Why Write a Message to the Future?
What would it be like to write a letter to yourself 10, 20, or 30 years into the future? What would you say to your younger self, years ago? What would you say to your future self? Why write a “Message to the Future” letter?
I have always been taught that those of us who are further along in our journey, should turn around and help those who are younger than us. The younger generation needs help walking with more confidence, strength, joy, and hope, learning from our mistakes. When I had my own private practice in counseling, I would help guide and direct many people in life, during the highs and lows. It has always been a calling I have followed, in many different places in my life. I was taught to take my comfort and knowledge, and pay it forward to others around me at all times.
The Benefit of Reaching out to or Teaching Others
- Help others avoid the circumstances that may have caused you pain in life
- Increased confidence in their marriage, or other relationships
- Give a sense of hope or light at the end of the tunnel
- Help others build life goals, and guiding them through the small, actionable steps
- Gives back to you, as you can and will learn things from the younger generation if you are open to listening and humbling yourself.
- Helps you learn how to prioritize you time
- Helps you learn how to love in different ways
- Helps you learn how to teach, using different learning styles
- Helps you reminisce about your younger days, as you help others through their milestone moments in life.
- Helps you take pride in the gifts God gave you, and use them to the best of your ability
- Helps you treasure and appreciate those around you more, especially those loved ones who have freely given to you their time, energy, and resources in life.
- Helps you prepare for your next journey yourself, as you contemplate what it will be like in your future.
- Helps you learn about your weaknesses, to turn them more into strengths.
- Helps you value your precious family traditions more, and reminds you to take time for yourself more.
- Teaches you to value your time more with your family
- Teaches you to invest in your own marriage.
- Teaches you to be generous with your “stuff” in life, bringing you far more joy compared to keeping things all to yourself.
- Helps you learn how to deal with conflict and resolution with siblings, friends, and co-workers.
- Helps you realize you are doing a great job, at doing a lot in life.
- Helps you cherish where you are right now, and be happy.
- Helps equip you with right tools to defeat enemies on video games. You will also equip yourself with other life tools like a sense of humor and unconditional love to thrive these days.
- Sometimes just seeing a friendly face ad having a friendly conversation makes the rest of your day better.
- Reminds yourself that you are just as human, as those you mentor or help.
- Helps you learn to love someone enough, to release them. Your relationship just may grow stronger.
- Helps you get past your own self-condemnation, and to value who you were made to be and continue to learn from your own mistakes.
- Helps you learn that “home” is the people, not the place.
The Benefit of Learning from Others
- Increase wisdom
- Helps you avoid mistakes
- Helps take the feeling of pressure away
- Helps you relate to an adult on a kid level
- Helps you stop and enjoy the moment in life
- Helps you know how to ask for help, or accept responsibility in life
- Helps you learn how to find and be influences by those you know, like, and trust.
- Learn you are not alone
- Teaches you to accept you, for you. Be yourself.
- Helps you learn how to be a mentor yourself
- Helps you learn safe and healthy environments and friends to surround yourself with.
- Helps you focus your energy on those who truly care about you.
- Helps encourage you to never give up, and take pride in the gifts God gave you and to use them to the best of your ability.
- Helps you treasure and appreciate those around you more, especially those loved ones who have freely given to you their time, energy, and resources in life.
- Helps you gain excitement and respect for what you have to look forward to in the future.
- Helps you learn about your weaknesses, to turn them more into strengths.
- Helps you stop from wearing those embarrassing clothes, so you can look and feel better about yourself.
- Teaches you to focus on the good
- Teaches you to keep your priorities in life, and not get distracted easily
- Helps guide you through your stages of independence in life
- Helps you learn how to deal with conflict and resolution with siblings, friends, and co-workers.
- Helps you learn life hacks faster and easier. You do not have to reinvent the wheel.
- Helps you cherish where you are right now, and be happy.
- Helps you get past your own self-condemnation, and to value who you were made to be and continue to learn from your own mistakes.
- Helps you learn that “home” is the people, not the place.
- Helps you feel more in control of your life.
A wise man learns from another man’s mistakes.
We want to encourage you to write a “Message to the Future” letter to your younger self right now. Give yourself some advice for all the years you will be facing up until the future year you have in mind, or up until today. Encourage and instruct yourself the things to avoid, steps to take, and those you need to surround yourself around.
Your Past is your Past
There is nothing you can do about it. I do not know how many times I went over that with clients in counseling. We want you to walk forward with greater love of life, learning from your mistakes. We hope this and future blogs, along with this challenge to write this “Message to the Future” letter benefits you now, and years to come. If you are interested in writing a “Message to the Future” letter and saving it in a decorative Baby or Wedding time capsule, then check out The Original Time Capsule company at https://www.timecapsule.com and order yours today.
What is one piece of advice you would write in your “Message to the Future” letter to a teenager today? Comment below.
Making Milestone Moments Count,