Thursday, March 10, 2011

You from the Future


I'd like you to join me in a small thought experiment. Allow your mind to drift to the future. Where do you see yourself in a few years?

What if you could talk to yourself? Would you even want to listen to what your future self had to say? I think most people would say yes.

Keep picturing yourself. What do you look like? Maybe a little like your mom or your dad? No - that's nonsense. Well, I just hope you've aged more gracefully than Joan Rivers (sorry Joan).

Continuing... What thoughts will you have? What questions do you wish you could ask your future-self?

Now, snap out of it!

I talk to my future-self almost every day (and no I'm not going crazy). I'm talking about my parents.

How many times have you heard this... "Oh my god, I'm turning into my dad/mom." No kidding. When you're younger you don't want to admit it, but do you have certain tendencies that you inherited from them like; personality traits, lifestyle habits and interests.

Through the years, I'm learning where I get certain habits from: my interest in health and fitness from my dad and my thirst for adventure from my mom. I've even caught myself saying things my parents would say. Has that ever happened to you?

If you can accept that you and your parents have similar tastes and preferences than is it that much of a stretch to think that they are an older version of you with more experiences? They are you from a different generation. They are shaped by different environmental pressures, but they still are as close as you can get to you.

Next time you have a difficult decision to make, and you wish you could see in the future and find the "right" answer, realize that you can ask your parents. And most are more than willing to give an opinion.

What does your future self think about that new business you want to start? The relationship you are in? The job you want to change? Do you care what they may or may not have to say?

They might not always be right, but they are very good at telling you what you don't want to hear. Be stubborn if you want, but I have learned to respect what my parents say because they are as much a part of me as I am them.