Do you ever feel adrift? Stuck in the day-to-day, with the future feeling like a vague, foggy landscape? When we lose a clear sense of direction, motivation can drain away, replaced by a feeling of just going through the motions.
But what if you could borrow a little light from your own future? What if you could get a clear, compelling glimpse of the person you have the potential to become, and use that vision to energize your life right now?
This is the purpose of the Best Possible Self exercise, a powerful tool from the field of positive psychology. It’s not about wishful thinking or fantasy; it’s a structured mental exercise designed to connect you with your deepest goals and values, boosting your sense of hope and igniting your motivation in the present.
As the renowned management consultant Peter Drucker famously said:
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
This exercise is your first step in creating that future, starting in your own mind.
How Does Imagining the Future Change the Present? The Science
When you take the time to vividly and optimistically imagine your future, remarkable things happen in your brain.
- It Boosts Motivation: Visualizing success and achieving your goals releases dopamine, the brain’s primary neurotransmitter for motivation and reward. You get a taste of the future’s reward today, which makes you more likely to work for it.
- It Primes Your Brain for Action: The exercise activates parts of your brain, like the prefrontal cortex, that are responsible for planning and goal-directed behavior. You are essentially creating a mental blueprint for success.
- It Increases Optimism and Resilience: By focusing on possibilities instead of problems, you shift your entire perspective. Studies have shown that regularly practicing this exercise increases optimism and can make you more resilient in the face of current setbacks.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Visualizing Your Best Possible Self
Find 15-20 minutes where you can be quiet and undisturbed. Grab a notebook or open our guided tool.
Step 1: Set the Scene
Take a few deep breaths to settle your mind. Choose a timeframe for your vision—perhaps you’ll imagine your life one year, five years, or even ten years from now.
Step 2: Imagine Your Best Life
Here is the core instruction: Imagine that everything in your life has gone as well as it possibly could. You have worked hard and succeeded in achieving your most important goals and realizing your dreams. This is not a magical fantasy; it’s the future that would result from you putting forth your best effort and having things go right.
Step 3: Write About It in Detail
Now, write about this future in the present tense, as if it’s happening right now. Don’t worry about grammar or spelling; just write freely. To help, explore these key areas of your life:
- Your Career or Vocation: What meaningful work are you doing? What does your typical day look like? What impact are you having?
- Your Health and Wellbeing: How do you feel in your body? What are your habits around sleep, food, and movement? How do you manage your mental health?
- Your Relationships: Who are you surrounded by? How do you connect with your friends, family, or partner? What do these relationships feel like?
- Your Passions and Growth: What hobbies bring you joy? What have you learned? What are you curious about?
Step 4: Connect with the Feeling
After you’ve finished writing, read it over slowly. Allow yourself to feel the emotions that come up—excitement, pride, peace, joy. This is the feeling you want to anchor in your memory.
Bring Your Future into Focus: Our Guided Tool
Sometimes, a blank page can be intimidating. Our Future Self Visualization tool provides a guided, immersive experience with prompts for each area of your life to help you create a rich and detailed vision.
➡️ Open the Future Self Visualization Tool
From Vision to Action
This beautiful vision of your future is more than just a pleasant daydream; it’s a map. The final, crucial step is to ask yourself:
“What is one small, tiny thing I could do today to move 1% closer to becoming that person?”
Maybe it’s a five-minute walk (health), sending one text to a friend (relationships), or reading one article about a new skill (growth). Use tools like our Activity Lift to choose that first step.
Your Future Self Is Waiting
The person you just imagined is not a stranger. They are a reflection of your own potential, your deepest values, and your highest aspirations. By connecting with them, you give yourself the greatest gifts you can: a clear direction, a reason to hope, and the motivation to begin today.