Question of the week: Will this make my future self happy?
I ask myself hundreds of questions every day:
- Do I get up now or later?
- What do I write to this person?
- Do I accept this order?
It is not always easy to find a satisfactory answer.
I use the power question for good answers: Will my future self be happy about this decision?
Who is my future self?
My future self is the person who will be living in my skin in a few hours or days and who may or must live the consequences of my decisions.
The future me that I am referring to may be in the near future. How will my future self feel in half an hour if I devour a large portion of fries now?
But my future self may also be some time or even years away: How will my future self be happy in a few years' time when - even if time is short now - I spend time with my godchild (she painted the self-portrait with the red curls shortly before her fourth birthday)?
Why is the question of the future self so powerful?
You can also ask yourself: is it right or wrong, good or bad to eat chips now or to invest in the relationship?
But when it comes to questions of right and wrong, there is always an external authority involved: Society or another authority that sets the standards. Always doing what others dictate and what you should do may provide security, but it is not very satisfying internally.
However, if the future self is the authority, the decision remains very much with oneself, one's own values, wishes and goals. This is a much more powerful motivation than just doing what you should do.
Will my future self be happy?
Teams in start-ups that want to set up a company and later sell it at a profit often ask themselves a variant of this question: Will what we are currently doing inspire our future buyer?
Happiness motivates. If I imagine that I build up a relationship with my godchild over many years, I know that this will make me happier than if I don't cultivate the relationship. I want to be happy in the future. So I do it, even if I don't have a lot of free time right now.
Thinking about the future, happy me also motivates me because it also appeals to my emotions. Just like when I was sitting at my desk and wanted to write this blog post. I wondered whether I should write it sitting down or perhaps on the floor after all. Treadmill, which has a laptop holder so that I can write comfortably or at a brisk pace.
No question: my future self found the prospect of moving around while writing quite exhilarating. It knew that it would give me more energy and strength than sitting down.
What makes your future self happy?
I would love to hear from you.
- Can you imagine that this question strengthens you when making decisions? Which ones?
If you have any more questions, you can find them in the section Questions also in my shop.
