What You Need To Know About Your Future Self

We tend to think our future self will be distinctly different from who we are today.  Perhaps one of the reasons we struggle to be motivated by thinking into the future is because our brains view our future self as a stranger, a different person with a different personality, values, and interests than our current self. Brain research reveals that when we think about our future selves, we activate the same region of the brain as when we are thinking about someone else (a friend, celebrity, or colleague); a distinctly different area of the brain than when we think about ourselves.  

But I don’t think I needed the research to illustrate this.  I’ve observed it for decades.  A colleague in her mid-30’s recently told me that her and her husband want to travel now while they are young (The assumption: “Old” me won’t want to travel).  Another colleague told me they wanted to have kids now because they didn’t want to be an “old dad” (Perhaps the assumption: Old me won’t want to play with my kids).  

Seemingly, we don’t know our future self very well.

As a 44-year-old, I’m pretty convinced, future YOU will still care about many of the things you care about today (and if you are 68 years of age and reading this, you are thinking, “no s*#t”).  To be clear, you won’t stress about the work issue that unfolded this morning or the spat you had with a partner.  That will be water under the bridge.  

But future you will largely have a similar personality, values, passions, and insecurities. 

Future you WILL…

• Want to be physically attractive.  

• Want to be the best version of yourself.

• Want to be financially secure.

• Have insecurities.

• Look at yourself as a work in progress; always becoming.  

• Will want to travel and explore.

• Crave safety.

• Want better arms.

• Care deeply about your family. 

• Want to be in a loving relationship.   

• Feel like you still have time; that you are still in crescendo.    

How does all of this apply to exercise?

Well firstly, it’s well established that long term benefits actually (and surprisingly) don’t motivate us to engage in exercise today (we are far more motivated by the fact that the workout we do today makes us feel better the rest of the day and the next few days).  

But I think we still need to lean into understanding future YOU.  

I think we need to set goals.  

I think we need to daydream.  

And I think we need to create habits and disciplines that serve future you.

You will want to be STRONG, healthy, vibrant, improving, resilient, and attractive ten years, twenty years, and thirty years from right now.  

Future you is a lot like… you.  

So attack your next workout.  Soak it up today…. But let it serve future you as well.  

Implicit in the Never Stop Improving ethos is that you can live life in crescendo; your future is brighter than your past; and in that brighter future, you WILL care.