Did you know that, from a neurological viewpoint, your future self is a stranger to you? Researchers suggest that your brain acts as if you are thinking about someone else when you are actually in the middle of imagining your future self in a future life event. You may ask, "What's the big deal?" Well, simply put, this behavior may make it difficult for you to invest in projects that could benefit you in the future. After all, if your future self is a stranger in retirement 30 years from now, why would you want to save money today for a stranger's retirement? Long story short, if you fail to feel empathy for your future self, you may find yourself procrastinating or indulging in momentary pleasures more often. And these two things, when practiced continuously, may have detrimental effects on your agility, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Rest assured, agile, creative, and solution-oriented talents will always be in high demand in the future of work.
So, what can you do to gain mental flexibility and connect with and feel empathy for your future self? Below is a non exhaustive list of habits you can start working on today. Every week, set aside a couple of hours to let your imagination work. Please remember that having inspiring talks with your future self requires practice, practice, and practice like all habits.
Be Curious
If you are not doing it already, start reading topics outside of your area of expertise. Look at trends in different industries and imagine what can happen in the future. Try to imagine how your future self would react or handle such future events.
Brainstorm about how things can be different
Today we need passports to travel from one country to another. Do you think this will always be the case? Or, will a female uterus always be necessary for growing a fetus? Make a list of a few topics and stretch your imagination to see how future developments can shake the status quo.
Develop scenes for an alternative future
Write down one of your future goals. For your future goal, work on three different scenarios.
Scenario 1: What would you do if everything went according to your plans?
Scenario 2: What would you do if you faced a few obstacles on your way to your goal?
Scenario 3: What would you do if nothing goes according to your plans?
Please remember that feeling proud of your current self right now is crucial for building a future self you can be proud of in the future. Do not postpone feeling proud of yourself to a point in time if you get that job or lose those 20 kilograms. The suggestions above are little brain exercises to prepare yourself better for ever-changing world situations.
Thank you and best of luck with the job search today! Happy job searching!
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Photo Credit: Kobby Mendez on Unsplash