Future Self as North Star
Get clear on who you want to become and let that future self direct today.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 85%
Benjamin Hardy explains that psychologists see time holistically: your past and your future both actively shape who you are now. Research shows most people, especially as they age, assume their future self will be essentially the same person they are today, which limits their imagination. In reality your future self will be wildly different than you predict, so the move is to get clear and connected to who you want to become. That vision becomes the North Star directing your decisions each day, and living intentionally as that future self means you're always outgrowing your past self. Crucially, an intrinsically chosen future self frees you from goals fed to you by culture and society.
Origin
Benjamin Hardy shared this alongside the Gap and Gain, framing it around New Year's resolutions and drawing on future-self research to show how connecting to who you want to become guides present action.
Core principles
- 01Psychologists view time holistically, not sequentially; past and future both shape the present now.
- 02Most people wrongly assume their future self will be basically the same person they are today.
- 03Your future self will be a wildly different person than you predict.
- 04Getting connected to your desired future self lets you direct who you are today.
- 05Living intentionally as your future self means you always outgrow your past self.
How to run it
- 1
Imagine your future self vividly
Picture who you want to be in one, five, and ten years with limitless boundaries.
Pro tip Most people underestimate how different their future self will be; imagine boldly.
- 2
Get specific and write it down
Define concrete goals for your future self rather than chasing an ever-moving ideal.
Pro tip Make sure the vision is intrinsically yours, not one fed to you by culture or society.
Watch out Chasing an ideal with an ever-moving goalpost leaves you feeling unfulfilled in a Gap mindset.
- 3
Use the vision as your North Star
Let your future self guide and direct everything you do here and now, making decisions from that lens.
Pro tip Combine this with measuring backward against your past self for a healthy balance.
Watch out It's healthy to measure progress backward, but not to stay there; keep orienting to your future self.
In the wild
When Ben first appeared on Hala's show six years earlier she was just starting out; her past self could never have imagined becoming the podcast princess running the number one business podcast network.
→ The arc illustrates how radically different a future self becomes, motivating intentional connection to who you want to be.
Common mistakes
Assuming your future self is today's self
Believing you'll be basically the same person in 10 or 30 years shrinks your imagination and stops you designing an intentional future.
Adopting culturally-fed goals
Pursuing standards and ideals handed to you by society means your future isn't genuinely, intrinsically motivated.
Is it for you?
Best for
Creators setting new-year goals who want an intrinsic, self-authored direction.
Not ideal for
People who fixate so hard on the future ideal that they slip back into Gap thinking.
From the transcript
“your future self is going to be a wildly different person than you think even in five or 10 years from now”
“get really clear and connected to your future self who you want to be get very specific about that and then use that as the…”
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