Remember Your Future Self

Zooming out and capturing a broader swatch of our lived experience can better position us to find patterns in our behavior. When we see our choices for what they really are, rather than what we want them to be, we can piece together the puzzle of our lives in more optimal ways.

— Emily Balcetis

Perspective is a powerful tool for looking at both physical surroundings as well as personal goals and objectives. You might have heard someone tell you, “Just keep things in perspective.” Good advice, but what does this mean in practice, and why is it important? How can we learn to “zoom out” on the situation to put things in context, but also “zoom in” to make sure we don’t miss the important details?

Here are Five Powerful Habits for Leveraging Perspective as you Remember Your Future Self.

1. Deliberately Embrace a Dual Perspective Approach
By alternately zooming out and zooming in, you can gain a fuller understanding of your goals. Zooming out allows you to see the broader picture, identifying long-term patterns, potential pitfalls, and opportunities. It’s about understanding the context and how your goals fit into the larger scheme of your life. On the other hand, zooming in helps you focus on the details that matter in the short term, enabling you to tackle immediate tasks with precision and care.

Actionable Tip: Set aside time each week for a "dual perspective review." Spend 30 minutes looking at your goals from a high level (long-term vision), and 30 minutes on the specifics (short-term actions and details).

2. Cultivate a Growth Mindset with Self-Reflection
Self-reflection allows you to assess your progress and adjust your strategies. Viewing your journey with a growth mindset means seeing challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. This shift in perspective can turn obstacles into stepping stones.

Actionable Tip: Keep a daily journal where you reflect on your successes and setbacks. Ask yourself what you learned from each experience and how it can inform your next steps.

3. Leverage the Power of Visual Imagery
Visualization can be a powerful tool for gaining perspective. By creating a mental image of your goals and the steps needed to achieve them, you can enhance focus and motivation. Vision boards, mind maps, and other visual tools can help you see the connections between different aspects of your goals.

Actionable Tip: Create a vision board that includes both your long-term goals and the smaller milestones that lead to them. Place it somewhere you'll see it daily to keep your goals in perspective.

4. Engage in Mentorship and Collective Wisdom
Sometimes, the best way to gain perspective is through the insights of others. Engaging with mentors, coaches, or a supportive community can provide new angles and insights that you might not see on your own. This collective wisdom can be invaluable in refining your goals and strategies.

Actionable Tip: Seek out a mentor or join a mastermind group related to your goals. Regularly share your progress and challenges, and be open to feedback and advice.

5. Visualize the Past and Future to Inform Present Actions
One of the most powerful ways to use perspective is to Remember Your Future Self. Clearly and repeatedly visualizing where you want to be in the future can provide a clear direction and motivation for your present actions. This practice involves imagining your future self in vivid detail and considering how that version of you would act, make decisions, and prioritize tasks.

You can also zoom out and reframe and reconsider your prior actions. You have enormous power to reshape and retell the stories of your past in a way that propels your future plans forward. To a remarkable degree, you can shape your past into the perfect launch pad for whatever you’re trying to accomplish in the future!

Actionable Tip: Spend 10 minutes each day in a quiet space visualizing your future self. Picture yourself having achieved your goals, feeling the emotions of success, and living the life you aspire to. You can also boldly and creatively retell the story of how you arrived in your current situation. Then, write down three actions you can take today that align with that vision. This practice not only helps keep your goals in perspective but also ensures that your daily actions are consistent with your long-term aspirations.


By integrating these habits into your routine, you can effectively leverage the power of perspective to accelerate your goals. Remember, the key is to balance the big picture with the small details, while integrating your past and future - allowing you to navigate your current path with crystal clarity and purpose.