Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash
In short: A letter from your future self is a letter you write today, in the voice of the person you will be one year from now, looking back on everything you have done. It lets you see a bigger year than you would dare to plan, and it gives your goals a feeling as well as a list. Below you’ll find an example letter, the steps to write your own, and the questions to ask yourself if you get stuck.
It’s the first quiet morning of the year. The house is still, the decorations are a little tired, and you have a cup of something warm in your hands. Somewhere in the back of your mind there’s the usual list: eat better, move more, finally start that project. You have written that list before. You know how it tends to end, some time around February.
So this year, try something different. Don’t write a list. Write a letter. And don’t write it from where you are now: write it from where you’d love to be in one year.
What is a letter from your future self?
It’s a simple exercise. You imagine yourself exactly one year from today. The year has gone well, better than you expected. You sit down and write to the person you are now, to tell her or him what happened, what you’re proud of, what was hard, and what you’d like them to know before they start.
You write in the past tense, as if it were all done. “I did”, “I learned”, “I finally”. That small change of tense does something a list of resolutions can’t: it lets you feel the year from the inside, as a life you have lived, and not as a row of tasks waiting for you.
An example: a letter from one year ahead
Here is a letter of this kind, so you can see what it sounds like.
Hi there, it’s me, your future self, writing to you from one year in the future. I wanted to reach out and share with you some of the things I’ve achieved over the past year. Right now, you might have doubts or fears about your abilities, but trust me when I say that you can achieve so much more than you can even imagine.
As I sit here and reflect on the past year, I can’t help but be amazed by all I’ve accomplished. I set some big goals for myself, and I’m proud to say that I went beyond my own expectations. I took on challenges I never thought I could handle, and I came out stronger and more confident than ever.
It wasn’t always easy. There were times when I was in over my head and wanted to give up. But I kept going, and I’m so glad I did, because the rewards of hard work and perseverance can’t be measured.
So what exactly did I achieve? It’s hard to describe, but I’ll try my best. I doubled my income and found my dream job by starting my own business. I travelled to places I had only dreamed of, made new friends and learned new skills. I improved my health, my relationships and my overall wellbeing. In short, I achieved ten times more than I could ever have imagined.
But beyond the achievements themselves, what I value most is the sense of growth I’ve experienced. I’ve become a better version of myself: more confident, more resilient, more grateful. I’ve learned that anything is possible if I put my mind to it, and that I have the power to create the life I want.
Your letter will be different, of course. Your dream may have nothing to do with a business or with travel. It may be about walking up the hill without stopping, cooking for yourself with pleasure again, or feeling at peace in your own home. What matters is that it’s yours.
Why does writing it as a letter help?
I encourage you to write this letter because it may look like a small gesture, and yet it can change how you see the year ahead. When you imagine yourself one year from now, you set your sights on a bigger and brighter future than you would otherwise allow yourself.
A letter helps in three ways.
It helps you set goals. When you describe a year that went well, you find out what you really want. Often it isn’t what you would have put on the list.
It builds confidence. You meet a version of you who has already done it. She had the same doubts as you have today, and she kept going anyway.
It keeps you motivated. On a grey day in March, a letter that says “I’m so glad you didn’t give up” speaks to you in a way a to-do list never will.
And why ten times more? Because most of us ask for very little. We plan the year we think we deserve, or the one that seems reasonable. Your future self is allowed to be bolder than that. You don’t have to know how any of it will happen yet. You only have to let yourself see it.
I made a short video about this, you can watch it below.
How do you write your own letter?
1. Choose a quiet moment
Half an hour is enough. Make a cup of tea, put your phone in another room, and take paper and a pen you like. Writing by hand slows you down, and that helps here.
2. Put next year’s date at the top
Write the date one year from today, then begin: “Hi, it’s me, your future self.” It feels a little strange for a line or two. Keep going.
3. Tell the story of the year
Write in the past tense, and be concrete. If you’re not sure where to start, answer these questions one by one:
What am I most proud of this year?
What did I do that I didn’t think I could do?
How does my body feel now? How do I eat, sleep and move?
Who is around me, and how are things between us?
What does an ordinary Tuesday look like in my life now?
What did I stop doing, and what a relief was that?
4. Be honest about the hard days
A year without difficult moments doesn’t exist, and a letter that pretends otherwise won’t help you in March. Let your future self tell you about the days you wanted to give up, and what got you through. I wrote more about this in a winner is a dreamer who never gives up.
5. End with a few words of encouragement
What would the you of next year most like to say to the you of today? Write it down, and sign the letter.
Would you rather not write?
Then don’t. You could record an audio message or a short video for yourself. You could also schedule an email to be delivered to you one year from now. Whatever form it takes, what counts is that you imagine everything you’d love to achieve over the next year, and that you let this picture guide you as you plan and set your goals.
What do you do with the letter afterwards?
Keep it where you’ll come across it: in your diary, in your bedside drawer, inside the cover of the book you’re reading. Read it again every few weeks. Each time, ask yourself one question: what is one small thing I can do this week that the writer of this letter would thank me for?
That is how the letter becomes a plan. If one of your wishes is about your wellbeing, how to achieve your health goals will help you turn it into steps you can take, and having a clear vision for your health explains why the picture comes first. If you like to see things as well as read them, make a vision board to go with your letter, or practise visualising your goals for a few minutes in the morning.
Some people like to clear the ground first. If that’s you, my New Year’s Eve ritual for letting go of the old year goes very well with this letter: one to release, one to welcome. And remember that every line of your letter rests on the choices you make, one ordinary day after another.
So why wait? Start your letter today. And when the first of January comes round again, sit down and write a new one, to mark the start of another year.
Frequently asked questions
What is a letter from your future self?
It is a letter you write today in the voice of the person you will be one year from now. You look back on the year as if it had already happened and tell your present self what you did, how it felt and what helped you keep going.
When is the best time to write it?
The first of January is a lovely moment, and so is a birthday or the start of a new season. But any quiet half hour will do. The best day is the one when you feel like sitting down with a pen.
What if I do not know what I want?
Start with how you would like to feel rather than what you would like to have: rested, proud, lighter, closer to the people you love. Then ask what an ordinary day looks like for the person who feels that way. The details come as you write.
Does it have to be a written letter?
No. You can record an audio message or a short video for yourself, or schedule an email to arrive in your inbox in one year. Choose the form you will enjoy, because that is the one you will do.
What do I do with the letter afterwards?
Read it once more, then keep it somewhere you will find it again. Read it every few weeks, choose one small step from it, and a year later write a new one.
Would you like some help?
Very often, the future self in these letters is someone with more energy, who eats well without fuss and feels at home in her body. That is what we work on, step by step, in my group programmes in nutrition and health, such as Six Tuesdays in Montignac. If you’d like to hear when the next group opens, write to me at hello@catherinepolet.coach.
Would you rather work one to one? I also coach online. Book a free 20-minute call, and bring your letter if you like: it’s a wonderful place to start our conversation.
About Catherine
I’m Catherine Polet, a holistic nutrition health coach, yoga and autogenic training teacher for more than 30 years, author and speaker. I help people find a way of eating and living that suits their own body, online in English, French, Spanish and German, and in person in Southwest France.
