read later like you’re starving. Perhaps there’s something else entirely that makes you feel light.

Let’s try that again! Right now, I’m really into Brené Brown’s podcast (are podcasts still a thing?), Dirty Shirleys, antiquing, The Vermont Country Store catalog, my Gentle Reminder Calendar , Paper Mate colorful pens , watching Love Island (sorry, future me), dressing like Meryl Streep in It’s Complicated , sleep aids like sipping iced Sleepy Time Tea before bed, horse head bookends, weather patterns, gingham accents, and how Jake looks at me when I’m talking about something I love. Do you still love these things? Do you wish for them? In my Passion Planner , I write down the biggest lesson I learn every month. Here’s what I’ve written this year:

• Resonance is important.
• Nothing beyond love and kindness matters.
• Your anger is you. Not anyone else. Sit inside that.
• Stop anticipating, trust the burn.
• Being uncomfortable is progress.
• Sadness is wide, grief is a close friend.
• Nothing should be rushed.
• You can always go back.
• Hold fear and joy in equal glory. Both can exist at once.
• You are always doing better than you think.
• Dandelions are good.
• To be happy, be more tree.
• Don’t go to a concert high.

I’m sure you have so many to add now. Or maybe you don’t. Or maybe you think these are ridiculous. Or maybe you no longer find the need to make “lesson lists.” I’m happy. I have my hard days. I have bad habits. I haven’t gone to the dentist to fill those cavities, so I hope you don’t have five crowns by now. I am putting a lot of money toward my 401K, so I hope I’m setting you up for success. I’m doing my best. That’s the lesson here. My thirty-something best is hopefully your sixty-something peace of mind. 

Will people find this article on the internet in twenty-five years? ( Writer’s Note: Please don’t talk to me about how I’ll be sixty years old in twenty-five years.) Will they find it funny? Weird? I’m not sure. Perhaps, like in the past, internet articles will wash up like a lost bottle in the sea—little shards of the lived. And someday, I will come back to this past self, searching for my future. I might have to print it out, just in case. Either way, I hope you’re happy too. I hope life feels full. I hope the people in your life reflect how you have shown your beacon of light in the world, no matter how faint or how strong.  Sincerely, Brittany, your thirty-something (past) self

Lastly, I highly recommend you try this exercise.

Writing to a later version of myself gave me some specific clarity about who I want to be and how I want to grow. 

Here are some tips to try to write your own “future-self” letter:

• Write down what you want to remember.
• Write down what you don’t want to remember.
• Write about your favorite things.
• Jot down notes about how you’re feeling right now.
• Scribble down the lessons you’ve learned.
• Ask your future self how you’re different now.
• Lastly, write a note to yourself in a year, three years, five years… put them in an envelope and write down the date you can read them again.

Will you write yours?

Brittany Chaffee is an avid storyteller, professional empath, and author. On the daily, she gets paid to strategize and create content for brands. Off work hours, it’s all about a well-lit place, warm bread, and good company. She lives in St.Paul with her baby brother cats, Rami and Monkey. Follow her on Instagram , read more about her latest book, Borderline , and (most importantly) go hug your mother.

BY Brittany Chaffee - September 20, 2022

Like what you see? Share Wit & Delight with a friend: 

amazing article.

Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

What an interesting thing to do I love this idea!

xo Jessica <a href=”https://anindigoday.com/”>an indigo day</a>

Thank you, Jessica! Let me know if you give it a try!

This was absolutely beautiful – I did not expect to stumble across this this morning. Your writing is soft, and clever, and inspiring. You should be proud of what you created here. Thank you for sharing.

I appreciate this so much 🙂 Thank you so much for reading and commenting. Trying this exercise truly helped me feel closer to myself and I hope it helps others do too! xoxo

This was absolutely beautiful. I didn’t expect to get emotional reading it but as a 36 year old woman so much of what you said was relatable. Thank you

Thank you so kindly, Melissa! This makes my day to hear you could relate to this letter. It was so meaningful for me to write, so I’m happy it was for you as well!

Amazing article! Thanks for the positive and encouraging words of wisdom! 😊

Thank you so much for reading, Britney! Have a lovely weekend!

Thank you for this. I am 70 and my 8 year old adopted daughter has an assignment to do this very thing. I think it will be a great experience for her. Your words reached my heart and came out of my eyes. Thank you

Hello, Diane. It is so incredible to me that your daughter is doing this exercise! I think I did something like it at her age too and I wish I could find that letter now. Thank you for reading and loving.

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Writing a Letter to Your Future Self: Benefits, Guide, and Template

Writing a letter to our future selves is a simple yet profound practice that has the power to transform our lives.

 This act of self-expression serves as a conduit to our innermost thoughts, allowing us to capture our hopes, fears, and desires in a tangible form. By embarking on this journey of self-reflection, we open ourselves up to the possibility of profound personal growth and positive change. In this article, we delve into the remarkable impact of writing a letter to your future self and explore how this practice can shape the trajectory of your life.

3 Reasons to Write a Letter to Your Future Self: Benefits

1. reflection and self-awareness.

Writing a letter to your future self provides a unique opportunity for reflection and self-awareness. By capturing your current thoughts, emotions, and experiences, you gain insight into who you are at this moment in time. This act of self-reflection allows you to understand your desires, fears, and motivations, enabling you to navigate your life with greater clarity and purpose.

2. Goal Setting and Intentions

One of the remarkable benefits of writing a letter to your future self is the ability to set clear goals and intentions. As you pen your thoughts, dreams, and aspirations, you articulate your vision for the future. This goal-setting process helps you identify what truly matters to you and creates a roadmap for achieving your desired outcomes. The act of writing down your goals significantly increases your commitment to them, making you more likely to take the necessary steps to turn them into reality.

3. Personal Growth and Transformation

Revisiting the letter to your future self allows you to witness your personal growth and transformation over time. Months or even years later, as you open the letter, you gain a fresh perspective on your past self. You can celebrate the progress you've made, acknowledge the challenges you've overcome, and recognize the person you've become. This powerful reminder of your resilience and personal evolution serves as motivation to continue growing and striving toward your dreams.

How to Write a Letter to Your Future Self

Choose a meaningful timeframe.

Select a timeframe for your letter that aligns with your goals. You may opt for a year, five years, or even a decade into the future. Consider both long-term and short-term perspectives to capture different aspects of your life journey.

Find a Quiet and Inspiring Environment

Create a calm and distraction-free space for writing your letter. Find a place that inspires you and allows your thoughts to flow freely. Consider incorporating elements such as soothing music, scented candles, or natural surroundings to enhance your creativity and introspection.

Reflect on Your Current State

Take the time to reflect on your current thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Explore your strengths, weaknesses, and areas for growth. Use this opportunity to gain clarity about what you want to achieve and the person you want to become.

Set Clear Goals and Intentions

Define specific goals and aspirations in your letter. Be clear about what you want to accomplish and the steps you plan to take to achieve them. Write down your intentions with conviction, and visualize the future you desire.

Express Your Emotions and Dreams

Let your emotions flow onto the paper. Be authentic and vulnerable as you share your hopes, fears, and dreams. Use this letter as a safe space to express yourself fully and honestly.

In the TED video below, Meg Jay shares the essential questions to ask your future self thus enabling your present and future to align so you can start achieving your goals.

Use the ‘GROW’ Template for Writing To Your Future Self

G - Gratitude and Reflection

R - Realizations and Lessons Learned

O - Outlook and Aspirations

W - Wishes and Dreams

Now let's break down each step of the acronym:

G - Gratitude and Reflection:

Express gratitude for the experiences, people, and opportunities that have shaped your life. Reflect on the positive aspects and milestones you have achieved. Acknowledge the blessings and lessons you have received along the way.

R - Realizations and Lessons Learned:

Share the realizations you have had about yourself, others, and the world around you. Reflect on the lessons you have learned from various experiences and challenges. Discuss how these insights have impacted your growth and understanding.

O - Outlook and Aspirations:

Describe your current outlook on life and the future. Share your aspirations and goals for personal and professional development. Discuss the vision you have for yourself and the steps you plan to take to achieve it.

W - Wishes and Dreams:

Articulate your wishes and dreams for the future. Share the things you hope to experience, the places you want to visit, or the achievements you aspire to. Express your deepest desires and the possibilities you envision for yourself.

By following the "GROW" acronym, you can structure your letter to your future self, covering gratitude and reflection, realizations and lessons learned, outlook and aspirations, as well as wishes and dreams. This framework allows you to reflect on your journey, express your aspirations, and inspire your future self.

Revisiting Your Letter

Timing and frequency.

Decide when and how often you will open the letter to your future self. Give yourself enough time to grow and experience life before revisiting it. Some choose to open it on a specific date or milestone, while others prefer to keep it sealed for several years.

Reflection and Assessment

As you read your letter, reflect on the goals and intentions you set. Assess your progress, achievements, and the lessons you have learned along the way. Celebrate your successes and use any setbacks as opportunities for growth and course correction.

Adjusting and Realigning

Based on your newfound insights, make adjustments and realign your path as needed. Goals may change, and priorities may shift over time. Use the letter as a guide to navigate your journey and stay connected to your authentic self.

Writing a letter to your future self is a powerful practice that invites self-reflection, goal-setting, and personal growth. It allows you to capture the essence of who you are today and provides a glimpse into the person you aspire to become. Embrace this transformative journey of self-discovery, and let the act of writing guide you toward a future filled with purpose, fulfillment, and growth. So take some time to sit down and put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, and send a message to the person you hope to become.

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A Letter to My Future Self

With the knowledge of our present-day selves, we put forth advice for the years to come. Want to add your letter to our collection? Add it in the comments!

We often think of advice as passing on wisdom from elder to youth, teacher to student, parent to child. The veteran guides the novice, the process didactic in nature.

But what if the coin flips, and we, as our present-day selves, offer advice to an older, more worn version of ourselves? Think of it as an exercise in self-love , a means of preserving and protecting what’s important today well into the future.

We asked members of the Wanderlust family to pen letters to their future selves. Here’s what they had to say.

Dear Future Self, 

Whatever you’re doing right now, stop. Go outside. Call your parents (if you’re lucky enough that they’re both still here). Take a moment and go have yourself a proper personal day. And don’t—don’t you dare—feel guilty for taking the time for yourself.

This year has been a crazy one. You learned what love really means, the lengths to which friendship can be tested (and lost), and became a yoga teacher . You’ve lived in New York for 14 years, and you’re ready to go to the mountains. Did you? Do you have a garden and goats and a fireplace? You’ve started thinking about having children, though you’re not sure whether or not children or heading out on another epic backpacking trip is the way to go. Know that whatever decision you made, it was the right one. You’re here now, and you’re exactly where you need to be. 

A couple things to remember: You learned how to honor and treat your body well this year, and how to honor and treat those around you. Don’t ever settle for the easy way—just don’t settle, period. Life is too short. And remember that this current version of yourself loves you… And that’s not going to change.

Dear Future Self,

Remember your wedding day (of course you do!)? It is exactly ten days from today. Ten days before you marry the love of your life, a man who not only puts up with your quirks (like your neurotic, gluten-free, obsessively healthy diet), but has taught you how to laugh at them and love them, removing insecurity. You had a lot on your plate this year, and despite a few major meltdowns and wedding dress nightmares, you survived. You’re going home to see your family, and 150 of your closest friends; this is pretty much the most fun ever and I hope you look back on this time with love.

Tell your children you love them, a lot, I’m sure they are incredible humans and deserve to hear it. Also, let them eat a cookie once in a while. Hang out with your mom as much as possible, words cannot describe what she has done for you over the years.

You probably work really hard, so this is an order: take a vacation with your husband, this month. Book it today, but don’t think too much about it, wherever you go will be perfect, as everything is right now, and always.

I love you. 

Take a breath. Look down at your two feet. Where are they right now? Look around you. Do you see nature? Go touch the leaves. Pick a flower and deeply inhale its beautiful fragrance. Do you hear birds? Stop and take a moment to go listen to their music, because not everyone is so fortunate enough to be able to hear and enjoy that experience. Do you feel the sunshine on your skin? If not, go step outside and be grateful for the fact that it is constantly shining down on you, and that you are alive. Go take a bite of something delicious and savor every moment with absolutely no concern around any kind of weight gain. Not everyone is so privileged to have access to food, so superficial aesthetics should be the least of your worries regardless of the deep societal impositions. How have you been of service to others today?

You spent your whole childhood yearning to be an adult, impatiently waiting for the rite of passage that would grant you the maturity, respect, and validation you so desperately sought. Now that you’re an adult, all you crave is the sweetly uninhibited moments of play and lack of responsibility that childhood granted you. Life isn’t a sprint, it’s a long race and you’re not in it just to “win.” Be gentle with yourself. Be messy sometimes. Let it all go. Embrace all of your learnings and cherish your experiences because they truly are divinely fated.  

ENJOY IT. ALL OF IT. You will have enough time to do everything that you love, so stop stressing so much. You miss the beauty when you are stressed. Be here now. Hug those around you. Ask them how they are doing, and truly listen (without plotting your response at the same time). The inexplicable sensation of true connection and understanding is the best feeling in the entire world. Money is just a number. It comes and it goes. Love is the true currency.  

No one lives forever so be sure to cherish every moment, and when they pass and when you pass, find comfort in knowing that we are simply souls within these bodies, and we will all be connected at some point again. Life is a gift, not something that is a given, so enjoy every second while you’re here.

Hey, Future Self,

What’s up! Life has been interesting, crazy, fun, boring, unexpected, expected—a lesson in opposition.

Despite all the constant frustration, you’ve managed to wear glitter every damn day, and hey, that’s kinda a victory, right? Your clothes are on point—a ton of of shiny stuff, colors, and general epic yoga outfits fit in your closet.

You’ve got the most epic dog, sweet friends, and an above average family (well, let’s not include your extended family).

You get to spend time outside in one of the most beautiful places on earth and you’re in the best shape of your life thus far, so that’s great.

As you continue to age, you’ll continue to get more awesome. Remember, the goal is to peak at 90 (or later). You’ve got a lot of time.

Despite the frustration, you’re on your way to making all your dreams come true (probably).

Now go on an epic vacation and buy a new outfit with your sweet bank account that you hopefully acquired by now. You’ve earned it.

Keep killing it.

Everything that has happened has lead you to this moment. Don’t change a thing. Everything worked out exactly as it should be. All the puzzle pieces fit, all the paths make sense. All the people were meant to be. All the successes and failures and heartwarming and heartbreaking moments were all worth it. No regrets. You were and are and have been and always will be yourself, and that’s what matters above all.

I’m assuming you’re reading this on some sort of graphene screen strapped around your wrist or glued to your face. Cool! Fancy! High-tech!

Right now your life is one giant crossroads. It’s exciting. It’s frustrating. It’s temporary. I hope you have a few more things figured out by now. But I also hope you still have some questions. Keep asking them.   

I’m sure you’ve got a lot going on right now, and that’s good. Just don’t lose track of what’s important, what’s worth making time for. Spend time with people you love. That’s first and foremost, always. Pick up the phone. Make some plans. Get outside, even when the couch is calling. Camp in the woods. Build a fire. Have some wine. Stay up late. Climb a mountain. Go for a sail. Trust that things will work out, or change them if you don’t like the charted course. Eat good food cooked from scratch. See live music. Travel abroad with someone you care about. Immerse yourself in a good book. Do you have kids? Raise them right. Spend time with them. Teach them how to shake someone’s hand properly. Write down your thoughts. Tell your stories. Tell others’ stories. Listen. Set goals, both lofty and reasonable. Move your body. Give back.

And never forget to be grateful. You should be oh, so very grateful.

Keep going.

Hey girl, slow down for a second—I have some things I want to share.

Some stuff is going to happen to you. You won’t be able to plan for it, pencil it in your schedule for when is good for you, or always have someone pick up the phone to guide you through it. You’re going to have to just roll with the flow , take it in, glean lessons from it, and then carry on, head held high. Maybe journal on it—sometimes insights don’t come quick, but there’s something positive to be found from most experiences in life. Focus on that.

You’re going to have a lot of mantras throughout your life that are going to help you. No, just because one strikes you when you’re practicing a hip-opener doesn’t mean you should get a tattoo of it on your forearm. You’d be covered by now. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but mantras—like people—will come and go in your life. And as much as you’d like to you can’t hold on to them all. You best realize this now and just try and enjoy what you have in the present moment. Just because it passes doesn’t mean it wasn’t powerful or important. And you’re not silly for believing in it. Please never stop holding on to hope. It will cause you pain, but it will also help you get through the days, excite you, and make you feel like your heart is a big thing of cotton candy. Are you still eating cotton candy? Good. Go high-five that inner child we sometimes think is so silly. She reminds you of your mother. Go buy yourself one of those Spongebob Squarepants popsicles you get so excited about and give her a call. She misses you too. Your to-do list can wait.

You got this. 

What advice would you give your future self?

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How to Write a Letter to Your Future Self

Last Updated: May 21, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Celena Hathaway and by wikiHow staff writer, Sophia Latorre . Celena Hathaway is an English & Creative Writing Teacher at Cornerstone Schools of Alabama in Birmingham, Alabama. She specializes in entry-level creative writing, such as fundamental poetry and fiction short story techniques, and 8th-grade-level grammar and reading. She earned her B.S.E. in Secondary Education and B.A. in English from Samford University. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 521,121 times.

No one talks about writer’s block when it comes to writing a letter to yourself, but it can be challenging to clearly convey your message to future you. Whether you’re hoping to achieve specific goals, follow up on bucket list items, or give words of affirmation, your future self will be grateful to receive a letter no matter what. This wikiHow will give you ideas to help structure your letter, possible goals you can set, and language to use to prepare yourself for success. Future you is going to be thriving .

Talking About Who You Are Now

• You may want to choose an age that puts you in different circumstances than you are currently in. If you write the letter as a freshman in high school and read it when you’re in college, you’ll be able to see how much your life has changed and whether or not your goals have been met.

• When talking about your current self in this letter, use “I” language. When talking about your future self in this letter, use “you” language.

• Include information about your church, if you belong to one, or values like accepting everyone’s faith, or lack thereof. Add morals that guide you, such as always being kind, or helping others in need.

Addressing Your Future Self

• Do you enjoy your job?
• What do you do in order to relax?
• Who is the most important person in your life?
• What is your relationship with your parents like? How do they treat you and how do you treat them?
• If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?

Sealing and Storing the Letter

• If you keep a journal, consider writing the letter directly in your journal and marking the page, or writing the letter separately and tucking it in between the pages of your journal.

• You might consider using a digital calendar (like Google Calendars), note-taking software (like Evernote), or a letter-writing website (like FutureMe). [11] X Research source

Sample Letter and Things to Include and Avoid

Expert Q&A

You Might Also Like

Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about writing, check out our in-depth interview with Celena Hathaway .

• ↑ https://www.ed.ac.uk/reflection/reflectors-toolkit/self-awareness/writing-letters
• ↑ https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/diary-journal.html
• ↑ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/a-letter-to-my-future-sel_b_4522265
• ↑ https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/want-to-improve-your-life-write-yourself-a-letter.html
• ↑ https://medium.com/personal-growth/join-me-and-write-a-letter-to-your-future-self-514fa62c0beb
• ↑ https://www.futureme.org/

About This Article

Writing a letter to your future self can be a great way to look back on how your life has changed and find out if you're achieving the goals you set for yourself. To do this, first choose the age you want to be when you read it, which will help you decide on realistic goals. When you begin your letter, summarize who you currently are by including recent achievements and interests. After you’ve introduced yourself, write down your hopes or goals, like getting into a good college or starting a family. Once you’ve written out your goals, ask some questions to help your future self reflect on their life. For example, you could ask, “Do you like your job?” or “What do you do to relax?”. Throughout your letter, use “I” when you’re writing about yourself now and “you” when referring to your future self so you can easily tell the difference between them. For tips on where to hide your letter, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Example Letter to My Future Self (With Structure Suggestions)

This example letter to my future self puts into practice the many tips and best practices that help you get the most of out the exercise.

This example of a letter to your future self is based on what I wrote this year for Future Chris to read a year from now.

I’m sharing it so you can see how I put into practice the extensive tips and suggestions I’ve covered in other posts. To make the structure clear, I’ve broken it up with headings. They aren’t actually part of the letter.

I’ve also changed some details and replaced chunks with “ [blah, blah, blah] ” for brevity and privacy.

Jan 6, 2022

How’s it going? It’s me, your younger, hopefully less wise, less wealthy, and less actualized self here.

• Start off with the present.

Where are you, and what’s going on in your life?

I’m writing you while drinking an americano in Origin Coffee in Cape Town. Kim’s across from me because we just dropped off our rental car from our trip to Plett.

The trip was s-Plett-tacular! Memorable moments were [blah, blah, blah].

Also, the trip was a timely reminder of how awesome it would be to live right on the beach. Let’s make that happen one day.

The driving was also a reminder of how much more of a hassle it is with a baby. Man, I hope Zac’s learned to like his car seat more by the time you read this. But, even if not, I hope it hasn’t slowed you down from going on trips and adventures.

Anyway, I just finished recapping last year and reading the letter I wrote to myself on the Orange River on Dec 30, 2020. You might want to read it, too. I was blown away by how much of what I had written then I had forgotten. For example [blah, blah, blah] .

Goes to show how bad our memories and perceptions of our past selves are. These letters help me remember that.

What has you worried, frustrated, and excited?

Reading the letter and recapping the year was a wake-up call.

I feel I’ve gotten too complacent with the blog. And as fun as it’s been to make videos and write Consider This , their growth fell below predictions. Way below. Also, [blah, blah, blah] .

But the biggest surprise from the letter from my past self?

Many of the things I’d planned to write to you to focus on in 2022, my past self wrote to me to get done in 2021! I’ve been passing the buck rather than building momentum. No bueno.

Let’s change that this coming year.

On the bright side, I think I’ve finally—FINALLY—started to get a grasp of the branding and vision for the blog. My plan now is “go full unconventional” and [blah blah blah] .

Outside of “work,” life’s pretty sweet.

Zac’s just started crawling, mimicking us, and even standing. He makes lots of noise and loves to roughhouse. And he often crawls over to me when I come home to play with me! It’s like having a dog at this point… but way cooler because [blah, blah, blah] .

As fun as raising Zac is, it’s been a blessing to have Irene come look after him a few days a week, and the odd night, so Kim and I can go on date nights. (Remember our attempt at a date night with Zac at Zest? Disaster. Chaos. Haha.)

My relationship with Kim is going as well as could be expected. Aside from a few debates on food and eczema treatment, we’ve been a cohesive team. And I’m encouraged that she’s going to make huge progress professionally in the year to come because [blah, blah, blah] .

Financially, I made [x] last year and my portfolio’s gone from [y] to [z]. Below expectations of [a, b, and c] from last year, but not disastrous. The problem is, expenses picked up from [x] to [y]. This has me worried. I’m struggling to figure out fun, sustainable, and beneficial-to-others ways to monetize. $15k per month, I feel, would be enough for us to do whatever we want comfortably.

Maybe it’s worth considering a completely different business that’s less fun and spiritually rewarding but more financially lucrative? (So basically anything…) Some ideas are [blah, blah, blah] .

What’s going on in the world at large?

Or maybe there’s some way to get involved in all this web3 brouhaha? A creator coin or something? Probably not, though. I feel like it’s a lot of hype pumped up by people who make money from the attention. A lot of hype. All this crypto, NFT, DAO, stuff was one of the top stories in my bubble of the world this year.

Inflation, too, like we predicted.

And, of course, COVID. So many people we know got it in December, but somehow not Kim, Zac, or I. [blah, blah, blah] .

Climate change seems to be moving more and more to the center of the general public’s radar. Hard to avoid with crazy weather like the heatwave in Vancouver in June. Remember that? Camping out at the park by the beach all day to avoid overheating at home, then retreating to Kim’s parents’? Wild.

I predict (hope) that pretty soon a lot of the hype (and $$$) directed towards mostly meaningless NFT-esque crap goes toward greener technology. Maybe not in a year, but soon.

• Look back before looking forward.

Before getting into more predictions, here’s a recap of some of what’s changed between Jan 1 and Dec 31 of this past year:

• Investment portfolio performance: [blah, blah, blah] (Big lesson: Trust your gut more. Every time you delayed or didn’t act, it cost you. Examples are [blah, blah, blah] .)
• Blog traffic, subscribers, stats, income: [blah, blah, blah] .
• Favorite things I’ve learned and mind changes I’ve made: [blah, blah, blah] .
• Most memorable moments: [blah, blah, blah] .
• Other big changes in my life and the life of those around me: [blah, blah, blah].

As you can see, for the first time, I spent a lot of time recapping 2021. It was worth it. You ought to do the same for 2022.

• Brainstorm and ask for help.

One more big mind shift I made in 2021 came from reading books like Designing Your Life , Dedicated , and Four Thousand Weeks . I’ve come to conclude we ought to commit one way or another and move on with it rather than overthink things or keep our options open.

But I’m still unsure about what to commit to.

These are the big questions I’m thinking a lot about:

• Have another kid or not? Before having Zac, [blah, blah, blah] .
• Try new ways to make more money with the blog, or redirect that time to more efficient but perhaps less rewarding and fun money-making endeavors? My thinking now is [blah, blah, blah] .
• Change the name of the blog? I was strongly leaning toward changing it to something “Fresh” related, but recent conversations have me swinging the other way. [blah, blah, blah] .
• Where to live? Cape Town’s awesome, but far from family and old friends in Vancouver. Should we look harder at a beach town in Mexico or Costa Rica? I was thinking [blah, blah, blah] .
• Should I hire a coach? No doubt the right coach at not too ridiculous of a price could be the best investment I could make, but how do you find that? Or I? The curse of being so independently-minded is it’s hard to find someone we’ll listen to. My plan now is to [blah, blah, blah] .
• Should I start something new—new hobby, friends, language, business, podcast—or go deeper on the things I already love doing?

What do you think? Or what new questions have jumped to the forefront for you?

• Make a bunch of predictions.

Anyway, enough with the stress-inducing tough questions. Time for some fun stuff:

Predictions!

Make predictions about your future life.

I bet you’ll be in Cape Town again, reading this. You’ll probably be sitting on a patio overlooking the sea because I learned this year just how much that’s worth to us.

Differences between you and me I predict:

• You’ll have a few more grey hairs, but still not visible. Same amount of head hair. Maybe a bit more facial hair. Almost enough to finally have a beard.
• In the same shape, if not slightly better. More mobile, for sure, cuz you’ll have kept up with your daily mobility and maybe even hired someone in Vancouver.
• You’ll finally be decently good at beach volleyball. The solo practice at Virgin will pay off.
• You’ll have 2-3 new little daily habits that you’ll have incorporated into your life thanks to various experiments and 30-day challenges throughout the year.
• You’ll have some idea about a book you want to write.
• You’ll be spending less time making YouTube videos. Maybe considering a podcast?

Memorable moments:

• Zac will say his first word in March and it’ll be something to do with food, like “baba” to mean bottle.
• Zac will take his first step by the end of Feb.
• Zac will have 8 teeth.
• We’ll have gone on one big road trip to the US over the summer and I’ll have done another escape to nature, leaving Zac and Kim behind.
• We won’t visit any new countries.
• [blah, blah, blah]

Make measurable predictions.

• My net worth will be around [x] .
• The blog will have made [x] and I’ll have dipped my toes into something new but not dove into it yet.
• Traffic, Consider This subscribers, YouTube subscribers will be [x, y, z] .
• Zac will weigh 26 pounds, so slightly above average, but not a ton.
• I will only read 20 new books this year because I’ll re-read and review many from the past.
• [x] will be in a serious relationship. [y] will still be single.
• [x] will be engaged. Maybe even married.
• [x] will be separated or divorced.

Make wild card predictions.

• The Nets will win the NBA title. The Raptors will lose in the first round. MVP will be… it’s a crapshoot… KD?
• The Super Bowl… I really can’t even bother guessing because I gave up the NFL this year!
• The stock market’s going to be down for the year, adjusted for inflation.
• Bitcoin will be roughly the same as today, $45k US.
• More advances in preventing and treating COVID will mean no more masks indoors by June in Vancouver.
• The hype about web3, the metaverse, NFTs, and all that will have died down substantially. Or I’ll have completely escaped from hearing about it, because it doesn’t make much difference to my day-to-day life.
• South Africa, Cape Town especially, is going to be crazy with tourism in December. With more digital nomads, too. Pent-up demand and good PR are going to give it the hype it deserves.

End with the most important message you want to send.

Ok. My hand’s getting tired from all this writing. But it’s been fun to let loose my thoughts upon you.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this and got something out of it, like I did reading last year’s letter.

I’ve gotta run to go do a workout with Alex and Darren. It’s a beautiful, scorching hot day. I’m already looking to plunging in the pool after. And then I’m looking forward to returning to work on the blog.

Bigger picture, I’m looking forward to this coming year.

If you still believe like I do that our life’s y-axis is “Growth,” let’s keep making moves (and not thinking too much) that push us upward in that direction.

So here’s to continuing living a life full of adventures and always having more to look forward to.

Yours truly,

To recap, here’s the structure from my example:

• End with your most important message.

For more guidance and ideas on future self letter writing, check these out:

• How to Write a Letter to Your Future Self
• The Benefits and Lessons of Writing a Letter to Your Future Self
• Extensive Tips for Writing a Wonderful Letter to Your Future Self

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Blog Writing letters to the future

Dear Future Self letters: a FutureMe compilation

If you’ve ever written a letter to your future self, you know it can be a valuable tool for reflection. You can even use it as a form of expressive therapy similar to diary writing. But how do others to it? And what can we learn from them?

Published Feb 27th, 2023

You can write a FutureMe letter to encourage your future self and stay on track to your goals. Or you can just use it get your thoughts from the present moment out on paper, to clear your mind and let your future self look back on what your life was like, and see how far you've come.

The letter writing process seems simple, right? You just write what you want to say to yourself in the future, choose when you want it to be sent, and even choose to share it publicly but anonymously. Easy!

…or is it? All too often we suffer from writer’s block and can’t work out what to put in that empty space on the letter page . Where should we start? What’s most important? What does it all mean?!

Chill. Those Public Letters we mentioned a minute ago are full of great letter writing inspo. Here’s a quick compilation of some hand-picked goodies to get your creative juices fizzing. Hopefully, the writers’ words will serve not just to uplift their future selves, but to give you and idea or two for your own letters.

Strength in adversity

First up, a beautiful letter that provides words of encouragement during times of challenge. It reminds us of the beauty of motherhood, and the author’s remarkable inner strength.

Dear FutureMe,

This is your past self, I'm glad you have your license and many more accomplishments you have achieved so far. Just know it wasn't easy. Stay humble and realize where you came from. Take a minute to reflect on the things you struggled on and cried about. The support you have, the love you showed and many more. You are a boss babe and a boss mom. You wanted this so bad so your children can live the life you always wanted and never have to worry about anything. Break generational curses and be the one who makes millions have more money and gives the most. Don't stay where you are now, elevate to the highest point you can and continue to go forward. Have a healthy mind and a healthy body. Have an incredible life experience, which includes all the things you want. Better: person, money, love life, best friend, family, relationship, pay.  No hate or evil things can bring you down as long as the universe is within you.

Self-supporter

This super-inspiring letter highlights that you — yes you! — should be your greatest and most loyal supporter. It's important to high-5 yourself for your achievements and to remember that you have the power to manifest your dreams by forging your own path with hard work.

Oh my gosh you did it! You formed your business and it's growing! You are reaching people and beginning to change peoples lives! Keep going and don't forget why you started this! Keep striving and giving people a different way to connect with themselves. You look so beautiful when you embody yourself and allow all of the criticism and judgment to fade away. Don’t let a few things hold you back.

Not everyone understands what you are doing, still just keep creating momentum around Authentic Soul, keep pushing your brand forward because you are going to reach millions of people. You are finally living in your soul assignment and helping the collective.

Keep striving, keep creating, keep connecting, you are the brightest star.

One of the most common — and, tbh, depressing — forms of discouragement? Not seeing the results of our efforts immediately. We push, we hustle and yet … nothing seems to come of it. The whole world seems to be against us. We might even wonder what our past selves were thinking when we set out to achieve whatever it is we want. But of course, good things take time, and this letter speaks volumes about that.

Firstly, I am so proud of you - for the steps you are taking and the moves you are making. It seems like a slow process sometimes, but it's your process, only one day at a time and wherever it is you'll get there. Don't be discouraged, working and learning has always been challenging, and now more than ever you've got a lot on your shoulders. However, push and it will be worth it.

I must say I've been struggling to process why things have been as hard as they have. Why sometimes the darkness seems engulfing. I see glimpses of the light and I try to hold on to those moments for dear life. I hope when you read this that you are in a better space, that things are finally looking up and going in your favor.

I hope you learn a lot this year and that you grow in all the ways that you are expecting to. Remember we wanted our PhD before we turned 29? lol. Don't let that dream go. Remember to eat 3 meals a day and drink plenty of water. Oh and I love you, in case no one has told you lately.

Motivational memo

This FutureMe letter is a fantastic example of how your past self can motivate your future self to real progress! 

Remember that time moves quickly. The longer you put off getting started on your goals, the less you'll be able to achieve them and meet your future objectives. Act now; things don't need to be perfect. You can work on perfecting them as time goes. But you can't even start perfecting something that hasn't been started.

Everything doesn't have to be the worst version of itself. Know that the worst may happen, but remind yourself that in most cases, a positive outcome is the norm.

Dwell on the positive!

Staying focused

Another amazing letter of encouragement, this one tells the future self to stay focused on the goals that really matter. We love to see it!

Keep calm if you haven't achieved all the planned goals that you had. It is okay to be stuck somewhere and get delayed. This won't stop you from achieving what you want.

Just keep this in mind,

Life is a learning process, embrace every moment and work hard to achieve what you want.

See you soon.

Reflect and learn

This truly wonderful letter by Noah is an awesome take on how you can use FutureMe to reflect on the lessons you've learned in life. Did you take a knitting class, photography seminar, or maybe an interesting history course in college? Jot down what you learned and then ask your future self if you've used the lessons since then.

I am writing to you at the close of the mindfulness course you just took. Hello!

Here is what I have to say to you: if you can make a practice of being as warm and as forgiving and as generous to yourself as you are to others, it will unlock much of what you want to do in the world.

I hope this has been a year of being warm and forgiving and generous to yourself! And if not, just like in meditation practice when your mind drifts away, may this coming year be one of coming back to treating yourself with that love and respect that you insist on practicing for everyone you come across.

I love you! You should love you, too.

You get the idea: there are plenty of places to start your next letter to your future self. Whether you use it to reflect on some of your favorite things, reminisce about close friends and family, set some realistic goals and celebrate your success, or just have fun sending some words of inspiration and encouragement, writing a letter to your future self is worth it.

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Write a Letter To Your Future Self

• by Celes     |    
• Self-Improvement

(Image: Agnes Kantaruk )

Have you written a letter to your future self before? Back in the early 2010s, I came across the Yahoo! Time Capsule, where users could contribute to a digital legacy of how life was in 2006, which would be opened at a later date. I then came up with the idea to write a letter to your future self, where you write a personal note to your future self, seal it, and then open it at a future date. There are no restrictions on how far you should project into the future — you can write to your future self 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, or even 10 years from now!

Why Write a Letter To Your Future Self?

Doing this exercise can be a very powerful experience.

Imagine writing to your future self 5 years from now — what would you say to him/her? What kind of person would you be? What goals would you want to have achieved? Writing the letter gets you thinking about your goals 5 years from now. As you write your letter, you start to think about the actions you should take now to achieve your goals by then.

When you read your letter 5 years into the future, you can assess (a) whether this vision you wrote before matches who you are today, and (b) how much of it has been achieved. Often times, our life plans are subjected to many changes due to unexpected obstacles, unanticipated circumstances, and changing life priorities. Your letter lets you take a step back and identify the things you need to continue or do differently to move forward.

In addition, when you write your letter, your consciousness and thoughts are stored in your words. When you read it, it’s like you are being contacted by the old you. It gives you a different insight into yourself and lets you see how much you have changed since then. :)

How To Write Your Letter

While you can write to your future self from any time period, I recommend to start with a one year time frame. This way, it’s easier to envision your goals, and it also gives you a comfortable time frame to take action.

(If you like, you can write two letters, one to the future you a year later and another to the future you three or five years later.)

Refer to today’s date.

• What do you want to be one year from now?
• What are the goals and dreams you want realized by then?
• What is your desired status for the areas on your  life wheel ? Career/Business/Studies? Money/Wealth? Family? Friends? Love? Health? Spirituality? Recreation? Contribution? Self-Image?
• Once you’re done, sign off with your name and today’s date.
• Put the papers in an envelope. Seal it.
• On the cover, write “To [Your Name]. To be opened on [Date].” Replace “[Your Name]” with your name, with “[Date]” the date that’s one year from now.
• Set an appointment in your calendar to open your letter one year from now.
• Put this envelope in a safe place where no one can access it.
• In this one year, work hard on your goals and vision! Then open and read your letter one year from today. :)

For your letter format, you can either write a physical letter or type it. I used to write my letters using pen and paper, but I’ve since switched to typing and printing the final copy (this way I have a backup if anything happens).

You can use  FutureMe.org , a service that helps you send your message to your desired email address at any point in the future. Personally I recommend to write your letter on your computer and store it, rather than using such a service. With an external service, you never know who has access to your letters, and your letter will be gone if the service gets shut down.

Opening My Letter From My Past Self

Back in 2008, on February 2010, I wrote two letters to my future selves. The first letter was to my future self one year later, on February 10, 2009. The second letter was to my future self 5 years later, on February 10, 2013.

So a year later on February 10, 2009, I opened my first letter and read in excitement . It was interesting seeing what I was like a year ago and how much I have changed. There were some things that I accurately foresaw, and many things I didn’t anticipate.

In terms of goals, I had achieved several goals. For Career, I leapt ahead of my predictions — in my letter, I wrote that I would still be working in my ex-company while working on my purpose on the side, and quit my job a few years later. As it turned out, I had already quit my job and started working on my purpose full time! :) In terms of Health, I had reached my desired weight/look, something I was really proud of as losing weight was something I had struggled with for years.

There were some goals I had not reached yet. For example for Love, I thought that I would have found my relationship partner by then, but I had not. This wasn’t an issue as I came to the realization that  we are already perfect as singles  (I would later meet my husband in 2013). In terms of Friendship, some friends whom I thought I would still be on great terms with had slipped away. Instead, I formed great friendships with other people in the past year. In a way, it’s a natural equilibrium — when you let go of certain connections, new connections will take their place.

There were goals that I didn’t reach as I abandoned them halfway because they lost meaning to me. For example, buying a car. When I received a pay rise the previous year and was able to consider getting a car, I realized that owning a car in Singapore, where public transport is readily available, does not resonate with my highest self. My original intent of getting a car was more for image reasons — growing up, we were often told that having a car was a symbol of success. That desire had long been shed, along with my old self. Not to mention, having a car isn’t exactly environmentally friendly.

On the same note, I had changed in the past year in terms of my materialistic tendencies. While I was not a materialistic person when I wrote my letter in 2008 (I was 23), I became less materialistic since, given my revelations on material wealth and goods . My consciousness was also higher as I had been working a lot on my growth.

All in all, reading my letter made me realize several things. It made me more conscious of how I have changed vs. the past (vs. just relying on memory). It reminded me of some of my past visions that I lost track of along the way. It made me appreciate how far I have come and look forward to the future.

Subsequently, I opened my 5-year letter and shared my results here: Write a Letter To Your Future Self [Video]

Write Your Letter To Your Future Self

Grab your pen and paper now and start writing your letter to your future self! Identify a time period to write to, imagine what you would be like, and then start writing! Think about the kind of person you would like to be, what you would want to be doing, what you would have accomplished by then, and what you want to say to yourself.

Follow the steps in the exercise above. Get working on your goals, then open your letter with pride a year from now! :)

Update Aug 2014 : I created a video tutorial on writing a letter to your future self, where I share more tips plus open my 5-year letter to myself. Watch: Writing a Letter to Your Future Self [Video]

For those of you with  Live a Better Life in 30 Days , the task for Day 29 is to write a letter to your future self.

Hi! I’m Celes. Thanks for reading. Personal Excellence is where I write about how to live our best life as we tackle life’s challenges. About Me »

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Take Ownership of Your Future Self

• Benjamin Hardy

Change is inevitable — but it’s not out of your control.

Your personality, skills, likes, and dislikes change over time — but that change isn’t out of your control. What can you do to become the version of yourself that you most want to be? Start by acknowledging the differences between your past, current, and future selves. Next, imagine your desired future self: Set goals that are as clear and specific as possible to maximize your chances of achieving them. Finally, develop (and re-develop) an identity narrative consistent with the person you want to become — and share that story with others! Your identity drives your behavior, which over time creates your personality. So start acting like the best version of yourself, and you will become that person.

In his TED Talk “ The Psychology of Your Future Self ,” Harvard psychologist Dr. Daniel Gilbert explains a bias that almost all of us have: We tend to think that the person we are today is the person we will always be.

• BH Benjamin Hardy is an organizational psychologist and the author of Willpower Doesn’t Work and Personality Isn’t Permanent . His blogs have been read by over 100 million people and he is a regular contributor to Inc. and Psychology Today . From 2015-2018, he was the #1 writer in the world on Medium.com. He and his wife Lauren adopted three children through the foster system in February 2018 and, one month later, Lauren became pregnant with twins, who were born in December of 2018. They live in Orlando.

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A Letter To My Future Self: This Is What I Hope For You

I hope this message has found it’s way to you.

I hope you have managed to figure it all out , the ins and outs of life. I hope you have found the place you pictured yourself you would be. And hopefully, it’s everything you’ve imagined. I hope you’ve found the skin you feel the most comfortable in, and I hope you never take it off.

I hope you have found your happiness. I hope each day you wake up in awe of your life, and every night, you sleep with gratitude in your heart.

I hope you have found the person you’ve spent your whole life looking for. I hope they are kind and treat you how you’ve always deserved. I hope you never take them for granted, and I hope they never put you in a position to do so. I hope you have kept in touch with all the people who have changed you. I hope you have kept them close, through the good and the bad times. I hope you remind them of how important they are to you, and they know how grateful you are for them.

I hope your Sundays are filled with books in bed , and cups of tea in the sunshine. I hope your house in painted with pictures of all the places you promised you’d visit one day. I hope your home is filled with love, and I hope your heart filled with joy.

I hope your face has aged from all the laughter you’ve spread. I hope you look back on your past, and cannot help but smile at all the confusion and the mistakes. I hope you’ve let go and moved on from all the things which have hurt your soul. I hope you carry no regrets. And I hope you have finally freed yourself from all the negativity.

I hope you’ve created a life you love , one in which you cannot wait to get out of bed every morning. I hope you followed your path, and it’s led you to where you are meant to be. I hope your dreams challenged you, but you kept on despite the hardship.

I hope you still remember me, the younger version of yourself. I hope you look back on the person I am and are proud of who that was. I hope you carry around the things the past has taught you, but do not let them weigh you down.

I hope you’ve forgiven all the people who have hurt you , and I hope their pain doesn’t matter as much to you anymore. I hope you’ve filled your life with people who only lift you up, instead of the ones who constantly tear you apart. But above all of it, I hope you have forgiven yourself. I hope you have forgiven yourself for the mistakes and the bad decisions.

I hope you have picked up all your broken pieces , and put yourself back together. I hope you don’t feel as broken and lost. I hope you have found the place you feel you belong, and I hope you finally feel at home.

I hope you have loved hard. I hope you have given it all to the one you love, and I hope it was enough. I hope you have managed to mend that broken heart of yours, and I hope it never falls apart again.

I hope the best for you. I truly do.

Read more Self-Improvement .

About the author

Kiana Azizian

Graduate of University of Oregon. Professional wandered and avid coffee drinker.

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• Legacy Projects

How to Write a Meaningful Letter to Your Future Self

Updated 08/18/2022

Published 03/31/2020

Yvonne Bertovich

Contributing writer

Cake values integrity and transparency. We follow a strict editorial process to provide you with the best content possible. We also may earn commission from purchases made through affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more in our affiliate disclosure .

Sometimes clarity comes when we least expect it. If you’re hoping to gain a better understanding of some aspect of your life, or you’d like to create an opportunity for your future self to reflect, a personal letter is a great way to do so. 

Writing a letter to yourself might also prompt you to think ahead about your end-of-life plans, from continuing your legacy with a platform like GatheringUs  to making sure your assets are taken care of with an online will maker like  Trust & Will .

Jump ahead to these sections:

Step 1: have a purpose (or don’t), step 2: attempt some discipline or focus, step 3: set the mood, step 4: decide a delivery or open date, step 5: write it out, step 6: put it in a safe place, examples of letters to your future self.

The best part about a personal letter is that you don’t have to worry about all of the typical conventions that come along with more formal letter writing, such as professional thank you letters . You have the power and freedom to practice total honesty, which, after you’re done, will likely feel quite liberating.

If you’re still feeling tentative or unsure about writing this letter, we compiled the following guide. However, you can take all of the following steps as a suggestion. You don’t have to follow any of them. Sometimes there is a lot of wisdom to be found in recklessly letting loose on a piece of paper, especially if you’re going through an emotional time—either a high-high, or a low-low. 

Maybe this is the very first time you’ve ever written a formal (or informal) letter to yourself. You shouldn’t feel silly for wanting to do so. You never know what you’ll gain from anything if you don’t try, and you don’t have anything to lose. 

Unlike other types of writing, such as writing a commemorative speech , a letter to yourself can be fairly casual. You can speak in a language and even codes that only you understand. Letters to yourself also differ from speeches or eulogies , too, in that your purpose is unique to you. 

Feel free to ask yourself the following questions to help the process along:

• Are you writing about a specific topic, or do you just need to vent?
• Would you prefer to handwrite your letter or type it?
• Are you placing a time limit on when your letter is complete, or do you plan to add to it?
• What key points do you want to be able to reflect on?
• Where do you hope to be when you open it (physically, emotionally, spiritually)?

If you’re sitting down, or pacing the room and occasionally stopping to scribble or type something, you’re obviously trying to complete this letter with some intention. You owe it to your future self to collect your thoughts and ideas in a somewhat coherent way so that they can be of value later.

That being said, you shouldn’t be tempted to “hold back” in this letter. If all goes as planned, after all, you’re the only one who’s going to be reading it anyway. Why would you give yourself nothing but the ugly truth? 

Perhaps you’re struggling with a particular aspect of your life right now more than others. Or, maybe it’s a recurring set of thoughts you’re trying to move past. On the other hand, maybe you’re doing amazing, and you’re worried it’s all gonna fizzle out.

These aren’t irrational feelings, and you shouldn’t feel guilty about them. You’re already beginning your winning streak by taking some real action. 

Though hammering away at your keyboard at 1 am may seem like the most vulnerable time to write a letter — perhaps as a way to tire yourself out — it may not be the best time. You’d likely benefit more if you do yourself a service and create a safe, inspiring, and comfortable environment to draft your letter. 

How can you accomplish the right mood to write a letter to yourself?

• Choose a familiar room or outdoor location: You may simply pick your desk at home, a favorite reading nook, or perhaps a park you love to go to.
• Make sure your chair or sitting area is comfortable: In all honesty, being sprawled out on the floor works fine, too. However, you owe it to your back and the quality of the letter to pick a good spot.
• Play some music to fit your mood: If you’re in the mood to listen to sad music, songs about living life to the fullest , or music that’s so horrible it’s good — it doesn’t matter which you choose, just as long as you vibe with it.
• Have a drink (or two): There’s no hiding that some of us are more productive with good caffeine, or perhaps you’d rather unwind with your favorite wine. Consider keeping a glass of water as an alternate, too. 
• Give yourself some time: Don’t try to cram this letter writing into a 15-minute window before you need to go to work. Well, you could, if you’re feeling compelled, but you likely won’t get as much out of this exercise as you possibly could. 

The “delivery” or open date of your letter is fairly significant. Setting a specific date may seem odd. What if you’re not ready to read it then? What if you won’t feel any different by that time? This is where you have to have some trust in your path. Whatever you’re upset — or absolutely loving — about life right now may not be permanent. 

It will take hard work to either gain or maintain everything you have going for you right now. If you don’t want to set a firm date, instead, you can set a time limit.

For example, you can open your letter after your graduation, after the new year, after you land your next job, and so on. It doesn’t have to be a date so much as it has to be a feeling and a preparedness. You may also choose to write a letter to yourself to help you better remember a family member . 

We’ll let you in on a secret: your first draft doesn’t have to be your final. However, it may benefit you to have just one draft. Why? Your thoughts — if even scattered or grammatically incorrect — will be the most raw and vulnerable in the first draft. If after you seal up the letter you think of the perfect way to phrase something or have some other epiphany — that’s great. 

Jot it down somewhere else. And, perhaps the letter is already doing its job — teaching you something about yourself, your circumstances, or your outlook. 

When it comes to storing your letter for safe-keeping, treat it like a prized possession or a family heirloom . Do your best not to lose it.

For your letter to truly become impactful later or even fall flat, it will make you feel what it’s supposed to if you seal it for good till your designated open date. You owe it to your original feelings to let them be as they were in the moment. 

Let the letter marinate alone. Don’t disturb it. Perhaps, after reading it, you’ll have so much clarity about a certain situation that you thought you’d never have while you were drafting. If all you do after finally reading your letter is scoff to yourself a bit, that’s OK. Growth is good. Maturity is good. 

To give you some inspiration or a jumping-off point, we provided some example letters you can draft to your future self below. Again, take this exercise as lightly or as seriously as you’d like. An important thing to remember, too, is to date the letter after you’re done writing it.  

Example one

I know everything seems like the absolute worst right now, and maybe it is. Maybe this is the worst that it’ll be for a long, long time. Or, maybe it’s not. Maybe it’ll get worse than this. We can’t really know until we live it, and we will get through it. 

I hope you’re remembering what’s important. I hope you’re telling people you love them. I hope you’re going out of your way to make people feel good even when you don’t. I hope you’re giving yourself some slack. 

The thing is, kid, we can’t really know what’s in the future till we get there. I’m not gonna lie. We were really worried right now. Worried for our well-being. Worried what we’d have in a few weeks or a few months or worried about what we’d lose in that time, too. But now, as you’re reading this, I hope you take stock. I hope you’re damn grateful for what we do have, and don’t take it for granted. 

You did it, kid. You made it.

Big Love, [You on insert date and time].” 

Example two

“Hey lovely!

You are lovely, remember this. You’re currently listening to a throwback jam, Forever by Chris Brown. It made you smile not so much because of Chris Brown’s questionable character, but because it’s in the infamous scene in The Office that you love so much. You’ve come so far in the past year. You can’t give up now. I can’t wait to see where we are in a few months.

If you’re still feeling anxious, or like things aren’t what you thought they’d be, think of yourself this time last year. You were even more worn out and restless. It’s highly unlikely you’re there again. And, if you are, you know how to get out of it. Even if you don’t have some master plan yet, you know what you have to do to get there.

Just take it one day at a time, and make the most of each one. You know that not every day is guaranteed, so try to remember the moments and experiences that have made you laugh, cry, stress, get angry — whatever. It’s not all for nothing. Just look at where you are now. 

Try to be proud of yourself, you’re doing it!

Love yourself, [You on insert date and time].”

Example three

“Hi [insert name],

It’s Monday morning. Your week is off to an OK start. But, somehow, you feel really stuck. You’re full of questions about where you stand with the people you think are closest to you. You’re full of questions about your job. You’re still having feelings of doubt about your abilities — everything. You’re wondering what the next big thing is. You’re worried it will be a big bad thing. 

I can’t tell you how it’ll all play out. I can’t promise your heart won’t be broken or that you’ll feel better about everything by the time you read this. What I can promise you, however, is that you need to keep sticking to your values. Don’t lose them and hope for a quick fix for all of your problems. Remember, you play the long game. Slow and steady wins the race. Don’t ever forget who you are or be ashamed of it for longer than a second. 

You keep kicking butt, OK?

All the love, [You on insert date and time].”

If you want more examples on how to write about you, read our guide on how to write about yourself .

Your Thoughts Matter Now, and They’ll Matter Then

Sometimes the little things in our lives set us off, till we realize there’s something a lot bigger at work. What writing a letter to your future self can offer you, above all else, is perspective. It doesn’t mean that when you draft your letter you’re not right to be upset about the things you’re upset about. Your feelings are valid. But, in all honesty, you’ll likely realize that certain feelings and frames of mind may not serve your best interests for very long.

Hold onto what serves you best. Let go of what doesn’t. Celebrate everything you go through, no matter how hard it is. And, if nothing else, be grateful that you’re still there to be reading that letter when the day comes.  For more resources about end-of-life planning as well as ideas for birthday resolutions , check out the rest of Cake . 

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A Purpose In Pain

Finding meaning and beauty in life's obstacles

A Letter To My Younger Self

July 1, 2020

Dear younger me,

There are so many things I want to tell you, it’s hard to know where to start. Life can be so beautiful, and at the same time, so hard. But you are strong enough to get through it all. I’ll begin with this one simple plea:

Don’t grow up too fast.

Slow down and be patient. You have so much life left to live. There is so much that God has planned for you. But right now, enjoy this time in your life. Enjoy having your health and vitality, because you will not have these things forever.

Never waste a second wishing you were older or somewhere else in life. Treasure this time because it goes by too quickly. You will see and experience things that will urge you to grow up too fast; don’t let them. Cherish this time in your life and live every second as fully as you can.

Dear younger me, you are worth so much more than you think you are.

This is something you will struggle with. You will think you’re not good enough but I promise you are. You are so much more than enough. Stop looking to others to find your worth. Learn to love who you are and let that be enough. Know that you are God’s beautiful creation and nothing you achieve in life or fail to achieve will ever change His love for you.

Learn to give yourself grace. I know that you set high expectations for yourself, but please, give yourself a break sometimes. You do not have to be perfect . Perfect is an illusion.

Learn to talk to yourself like you would an old friend. Be kind and gentle with the words you tell yourself. The words you speak to yourself become what you believe. Choose your words carefully.

Dear younger me, try to stop worrying so much.

I promise you the majority of things you’re worried about will never actually happen. Stop wasting your precious time on the what-ifs. If you keep focusing on what could happen in the future or ruminating on things you can’t change from the past, you will miss out on the gift that is here in this moment.

Don’t look back in 20 years and regret that you never learned to appreciate today. There is something to be said for practicing mindfulness. Learn to embrace the present moment.

Dear younger me, hug your grandparents a little tighter.

Soak up every little moment you have with them. Call them, write them letters, let them know how loved and treasured they are. You will not have them forever. Make the most of your time together.

Hug your parents too. Thank them for all the sacrifices they’ve made for you. They love you more than you know and have given you a life that so many others would love to have. Tell them how much you love them as often as you can.

Dear younger me, be grateful for all you have.

Never stop searching for the blessings all around you. If you learn to look, you will find them everywhere. Be grateful for all you’ve been given . Realize the abundance of blessings that surround you.

Be thankful for the people in your life who love and support you. Let them know how much they mean to you. Nurture the relationships in your life. Relationships take work. Strive to always give more than you take from them.

Dear younger me, stop caring so much what everyone thinks about you.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “you wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” There is so much truth in this statement. Remember it. Stop living for the approval of others. You will never be able to please everyone.

There will be people in this life who don’t like you. Learn to accept this and move on. Find the people in this world who do appreciate the fire burning inside your heart. Find them and love them hard.

Learn to forgive quickly, but don’t let anyone walk all over you. Stand up for yourself. Stand up for what you believe in. Believe that there is goodness in this world and make it your life’s mission to seek out and find this goodness.

Dear younger me, stop letting your fear hold you back.

You have wrestled with fear your entire life. Don’t let it win. Choose faith instead of fear. Know that wherever you go, God will go with you. You are never alone.

Don’t let your fear hold you back from living your life and stepping out boldly into the world. You have so many gifts to give; do not let fear prevent you from sharing these gifts with the world.

Dear younger me, don’t let pain harden your heart.

Instead, use your pain for good. Know that it serves a great purpose. Learn from the difficult times in your life . Never stop learning. Let your pain give you a wisdom that you would not otherwise have.

When you go through difficult times, don’t hide your pain and become closed off to others. Learn to share your truth and use your story to help others to feel less alone in theirs. If you do this, you will never waste your pain.

Dear younger me, you can do hard things.

There will be times in life that are hard. But you are so much stronger than you know. You are more resilient and wiser than you know. Don’t ever forget this. There will be times when life will try to wear you down. Don’t let it. There will be times when life will be messy and unpredictable and you will question it all.

But know that God has great plans for you. You will do amazing things in this life. Believe in yourself. This life is so beautiful. Never stop searching for the beauty in this world. And never stop believing that you can change this world. You can make a difference in the lives of others. Trust in yourself, trust in God, and know that you can make it through anything.

Your future self

P.S. When you meet that dark-haired guy that winks at you from across the party, don’t let him go. He will love you fiercely, in sickness and in health. He will love you through the good times and the bad and will make you see all the beauty that you possess. He is a good, good man. The kind of man your father knows that you deserve, the kind he would choose for you if he could. Choose him and don’t ever let him go. He will be one of the greatest gifts that you will ever receive.

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July 1, 2020 at 11:18 am

I love it❤️ It’s absolutely true. I would left very similar letter for my younger me.

July 1, 2020 at 2:23 pm

So glad you liked this!

July 1, 2020 at 11:30 am

Such a stunning piece of writing. The hug your grandparents tighter part really hit me. So many things that are relevant to when I was younger. Thank you for sharing this!

July 1, 2020 at 2:24 pm

Thank you so much!

July 1, 2020 at 1:23 pm

So beautifully written as always, Sam! I love what you said about how we believe the things we think about ourselves. It’s a lesson I’m still learning now that I wish I had learned years ago!

It’s so true. The words we speak to ourselves are so powerful. I’m a work in progress with trying to speak to myself more kindly!

July 1, 2020 at 1:54 pm

Love this ❤️ Such encouraging words and so much truth. “Don’t let pain harden your heart”- one of my favorites.

July 1, 2020 at 2:25 pm

Thank you, Lori!

July 1, 2020 at 3:14 pm

I definitely could have used most of these lessons growing up. Those were hard years for me! But at least we know now 🙂

July 3, 2020 at 3:44 pm

Me too, Jennifer. But we are so much wiser now 😊

July 1, 2020 at 3:54 pm

This was so beautiful and really cute! I feel like I can take in many of these messages. “Dear younger me, don’t let pain harden your heart,” was the one that really resonated with me right now. There is so much value in softening.

July 3, 2020 at 3:43 pm

Thank you! I’m glad this resonated with you.

July 1, 2020 at 9:34 pm

I can tell you as a much older me this is on point. It only took me about 55 years to get comfortable in my own skin. Life is short. Live it to the fullest❤️.

July 3, 2020 at 3:41 pm

Glad you could relate to this. Also so glad to hear that you’re finally comfortable in your own skin, you deserve that ❤️

July 2, 2020 at 5:23 am

I love it! This is beautifully written!

July 3, 2020 at 3:40 pm

July 2, 2020 at 11:20 am

Hi, These are so true and at some point, in our 30’s we always think about what we could have done when we were younger! Don’t grow up too fast is my favorite and I wish I would always stay 18. -Nandita http://www.nanditasampat.com/blog

July 2, 2020 at 2:06 pm

This is so sweet, I love it ❤️

Thank you for reading!

July 3, 2020 at 3:07 pm

Such a beautiful post. I could relate so well to it. I actually wish someone had told my younger self all these.

July 3, 2020 at 3:39 pm

Thank you! So glad you could relate.

July 3, 2020 at 4:00 pm

My younger self so needed to hear this, Sam. Thankyou so much for penning this down in such a beautiful way. Sending so much love and light.

July 3, 2020 at 4:43 pm

Thank you so much for reading. I’m glad it resonated with you!

July 3, 2020 at 4:11 pm

This is very creative. I remember writing letters to my future self, but I’ve never written one to my past self.

July 3, 2020 at 6:24 pm

Thank you, Grace.

July 3, 2020 at 6:13 pm

Samantha, this is such a beautiful post. I couldn’t agree more with every single point made, especially to stop worrying. With that being said, I think we need to remind our present selves these things too! Thanks for the great read! Sincerely, BL

July 3, 2020 at 6:20 pm

Thank you so much, I’m glad this resonated with you. And my present self most definitely needs these reminders as well!

July 3, 2020 at 7:50 pm

This is such a beautifully written, heartfelt post. It made my heart smile. Thank you for sharing.

July 3, 2020 at 8:14 pm

Oh I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you for reading!

July 4, 2020 at 1:00 am

Beautiful – don’t you wish we could really do this? Age gives us the wisdom we could have used in our youth! But also, would we heed our own advice? Maybe we’re meant to learn the lessons on our own to arrive right where we are.

July 5, 2020 at 2:55 pm

Yes I wish I could really go back and talk to my younger self but maybe you’re right, everything happens just as it’s supposed to!

July 4, 2020 at 3:18 am

The ones that touched my heart and were very relatable was not growing up too fast and to hug my grandparents tighter. My grandparents live all live in Ghana and they all passed away really quickly and I don’t really remember the last time I verbally told them I loved them. Ever since I was young, I always wanted to be older and on my own and a big girl in the real world by myself, now I’m at the point where I wish I was a kid again to enjoy all of the moments where there was no bills or responsibilities. Thank you for sharing xxx

July 5, 2020 at 2:57 pm

I wish I could hug my grandparents again, and I’m sure you do too. And if only we knew to slow down and not wish to grow up so fast when we were younger. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts!

July 5, 2020 at 1:14 pm

Love this! It is so true!

So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading.

July 5, 2020 at 1:28 pm

I love this post and the spirit of what you’re sharing here. Thank you. 🌸

I’m so glad you liked it. Thank you for reading!

July 5, 2020 at 3:47 pm

Beautiful! I can totally relate to “choose faith over fear” and it is something that I would definitely say to my younger self. 🙂 Loved the postscript too! 🙂

July 7, 2020 at 5:44 pm

July 6, 2020 at 3:26 pm

This is really beautiful!

July 7, 2020 at 5:41 pm

July 13, 2020 at 4:07 pm

Took me forever to learn how to give myself grace. Comparison was always my “default” and it wasn’t until my 30s I realized we are on different journeys and loving who I am and how I grow on my journey is the most remarkable feeling I could have. Thank you for this inspiring read

July 16, 2020 at 7:12 pm

This is beautiful Samantha, thank you! A reminder to be kind to ourselves and grateful for all that we have ❤️

July 16, 2020 at 9:18 pm

Thank you Stephanie!

July 24, 2020 at 4:36 pm

I have a list of things I would like to tell my younger self too. Thank you so much for an interesting read

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5 Letter To Future Self Examples For High School Students

Greetings, time-travelers, and future selves! Have you ever wondered what it would be like to communicate with your future self? Well, put on your wackiest imagination hats and join us on this journey. Writing a letter to your future self is a chance to step into a time machine and project yourself into the future. 

Think about it, what if in the future, we could travel back in time and meet our past selves? What would you tell them? Would you share some secrets or give them some sage advice? Writing a letter to your future self is the closest we can get to this phenomenon. It’s a chance to capture your current thoughts, hopes, and dreams, and send them off into the future.

Moreover, wouldn’t it be cool to have something like this on your bucket list? So, grab your pen, put on your craziest socks, and let’s start writing our letters to the future! Who knows what kind of zany adventures await us?

A time capsule from high school: A letter to my future self

Dear Future Self,

I hope this letter finds you well and happy. As I sit here writing this letter, I can hardly believe that several years have passed since I was in high school. I remember the excitement and anticipation of those years, but also the challenges and uncertainties that came with them.

If you’re reading this letter today, I hope you’re doing something that brings you joy and fulfillment. Maybe you’re pursuing a career that you’re passionate about or maybe you’re still figuring it out. Either way, I hope that you’re happy with the path you’ve chosen and the person you’ve become.

As I reflect on my time in high school, there are a few things I wish I could tell my younger self. First, I would remind myself to be kind to others, even in the face of adversity. Second, I would encourage myself to take risks and try new things, even if it felt uncomfortable or scary. And finally, I would tell myself to trust the journey and have faith in my own abilities.

So, if you’re ever feeling lost or uncertain about your future, remember these three things. You are capable of achieving great things, and you have the strength and resilience to face whatever comes your way. Keep pushing yourself to grow and learn, to take risks and try new things, and always remember to be kind to yourself and those around you.

Your Past Self

I hope this letter finds you happy and healthy, with a life that you love. As I write this, I am a high school student with dreams and aspirations that I hope to achieve in the future.

When I think back on my high school years, I remember the moments of self-doubt and uncertainty that sometimes held me back. But I also remember the people who believed in me and encouraged me to keep pushing forward. If you’re reading this letter today, I hope you’ve continued to surround yourself with positive influences who support and inspire you.

As you reflect on your journey thus far, I hope you can look back with pride on all that you’ve accomplished. Whether you’ve pursued a career that you’re passionate about or traveling the world to experience new cultures, I hope that you’ve lived a life full of adventure and purpose.

If there’s one thing I want to remind you of, it’s this: don’t forget to take care of yourself. In the pursuit of your dreams, it’s easy to forget about your own well-being. But self-care is essential for living a happy and fulfilling life. So, take the time to rest and recharge, explore your passions and hobbies, and prioritize your mental and physical health.

I believe in you, and I know that you’re capable of achieving great things. Keep pushing yourself to grow and learn, take risks, and try new things, and always remember to take care of yourself along the way.

Dear Future Me,

I hope this letter finds you well, happy, and surrounded by the people you love. As I write this, I am filled with a mix of excitement, anticipation, and a little bit of fear. Excitement because I know you have achieved great things and have lived a life full of adventure, anticipation because I can’t wait to see what the future holds, and fear because I know that life is unpredictable, and anything can happen.

One thing I know for sure is that you have not let fear hold you back. You have always been a risk-taker, willing to step out of your comfort zone and pursue your dreams. I hope you have continued to do so and that you have found success in everything you have set your mind to.

I also hope that you have stayed true to yourself and that you have not to compromise your values or beliefs to fit in with others. You have always been authentic, and I hope you have continued to be true to who you are.

Lastly, I hope that you have found happiness in all aspects of your life. That you have cultivated meaningful relationships, pursued your passions, and found fulfillment in your work.

Remember, you are capable of achieving great things. Keep pushing yourself, stay true to who you are, and never stop dreaming.

I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Your past self

As I write this letter, I’m a high school student with big dreams and aspirations for my future. One thing that has always been important to me is making a positive impact on the world around me. I hope that, by the time you’re reading this letter, you’ve found ways to make a difference in the world.

Whether you’re working in a field that directly impacts people’s lives or volunteering your time to support a cause you’re passionate about, I hope you’ve found ways to use your talents and resources to create positive change.

But I also know that making a difference in the world can be overwhelming and exhausting at times. So, if you’re ever feeling burnt out or discouraged, remember that every small action counts. Whether it’s a kind word to a stranger or a donation to a local charity, every act of kindness and generosity adds up to make a difference.

I believe in you and your ability to make a positive impact in the world. Keep pushing yourself to grow and learn, to take risks and try new things, and always remember that even the smallest actions can make a big difference.

Your High School Self

As I write this letter, I’m a high school student with a passion for creativity and self-expression. Whether it’s through writing, painting, or music, I’ve always found joy in creating something new and unique.

If you’re reading this letter today, I hope you’ve continued to nurture your creative spirit and pursue your passions. Maybe you’ve published a book, exhibited your art in a gallery, or performed on stage in front of a live audience. Or maybe you’ve simply found ways to incorporate creativity into your everyday life.

Whatever your creative pursuits may be, I hope they bring you joy and fulfillment. And if you ever find yourself feeling stuck or uninspired, remember that creativity takes many forms and can come from unexpected places. Take a walk in nature, try a new hobby, or simply take a break and let your mind wander. You never know what new ideas or inspirations might come your way.

I believe in you and your ability to create something beautiful and meaningful. Keep pushing yourself to explore new ideas and take creative risks, and always remember that your unique perspective and voice are valuable and worthy of expression.

Many high school quotes suggest that in writing these letters to our future selves, we are setting goals and aspirations for ourselves. We are acknowledging our current selves and our hopes for what we will become. It’s important to remember that our futures are not set in stone and that we have the power to shape them.

Whether it’s reflecting on our past selves, making plans for the future, or exploring our passions and creativity, each of these letters is a reminder of who we are and who we want to be. As we continue to grow and evolve, we can look back on these letters as a source of inspiration and motivation.

So, let’s continue to write these letters to our future selves as a reminder of our dreams, aspirations, and goals. Let’s strive to become the best versions of ourselves and to create a future that we are proud of. The possibilities are endless, and the future is ours to shape.

Sananda Bhattacharya, Chief Editor of TheHighSchooler, is dedicated to enhancing operations and growth. With degrees in Literature and Asian Studies from Presidency University, Kolkata, she leverages her educational and innovative background to shape TheHighSchooler into a pivotal resource hub. Providing valuable insights, practical activities, and guidance on school life, graduation, scholarships, and more, Sananda’s leadership enriches the journey of high school students.

Explore a plethora of invaluable resources and insights tailored for high schoolers at TheHighSchooler, under the guidance of Sananda Bhattacharya’s expertise. You can follow her on Linkedin

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A Letter to My Future Self

Youth voices.

November 05, 2020

By Samantha Ferrer

This post is a letter to my future self, and to those who also feel lost, confused, and sad. I wonder about: Who will I turn out to be in the future? Will I be a good or bad person, will I gain or lose someone or something?

Will I lose myself? I'm not sure about any of these questions, but I hope that when I look back on this letter, I can make my future self proud of the person I turned out to be.

Dear Future Self,

I hope when you read this, you are okay. You are not sad, or anxious, or scared. I hope you accomplished everything you wanted to accomplish. I can only hope, for I don't know what the future holds.

Image Credit: mododeolhar, Pexels

I hope your friends are doing well, I hope you still have the same friends you have had. I hope you still remember it's the quality of friends, and not the quantity. If you still have at least one of the same friends, I want you to contact them right now and tell how much you appreciate them for staying in your life this long.

I'm surprised to see who stayed and who left, what changed in the friendship. I hope you made good memories over the years with the friends you have now. I really want you to appreciate what little moments we have with friends, before they're gone.

I want you to remember who they were, before life changed them. I hope you laughed, as well as cried with them. Those are the friendships that stay together.

Close friends you share a bond with, who care about you, who accept you for you, those are the ones worth fighting for. Don't let them go. For the friends that left, I hope you're still on good terms with them.

Don't burn your bridges, they have influenced you and kind of took a part in who you are today. Thank them for being your friend, for staying in the toughest of times, for being a part of your life, for helping you grow and mature.

Image Credit: Tyler Nix, Unsplash

I hope you are still close with your family. No matter what they say or do, they are still your family. Don't let an argument or a fight stand in the way of talking to them.

I hope mom and dad are okay and are doing well physically, emotionally, and mentally. I hope you are close with your sister, because she is the only sibling you have. Although you two may sometimes fight, you have to love her.

There is no one out there like her. You may have friends that you are close with, and they may act as your “siblings”, but she is the only one that is truly blood related and you can't change that no matter how bothersome she may get. I really do hope she is doing well, I hope you two are close and have a strong bond with each other.

Image Credit: Vån Thång, Pexels

I hope you found someone, someone who you trust, someone who will always be there for you. I hope he is your best friend, I hope he takes care of you, and protects you. Take care of him, love him, love him for all that he is.

Tell him how much you appreciate him for staying in your life. Show him that you care. Be with him through all the ups and downs that life throws at you guys. Relationships only stay strong because of trust, loyalty, and the strength to hold on even when it seems hard to.

I hope you got hurt looking for someone. I hope he broke your heart. Why do I wish this for you?

Because although broken hearts cannot be entirely fixed, they can heal over time. Broken hearts show you that sometimes what seems to be perfect, isn't always right or meant to last. You will only grow and mature into a stronger person with a heart that is impenetrable.

You will learn how to open your heart, and let others in; feel vulnerable. Find someone that makes life a little easier, makes you laugh a little harder, and smile a little longer.

Image Credit: Holly Mandarich, Unsplash

I hope that you get out of your comfort zone. Try something new, learn, try, fail, do it all. Take the chance, take the risk.

Doing something new and different could be exciting, you'll never know unless you try. Please try. Be more outgoing, be different.

You might end up liking something you'd never thought of liking. I want you to be proud of the chances and risks you took, because it made you a better, stronger person. You'll never grow unless you try new things and step out of your comfort zone.

I hope you don't become the same person that you are now, because that means you never experienced new things or stepped out of your comfort zone. I want to have hope for the choices and decisions you choose to make in the future. Trust and believe that it will work out in the end.

I hope life has changed you for the better because of it. I don't want you to look back on life and regret not taking that opportunity or seizing that moment. Please don't live life with regrets of anything.

Do it all if possible. Travel, love, cry, experience life's beautiful moments. Even if you fail, every choice you make will shape you into a different person. I can only hope.

Image Credit: Joel Mott, Unsplash

I hope you are happy, truly, genuinely happy. Happy with your life, your friends, family, happy with yourself. I hope you are successful with your career, life, social life, as well as accomplishments and goals.

I hope you take risks and still end up happy, no matter what happened in the end. I hope you lost as well as found something. I hope you become happy with your choices, your goals, as well as your failures.

Be happy in life. Do what makes you happy, not what others want for you. Express and impress yourself, not others.

It's your life, you choose whether you want to be positive in life. Choose to be happy, life is better when you are happy. Life is too short for what ifs or possibilities.

Take the risk, take the opportunity. Meet new people, effect others, start a chain reaction, make a difference in the world. Change your attitude, impact others with your actions and words.

You are valued, you are important. Make the choice to be happy.

Me, Your Past Self

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Samantha Ferrer 300k+ pageviews

Samantha Ferrer is a 21-year-old in California and is currently in her fourth year of college. She enjoys reading, writing, spending time with close friends, and binge-watching her favorite shows and movies. Samantha also enjoys watching Rom-Coms and John Hughes movies. In her free time, you can find Samantha thrift shopping, and enjoying/looking at nature.

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Why I Have Students Write Letters to Their Future Selves

A writing assignment they’ll remember.

Community building is essential to any classroom’s success. And, if you’re going to accomplish anything in an upper grade classroom, you really have to work on student engagement, especially now. This means that teachers have to dig into two toolboxes at all times: the “build community while being self-reflective” activities and the one labeled “OMG can y’all believe how exciting this activity is?!”

Over the years, I’ve assigned writing assignments to help build community. They’ve changed to avoid duplication of other classes and prompts, and this year,  I decided to have students write a letter to their future self. That’s when I found FutureMe in the classroom , which fit in both of those toolboxes above!

The idea is simple: you create a single page for students to type a letter to their future self, which the site then delivers electronically on the future date that you or the students set. Students only have to work in one text field, enter their email address, choose a delivery date, and send. It’s that easy.

Save time on your lesson planning

My reality as an educator, like many of yours, is difficult to describe right now. My planning time is booked from now till February, by which time I should be caught up on September’s grading! That was a solid plus for FutureMe. Once I started thinking about my prompt and how I wanted the students to interact with the site, it only took about 15 minutes to get everything ready.

Customize as little or as much as you’d like

The live preview captures what you see as you edit.

The site is intuitive. As you customize the page that students will see, your updates appear live in a frame on the same tab. This is especially helpful if you want to modify the colors, which I did to match our school’s colors. It’s also easy to adjust the colors of the text and the “send” button. When you’re done, or if you just want to see the student page, just hit the Preview link.

I set our work to private—only the students will see their emails (a few students sent them to their parents’ email addresses, too). This is a personal choice and it works for our classroom community, but you can adjust those settings with a click. You’re also able to choose between having the students choose their own date or setting it for them. For this assignment, I let the kids choose their date. I plan on going back to the site in a few weeks for a more formal assignment. For that, I’ll set the date for them. You can also choose to make letters available publicly by selecting which ones might be appropriate and interesting to share.

Discover effortless student engagement

I made a QR code for the link for the students to scan using their devices, and the site loaded right up. Once the students were on the site, they knew exactly what to do. They played around with changing the delivery date and talked with each other about the choice they made. Questions included, “can I curse?” “can I send this to my mom, too?” and “can we do this next week, too?”

An important aspect of any Letter to My Future Self assignment is this magical idea that we have acted outside of time—that a future version of ourselves can interact with a past version of ourselves, connecting old to young, present to past, and spurring nostalgic feelings. When the kids finished, they pressed “Send to the Future,” and it was gone, like magic.

Think beyond the classroom prompt

It’s great to have paper handy for those first drafts

Another plus for FutureMe, for sure—there was no teacher stuffing a letter into a yellow envelope with a promise to send on to a high school teacher or sealed and stamped envelopes stashed in a drawer to wait for a future postal worker. FutureMe maximizes student agency for a common activity, turning it from an old, wooden desk and paper envelope kind of thing into the familiar space of tech and social media actions. If you choose to make some of the letters public, you can expand the reach of the assignment even further.

Consider a variety of prompts to get students started. In each one, encourage students to think of themselves not just as students, but as human beings: sisters, brothers, friends, sons or daughters, creatives, athletes, leaders, etc.

• What is one thing you’d like to accomplish this year?
• Describe how you feel right now and what you enjoy doing.
• Where do you see yourself as a student in X length of time?
• What are you most proud of in your life so far? What do you want to be proud of in one year?
• Describe something you are struggling with right now, and describe what it might look like to have overcome it.
• Write a letter to give your future self some encouragement and love!
• How have you changed over the past few years, and how do you hope to change over the next few?

In future assignments, I will change the setting so I can read and grade or give feedback on them. The flexibility is important to me, and FutureMe provides exactly the kinds of focused choices that have a meaningful impact on the student’s experience. My students are looking forward to the next assignment, and so am I!

Learn more about FutureMe

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Letter To My Future Self

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• Topic: My Future

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