Future Self Journaling - Manifest Your Destiny With Tamron Hall

Hey there!

I'm your future self, writing to you from the future. I wanted to let you know that journaling is really important, and it's something that I wish I had started doing sooner.

It's never too late to start journaling, and I hope that you'll start today.

I hope you have a great day!

Sincerely,

Your Future Self

Future Self Journaling is the practice of writing letters to your future self as journal entries or letters/emails to be opened at a later date.

It’s a way to set goals and track your progress over time.

The idea is that by writing to yourself in the future, you’ll be able gain better self awareness to identify the necessary steps to your goals, and in turn be more likely to accomplish them.

• Write a letter and put it in a time capsule
• Email yourself and set a date for it to be delivered
• Future self journal as a regular journal entry or blog post

Whatever method you choose though, the important thing is to be specific about what you want to accomplish. Include as many details as possible so that you can look back and see how far you’ve come!

Future self journaling can be become a part of your routine to stay motivated and on track with manifesting your goals.

When it comes to goal setting and personal growth, most people focus on the here and now. But what about your future self?

Your future self is the person you want to be — the person you’re working towards becoming.

And while it may seem like a far-off concept, your future self is closer than you think.

In fact, studies have shown that thinking about your future self can help you make better decisions in the present. That’s because when you consider your future self, you’re more likely to take actions that focus on long-term goals.

When it comes to setting and achieving life goals, one of the best things you can do is start journaling about your future self.

Future self journaling will help you:

One of the challenges of goal-setting is that we often have a fuzzy idea of what we want. By writing to your future self, you can start to get a clearer picture of what exactly it is that you want.

When you can see yourself achieving your goals, it's easier to stay motivated and focused on the task at hand. Future self journaling can help remind you why your goal is important and how great it will feel when you finally get there.

We live in a world that is increasingly focused on instant gratification. But if you want to aspire to larger goals, it's important to think long-term. Future self journaling can help remind you of the importance of patience and staying focused on your goal.

When you practice future self journaling in an open and honest way you will begin to acutely recognize how you view your present self and you may find increased focus in your decision making.

Future self journaling can be as specific or as general as you want — from imagining yourself 5 years from now to imagining yourself in retirement.

The goal is simply to get you thinking about your long-term plans and how they can be manifested in a reasonable timeframe.

It's your journey with yourself so the way things play out is nearly unbound and your future goals are up to you.

Here are just a few of the benefits:

One of the best things about future self journaling is that it forces you to focus on what you really want in life — not what society says you should want.

When it comes to personal growth, this can be hugely helpful.

That’s because many people struggle to set goals that align with their true desires. As a result, they often end up feeling frustrated and dissatisfied (even if they do achieve their goals).

But when you think about your future self, it’s easier to identify what truly matters to you and set goals accordingly.

Future self journaling can help clarify your values and priorities — which can be extremely helpful when it comes to decision-making.

We all have different values that guide us through life, but sometimes it’s hard to know what those values are (or how they apply to specific situations).

Future self journaling can help with this by getting you thinking about what really matters to you and how you want to live your life.

From there, it becomes easier to make decisions that align with your values — whether that’s choosing a career path or making a major purchase.

When you’re feeling stuck or lost motivation, writing can help clear your mind and give you a better sense of direction. Keep a journal to track your progress and reflect on your achievements. This will help you stay motivated by seeing how far you’ve come.

The habit of regular journaling is known to have positive effects on your mental health, especially when it comes to anxiety and depression. It has also been shown to reduce stress levels.

Future self journaling is basically a form of "active listening", but in this case, to yourself. By attending to your own thoughts and feelings in this way you can work through problems, and move toward developing healthy coping strategies.

Studies have indicated that this leads to decreased mental distress. We may feel trapped in a cycle of negative feelings or actions, so envisioning our free future selves can be an important first step in separating our past from our future.

The way you write in your future self journal matters as well. Daily affirmation is a strong practice in maintaining positive thoughts about yourself. Those who've seen a holistic psychologist know this to be one of the fun ways you can decrease stress and negative mental chatter.

Making a new habit of daily prompts for the journaling practice of "daily affirmation" can allow people to see themselves in a positive light when times are hard.

This one healthy habit can lead to the benefits of renewed hope that a better version of a future you is not hindered by a negative view of your past self.

Other future self journaling prompts that may aid in mental health and reduce stress can include things like positive aspirations or envisioning your dream career.

Your present self requires positive aspirations to create a life that has a focus on self development, and these type of journal entries should ideally become part of your daily life.

When you start future self journaling the most important part is to be honest with yourself but with recognition that journaling in this regard is intended to create positive thoughts, actions and benefits.

Don't be too hard on you or your future self. Remember that you're looking forward at the person you want to be so practice future journaling with the confidence of someone who knows they're going to get there.

Future self journaling is a simple and powerful tool that anyone can use to help manifest their dreams and goals.

One simple example is to write a letter to your future self.

When the time comes to open your letter, you’ll be amazed at how much has changed – both in terms of your own personal development and in the world around you.

Future self journaling is a great way to hold yourself accountable and stay motivated on the journey to your goals.

Here’s a quick guide on how to get started with future self journaling:

A future self journal is a tool that can help you tap into your wisdom and intuition to make choices that are in alignment with manifesting a better version of yourself.

By writing to your future self, you can gain clarity on your values, priorities, and goals.

You can also use your journal to work through fears and doubts, and to explore what might be holding you back from living your best life.

There are no rules for how to write in a future self journal – the only prerequisite is that it be written with the intention of helping you grow and evolve into your best self.

With that in mind, here are some ideas of what you could include:

Journaling prompts are a great example of one thing that can help you create a worthwhile future self journal.

In a future self journal you can write about anything you want, including your hopes, fears, and motivation for reaching your goals.

Practicing future self journaling can be a powerful tool for helping you achieve those goals. It can help you gain clarity on what you want, create a roadmap for how to get there, and stay motivated throughout the process.

Writing letters to your future self is also a great way to document your journey and reflect on your progress over time.

You may start to view your own life from from a new perspective. Reflective journaling allows you to see your daily life as a vehicle to your improved future.

When you begin regular journaling to your future self it can have a positive impact on addressing bad habits and past behaviors through a gained sense of clarity.

Simultaneously, you can begin to envision a better future and may even start predicting future emotions that result from this form of self development.

When you’re writing about your future self, you may find it difficult to stay positive and optimistic. After all, you don’t know what challenges and obstacles lie ahead.

It’s important to remember that your future self is stronger and wiser than you are now.

So whatever difficult situation you may be facing, your future self has probably been through something similar and come out the other side.

Here are some tips for journaling about your future self:

1. Write as if you have already achieved your goal.

This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s actually a powerful way to increase your motivation. When you write as if you have already reached your goal, it becomes easier to believe that it’s possible.

And the more believable it is, the more likely you are to take action and make it happen.

1. Be specific about what you want to accomplish.

Vague goals are difficult to visualize and therefore hard to work towards. But when you’re specific about what you want, it becomes much easier to take concrete steps towards achieving it.

Rather than simply writing “I want to be successful”, try “I want to earn a six-figure salary” or “I want to start my own business”.

1. Describe how achieving your goal will make you feel.

The emotions that come with reaching your goal are just as important as the achievement itself. Will you feel proud? Happy? Relieved? Excited?

Focus on how good it will feel when you finally reach your goal – this will help keep you motivated when things get tough.

There are no rules when it comes to future self journaling.

However, there are a few ways to help you get the most out of the experience:

Be Patient With Yourself

• Bad habits rarely disappear in a single day and any journaling practice can have more than the occasional stretch of "writer's block".

Set A Deadline

• Giving yourself a timeline for your goals will help you stay on track and motivated. Make sure to give enough time though because real change will rarely happen overnight.

Make A Plan

• Along with setting a deadline, you should create a plan of action for your journal as it will increase your odds of success. Future self journaling prompts or "jumping off points" can be extremely helpful when you start writing. Keep track of your favorite writing prompts and feel free to let go of the ones that aren't helping you with your end goals.

Be Realistic

• It’s important to be realistic when setting goals and planning for your future self. If you set goals that are impossible to achieve, you’ll only end up feeling disappointed and frustrated.

Journal Regularly

• The more often you journal, the more benefit you’ll get from the process. For example, try to journal at least once a week, then try to increase in regularity as you become more comfortable with the process.

Now you're ready to reach out the the future you!

LISTEN NOW

Our guest right now, on the Routine Project podcast needs no introduction but in case you haven’t seen Tamron Hall (@tamronhall) on your TV screens before - here we go!

Tamron is an award winning Broadcast Journalist, and Talk Show host - with one of the most kindred and most genuine spirits I’ve been fortunate to look up to for YEARS now, since first seeing her “do her thang” on the NBC and MSNBC programs back in the day! Now, she’s hosting her very own talk show, the Tamron Hall Show (here) - this show is a daily destination for all things topical and a platform for viewers to connect with the people who are shaping the world through meaningful, engaging and entertaining conversations. And in this conversation, Tamron said yes to joining Justin in discussing her routines, and rhythms that have shaped the amazing woman she is today!

Follow Tamron on Instagram (here) and be sure to check out her talk show, The Tamron Hall Show (here), airing across various stations and be sure to check your local TV listings. Or, you can totally find clips from the show and all its greatness at www.tamronhallshow.com