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Plus, the benefits of writing to your future self (now and later)
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Writing a letter to yourself is like jumping into a time capsule and mailing yourself to the future. It can help you sort out your thoughts, discover more about yourself, and remind yourself of memories you may have forgotten years from now. It’s fun and easy, and there aren’t really any rules, but we chatted with English teacher Celena Hathaway to make a helpful guide for how to talk about yourself in the letter, talk to your future self, and how to seal and send it.
What to Include in a Letter to Your Future Self
- Summarize yourself in the present. Who are you? What do you enjoy doing? What are your beliefs and values?
- Make goals for yourself. Is there a bad habit you want to quit? How do you want to improve yourself? What's something you've always wanted to do?
- Ask your future self questions. Do you like your job? Are you in love? Have you realized your dreams? Are you happy?
Steps
Section 1 of 4:
Talking About Who You Are Now
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Start by deciding when you want your future self to read the letter. Before doing anything else, decide how old you want your future self to be when you read this letter. You may want to read the letter when you’re 18, 25, or 30 years old. Choosing an age will help you define the goals you want to achieve by that time in your life. [1] X Research source
- You may want to choose an age that puts you in different circumstances than you are currently in, like 5 years from now.
- 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.
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Keep your letter casual and loose. Hathaway says, “You don’t have to be super technical” or “follow any formal rules.” You’re writing this letter to yourself, so don’t feel you have to take a formal tone. Write as though you are talking to your best friend.
- When talking about your current self in this letter, use “I” language. When talking about your future self in this letter, use “you” language.
- Or, refer to yourself in the third person to make this more of an exercise in self-reflection. This helps you talk about yourself more objectively.
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Tell your future self about your current situation. Start with a quick reminder of who you currently are, so your future self can remember where they came from. Hathaway says to talk about your current interests or hobbies. Also think about mentioning your recent accomplishments, who your friends are, and how you spend your time, including extracurricular activities. This will allow you to see how much your life has changed since you wrote the letter.
- In addition, write about books or movies you like and why, your favorite objects, your current hobbies, or anything else that you tend to enjoy.
- Note any important life events. Did you just move recently, or will you in the future? Are you graduating? Are you in a relationship?
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Describe your worries and fears. Think about fears or shortcomings you may have, such as speaking in front of a group, moving out after high school, or not getting accepted at the college you want to go to. You’ll be able to see if you’ve overcome these issues in the future. Also, thinking about them now may help you realize that they may not be so bad after all, or even help you come up with strategies to cope or a backup plan. [2] X Trustworthy Source Greater Good in Action An initiative by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center promoting science-based practices for a meaningful life Go to source
- Have you done something you're ashamed of but can’t tell anyone else about? Do you struggle with certain vices or bad habits?
- Remember, your future self is your greatest ally! They’re a smarter, more experienced version of you, so don’t hesitate to get intimate or deep with what you say. Your secrets are safe with you.
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Identify your key values and beliefs. Think about your own experiences, and ask yourself what guides the current you. [3] X Trustworthy Source Greater Good in Action An initiative by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center promoting science-based practices for a meaningful life Go to source Your belief system (whether religious or secular) and your personal code of ethics play a large role in your actions. Making yourself conscious of your values can help shape your ideas of who you want to be in the future. [4] X Research source
- 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.
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Mention your skills and abilities. Don’t be afraid to butter yourself up! Pick out a few skills or abilities you can clearly identify in your current life, like winning a tennis tournament, leading the marching band, or organizing school functions. You may be a great writer or excel at math. Thinking about what you are good at now can help you decide what you want to accomplish later in life. [5] X Research source
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Define your goals and hopes. Hathaway says to think about who you’ll become when you read your letter. Write about things that are important to you now, such as playing varsity soccer or getting into a good college. Also think about what you hope to accomplish in the future, such as travel to Europe, publish an article in a magazine, or get your band a gig. [6] X Research source
- Do you want to start a family? What sort of career do you want? Are there new hobbies or interests you hope you’ll take up?
- What changes do you want to see to society when you read your letter? What do you think the future will look like?
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Section 2 of 4:
Speaking to Your Future Self
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Ask yourself lots of questions. These questions should make the current you reflect on what you’ll need to do to become who you want to be, while making the future you reflect on what you’ve done to reach the point you’ll be at. [7] X Trustworthy Source Greater Good in Action An initiative by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center promoting science-based practices for a meaningful life Go to source Or they can be more lighthearted and curious. You might ask yourself:
- Do you enjoy your job, or school?
- 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?
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Add things you want to stop, continue, and start doing. Perhaps you want to quit arguing with your siblings or stop biting your nails. Maybe you want to continue going to church every week or keep your grades up. You may want to start volunteering in your community or join a sport or club. Put these goals in your letter to see if you have achieved them in the future. [8] X Research source
- Don’t worry too much about whether or not you’ll actually accomplish them. Even if you don’t, your future self will have plenty of other accomplishments to feel good about.
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Give yourself advice. Think about what advice you want to give your future self. Your advice can be simple or complex. Examples include: “Be nice to Mom,” “Invest money in the stock market,” “Keep learning every day,” “Don’t worry so much, everything will be OK,” “Take college seriously,” or “Save up money for a nice car.” Consider what issues you struggle with currently to help you think of advice for your future self. [9] X Research source
- Writing your advice down also helps the present version of yourself follow it!
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Section 3 of 4:
Sealing and Storing a Letter to Your Future Self
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Seal the letter in an envelope to keep it hidden. Don’t be tempted to read the letter before it is time. Seal it in an envelope or tape it closed. This will also help preserve the letter, especially if you don’t plan to read it for 10-20 years. If your letter is digital, archive it or move it to a folder that you can find when it is time to read the letter.
- Write the date of when you want to open the letter on the envelope so you know when to look at it.
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Store the letter in a safe, dry place. If you’ve chosen to write or print a hardcopy of your letter, keep it somewhere that’s both readily accessible and safe from the elements. If the letter itself isn’t easy to spot in your everyday life, you’ll need to write yourself a note that will be; otherwise, you may forget about the letter when it’s finally time to read it. You can store the letter in a memory box or even put it in a time capsule.
- Or, put the letter in a filing cabinet or box with other important documents. That way, you’ll find it in the future when you’re going through your things.
- 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 also give the letter to a trusted friend or family member who can actually mail it to you in the future.
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Or, use technology to send your letter. Use a site like ike FutureMe to send your letter on a delay. Or, schedule your letter as an email to be sent to yourself in the future. Note, though, that this option works better for short-term letters than long-term ones, since you can’t be certain that the website or application you use will still be around 20 years into the future.
- You might consider using a digital calendar (like Google Calendars), or note-taking software (like Evernote ).
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Sample Letter and Things to Include and Avoid
Expert Q&A
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QuestionWhat should you write in a letter to your future self?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.Tell your adult self a little bit about who you are, what your interests are, where you see yourself in 5-10 years, and what your hopes and dreams are. Do you want to be focusing on a career by the time you're an adult, or do you want to focus on a family? A lot of times as people get older, their 5-10 year plans turn out nothing like what you originally expected or even wanted.
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QuestionWhat should I write in an introduction?Community AnswerSomething like, "Dear future self, I wonder (...) Write to your future self like you would talk to a friend.
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QuestionHow do I write a conclusion?Community AnswerEnd by summing up something that is the most important thing you want to say to your future self.
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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 .
References
- ↑ https://www.ed.ac.uk/reflection/reflectors-toolkit/self-awareness/writing-letters
- ↑ https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/self_compassionate_letter
- ↑ https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/self_compassionate_letter
- ↑ https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/want-to-improve-your-life-write-yourself-a-letter.html
- ↑ https://www.ed.ac.uk/reflection/reflectors-toolkit/self-awareness/writing-letters
- ↑ https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/want-to-improve-your-life-write-yourself-a-letter.html
- ↑ https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/self_compassionate_letter
- ↑ https://www.ed.ac.uk/reflection/reflectors-toolkit/self-awareness/writing-letters
- ↑ https://www.ed.ac.uk/reflection/reflectors-toolkit/self-awareness/writing-letters
About This Article
Article Summary
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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!
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